Elle Fanning has revealed that wearing a baby prosthesis while filming Catherine the Great made her ‘want to be pregnant’ – as she reflected on the show while looking stunning for May’s Harper’s Bazaar.
The actress, 24, will reprise her role as Catherine II of Russia in the third series set in the 18th century, with the 10-part final season premiering on Hulu on May 12.
For a period in series two, her character was waiting and Elle opened up about what it was like to play the role – saying she was “obsessed” with her fake bump and boobs.
She told the publication, “I was obsessed with it. I had a custom bump with breasts molded to me that went up to my neck.
“The costume team told me this was pretty much exactly what my body would look like when I got pregnant…which was pretty crazy.” I loved his appearance. It made me want to do it, to be pregnant!
Role: Elle Fanning has revealed wearing a baby bump prosthesis while filming Catherine the Great made her want to be pregnant – as she reflected on the show while looking gorgeous for May’s Harper’s Bazaar
Upcoming: The actress, 24, will reprise her role as Catherine II of Russia in the third series set in the 18th century. The 10-part final season will premiere on Hulu on May 12.
Filming: And for a period in series two, her character was waiting and She explained what it was like to play this role – saying she was “obsessed” with her fake bump (pictured with co-star Gillian Anderson )
She looked stunning for the glossy magazine’s “fairy tale” shoot in a series of pretty dresses while posing in a large house and spring garden.
her and her co-star Nicolas Hoult are set to return for the third season of the satirical comedy-drama.
There will be plenty of palace intrigue as Peter (Hoult) tries to make his marriage to Catherine (Fanning) work after she tried to have him killed at the end of last season.
Meanwhile, Catherine is inspired to reform her country after receiving a visit from the Ambassador of the newly independent United States.
Created and written by Tony McNamara, the new season of The Great also stars Belinda Bromilow (Packed to the Rafters), Phoebe Fox (The Aeronauts) and Adam Godley (Breaking Bad).
Fanning and Hoult, 33, were nominated for Emmys in 2022 for their performances in The Great.
Preparing for her role on the show, she told Harper’s Bazaar: “Before I put myself in her shoes, the only thing I knew about Catherine the Great was the rumor that she had sex with a horse – which actually sounds like one of the earliest forms of slut-shaming.
“So I wanted to reclaim her name a bit – to highlight how progressive she was in advocating for science and women’s education, being a driving force behind the Russian Enlightenment, separating church and state .”
‘I still hear, ‘Catherine the Great? What a badass!’ But I don’t know if that’s correct. She takes risks, but she has to do it.
Superstar: Harper’s Bazaar UK’s May issue goes on sale April 6 and features Elle on the cover
“She is powerful, but not always the most powerful person in the room. She can be both intriguing and naive. It’s a girl and a woman.
Maturing as a person while playing the role, she went on to explain, “I played Catherine during those formative years of my life. I grew up as a woman by his side.
She also talked about pushing herself to experiment with a comic book genre in The Great – saying she was “scared” at the start of the project.
‘I hadn’t really done much [comedy], and was very scared at first. But I’m no longer embarrassed: just try, no matter how outrageous something is. It’s an extremely specific style that takes time to get used to.
“We walk a very thin tightrope between tragedy and laughter,” she said.
The ensemble cast includes Gwilym Lee (Bohemian Rhapsody), Charity Wakefield (Wolf Hall), Douglas Hodge (Joker) and Sacha Dhawan and Bayo Gbadamosi (Doctor Who).
She rose to fame as a child actor in films like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, later acclaimed for the controversial series The Girl from Plainville.
She is in a relationship with actor Max Minghella. The four-year-old couple were first linked after meeting on the set of the 2018 film Teen Spirit.
All episodes of seasons 1 and 2 of The Great are available to stream on Stan. Season 3 premieres May 13, only on Stan.
The May issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK goes on sale April 6.
Plot: There will be plenty of palace intrigue as Peter (Hoult) tries to make his marriage to Catherine (Fanning) work, after she tried to have him killed at the end of last season
Storyline: Catherine is inspired to reform Russia after being visited by the Ambassador of the newly independent United States in series three