The Crown's Gillian Anderson Asked If She Talked to Long-Dead Margaret Thatcher About Crown Role

Gillian Anderson spared a reporter from any further embarrassment after they asked her quite a bizarre question following her win at the 2021 Emmys Sunday night.

While answering questions from the press after she took home the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for playing Margaret Thatcher in "The Crown," Anderson, 53, was asked by a journalist if she spoke to Thatcher about the role.

The reporter, it seems, was clearly unaware that the former U.K. Prime Minister has been dead for over eight years. Thatcher died in April 2013 at the age of 87 following a stroke. She served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990.

At one point during the Q&A, Tanya Hart of American Urban Radio Networks asked a two-part question, the first being if Anderson has "talked to [Thatcher] about [the] role at all."

In response, the actress didn't point out Hart's obvious mistake, but rather simply replied, "Well, I have not spoken to Margaret."

Hart has yet to address her mishap, which went viral on Twitter.

The reporter also asked Anderson why she believes it's "taking America so long to get a female leader" like other countries have.

"The U.K. had Miss May not that long ago, which [was] even before the United States of America," the "Sex Education" star replied, referring to Theresa May, who was the U.K.'s Prime Minister from 2016 to 2019.

"Maybe Kamala Harris. Maybe that's the next step," she added of the current U.S. Vice President.

During the 2021 Emmy Awards on Sunday night, "The Crown" reigned supreme in the drama categories, winning 11 awards, including Outstanding Drama Series as well as in all four acting categories. In addition to Anderson, Josh O'Connor and Olivia Colman took home the trophies for Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress, and Tobias Menzies won for Outstanding Supporting Actor.

An Emmy isn't the only award Anderson picked up during the 2020-2021 awards season for her performance as Thatcher. She also received the 2021 Golden Globe and 2021 Screen Actors Guild Award.