Gillian Anderson has gone from dealing with one royal family to another. Hulu has just released new stills of the Sex Education star in the second season of The Great, the service’s loosely accurate depiction of the life of Catherine the Great, as played by Elle Fanning. Anderson, set to play Catherine’s mother, Johanna Elizabeth, joins an ever-expanding cast of characters as Catherine rises to power and discovers that liberation and equality are not as simple as they look on paper.
The new images see Johanna decked out in her royal finest as she comes to visit court-appropriate, as she was not only the mother of an empress but a German princess and regent in her own right during her lifetime. Her costume, while not historically accurate (as nothing truly is in The Great), is gaudy and colorful, with an equally wild hairpiece to match, proving that Catherine certainly gets her ambitions from somewhere...even if her mother isn’t nearly as successful.
Johanna Elizabeth is set to be one of the many obstacles Catherine must face in her rise to power as empress of Russia during season two, a calculating woman getting in the way of her plans to bring enlightenment to her country. Catherine has many obstacles to face in the upcoming season if she wishes to “liberate” her stubborn country, battling her court, her own friends, and especially her family — husband Peter III (Nicholas Hoult) included.
The Great also stars Gwilym Lee, Adam Godley, Charity Wakefield, and Bayo Gbadamosi. The series is created, written and executive produced by Tony McNamara, and executive produced by Marian Macgowan, Mark Winemaker, Fanning, Hoult, Echo Lake’s Brittany Kahan Ward, Doug Mankoff, and Andrew Spaulding, Thruline’s Josh Kesselman and Ron West, and Matt Shakman.
Season two of The Great will premiere exclusively on Hulu on November 19, and fans can catch up on the entire first season on the platform now. Check out more new images below:
