The Crown's Jonny Lee Miller casting feels very similar to Gillian Anderson's appearance in season 4 - here's why. The Crown has ascended to become one of Netflix's top shows, and part of that appeal can be attributed to the perfect casting of British royalty and politicians. From Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II herself to the newcomer Emma Corrin as a young Princess Diana, The Crown's casting choices have generally been applauded, with the likes of Matt Smith, Helena Bonham Carter and John Lithgow embodying their historical figures beautifully.
While The Crown's casting announcements are generally greeted with enthusiastic nodding and widespread agreement, season 4 raised eyebrows when Gillian Anderson was confirmed as playing Margaret Thatcher. The controversial 1980s Conservative Prime Minister is known for miner's strikes, the Falklands war, and being the first female in parliament's top job. What Thatcher is most certainly not known for is being a sex symbol, which makes Anderson's casting all the more curious. Famous for The X-Files and Sex Education, Anderson was one of the 1990s' most successful and popular actresses - just not the one you'd pick for Iron Mags.
As The Crown season 5 moves into the 1990s, it's time for Thatcher to bow out and John Major to take center stage... and the casting department has done it again. Major will be played by Jonny Lee Miller, known for Sick Boy in Trainspotting and Sherlock Holmes in Elementary. Just like Gillian Anderson, Miller is a talented, respected actor with a versatile resume. Also like Anderson, he bears precious little resemblance to the politician he'll be portraying in The Crown. While physical appearance isn't the be-all-end-all of casting, it would perhaps be fair to suggest that Margaret Thatcher and John Major aren't politicians you'd immediately describe as glamorous. Gillian Anderson and Jonny Lee Miller, on the other hand, are both classically good-looking folk with a certain degree of Hollywood style.
For a series that traditionally gets its royal actors spot-on, it's surely deliberate that The Crown's two most recent Prime Ministers have the air of stunt castings, designed to drive publicity and get people talking, even if there's some notable disparity between the talent and the figure they're supposed to be playing. But after the success of Gillian Anderson in season 4, it's clear why The Crown might try something similar with John Major. The Crown's Maggie Thatcher proved to be a love-her-or-hate-her character, with some fans hailing the portrayal and others finding it cringe-worthy, distracting and inaccurate. Generally speaking, the sheer unexpected nature of Anderson as Thatcher made her a highlight of a season, with the X-Files actress stealing every scene she entered. However people might've felt about it, Anderson still became one of The Crown's biggest discussion points in season 4 - and she wasn't even one of the royals.
Whether the same will happen for Jonny Lee Miller in The Crown season 5 remains to be seen. Despite her divisive legacy, Margaret Thatcher is an icon of worldwide renown, and even viewers outside Britain have a general idea of her looks, voice and mannerisms. This is partly why the curveball casting of Gillian Anderson generated as much chatter as it did. John Major, however, left a far more moderate, subtle stamp on British politics. To a general international Netflix audience, Major is less well-known and, for that very reason, seeing Jonny Lee Miller play him won't necessarily bring the same shock and surprise of Gillian Anderson.