Claire Foy has expressed her delight at discovering Olivia Colman will take over from her in The Crown.
The actress, 33, said on Friday that she is “overjoyed” that the Peep Show and Broadchurch actress, 43, will replace her as Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix series.
“I’ve known for a long time and when I found out that she might be taking over I was just apoplectic with joy,” she told the Press Association in Los Angeles on Friday.
“I just love her, I admire her so much and the idea that we sort of will be doing the same job but not actually working together is just enough, I’m honoured by that.”
Foy, speaking from the red carpet at the Bafta Los Angeles Britannia Awards where she was crowned artist of the year, said she only had two bits of advice for Colman.
“She doesn’t need any advice from me, she knows what she’s doing. The only thing I would say is take vitamins and get lots of sleep,” Foy said.
She played the monarch for two seasons in the biographical drama created by Peter Morgan, but Colman will take over in the as yet undated third series.
John Lithgow, who played Winston Churchill in the first season, said he has admired Colman’s performances in shows ranging from Broadchurch to Fleabag and tipped her for success in The Crown.
“She’s an amazing, miraculous actor,” Lithgow said. “Somebody transcendent had to replace Claire and they found her.”
Kenneth Branagh praised the casting as a “very exciting choice”.
“They had such a tough act to follow with Claire and they’ve come up with somebody who’s equally amazing,” he said.
The first season of The Crown portrayed the early days of the Queen’s reign, with the series starting in 1947.
The second season is set to pick up in 1956 and will continue through to 1963.
