Marcia Warren: The Mother of all roles

A familiar face on our screens for decades, Marcia Warren – who turned 79 in November – was beginning to think her days of landing big roles might be over. Then she received a call from her agent asking if she’d like to play The Queen Mother in the latest series of The Crown.

‘I thought it was a joke and burst out laughing,’ recalls Marcia, who follows in the footsteps of Marion Bailey and Victoria Hamilton who played the part in earlier series. ‘Plus, I’d never even seen it because I don’t have Netflix. Once I’d caught up with all four series, I realised how incredible The Crown is, so was even more terrified when I started filming. It was such a terrific responsibility.’

The role called on her to look like The Queen Mother at 91, and although her hair had to be dyed white for the part, she says she didn’t need any help from the make-up department to look more than a decade older. ‘On screen I actually look older than The Queen Mother ever did,’ she jokes. ‘It’s just that I have more wrinkles than she had. She had amazing skin, a plump face and looked incredible even at 100. The only similarities between me and The Queen Mother are bad teeth and arthritic hips.’

The only other costume assistance Marcia needed was a bit of padding, which brought some laughter to set when Imelda Staunton appeared dressed as The Queen with Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret and Marcia as their mother. ‘The three of us are all very slim. We would arrive on set for a quick rehearsal, disappear to get changed into costume, and then we, these three little plump people, would arrive back wearing our body suits!’

Marcia will also appear in series six of The Crown, which was being filmed when the sad news broke of The Queen’s death on 8 September. It was announced at 6.30pm, two hours after the cast and crew had gone home for the day. ‘I’d finished all my filming by then so wasn’t involved,’ says Marcia. ‘But they suspended filming the following day, which was a wonderful thing to do, and on the day of the funeral. Like most people I found it a real shock. I felt sure The Queen would live as long as her mother.’

‘I found The Queen’s death a real shock. I felt sure she would live as long as her mother’

In the days following The Queen’s death, Netflix reported a surge of interest in the first four series, with UK viewership increasing by 800%.

The ten episodes of this current fifth series, which launched on Netflix in early November and covers the period from 1991 to 1997, could well prove to be the most watched yet due to their vivid portrayal of the events that plagued the royals in the early Nineties.

It’s also proving to be one of the most controversial series so far. Former Prime Minister Sir John Major has already branded it a ‘barrel-load of malicious nonsense’ after being angered by an imagined scene in which Prince Charles (Dominic West) seeks the help of Major (Johnny Lee Miller) in getting The Queen to abdicate. Meanwhile, Dame Judi Dench has criticised the show for its ‘crude sensationalism’ and called for a disclaimer to be added to make it clear that it’s not all necessarily true. Netflix has defended the show saying it is ‘a fictional dramatisation, imagining what could have happened behind closed doors during a significant decade for the royal family’.

In the series, which stops just before the death of Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki), we watch the fairytale marriage of Charles and Diana unravel. It’s all-out war between the couple, and Camilla (Olivia Williams) is convinced she will always be defeated by the Princess of Wales in the court of public opinion. The Queen also has to contend with the marriage break-ups of two more of her children, Princess Anne (Claudia Harrison) and Prince Andrew (James Murray), and a fire that destroyed much of her beloved Windsor Castle causing her to publicly declare 1992 an annus horribilis.

Filming took place over eight months and Marcia was astonished at the 130 locations that provided a backdrop, which included 30 stately homes. Burghley House in Stamford doubled as Windsor Castle, with the Ardverikie Estate, Scotland, used for scenes at Balmoral Castle. And Somerley House on the Hampshire/Dorset border became Highgrove. ‘This is the best job in the world if you are a staunch royalist, adore stately homes and staying in nice hotels – and I love all those things, so it’s perfect,’ she beams. ‘There were times when I thought that some of these magnificent buildings we filmed in might upstage the cast!’

Another location was Lancaster House in London, which turned into Buckingham Palace. Recalling one scene, Marcia says, ‘We were all waiting in our tiaras, which are incredibly uncomfortable to wear, and standing behind these double doors. When they opened, it was a magical sight. There were footmen in uniform, trumpeters playing and more than 100 extras in fantastic clothes. It was an amazing day.’

Marcia, who’s appeared in TV sitcoms No Place Like Home, Vicious and Edge of Heaven, as well as films including Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, believes all the research she did for her role has turned her into a mastermind on The Queen Mother.

‘The trouble is she never gave interviews in her later years, so it was hard for me to hear her real voice,’ says Marcia. ‘Only once did she give one when she first married George VI and apparently he was so furious with her speaking to the press that she never did it again. But I did manage to find an old documentary she made about horses, which were her passion.’

Another passion were her corgis, which Marcia also grew to love as three highly trained dogs followed her around and sat at her feet on set. ‘We couldn’t stop petting them, they were so lovely,’ she says. ‘And when Lesley and I filmed in Scotland, we had eight gun dogs with us most of the day. But they were so well trained we didn’t have to worry.’

Marcia’s research also revealed how close the late Queen was to her mother. ‘They talked on the phone every day. They were so close. The Queen Mother loved life. She had this charm and vitality. Her life was all about duty with a capital D. That’s where her daughter got it from.’ Marcia believes that The Queen Mother provided power behind the throne for King George VI. ‘She must have been the most wonderful helpmate. She had this serenity yet incredible inner strength.’

‘The Queen Mother had this serenity yet incredible inner strength’

She was also a great believer in keeping family matters private, says Marcia. ‘When The Queen gave her speech about her annus horribilis, The Queen Mother, as portrayed in The Crown, has words with her daughter. She tells her the speech is much too personal saying, “You must never apologise. You are The Queen.”’

Marcia believes that the TV interviews both Charles and Diana gave about their marriage would have been heartbreaking for The Queen Mother. ‘It must have killed her inside. She adored Charles and was all for Diana at the begnning. But after the divorce she wouldn’t hear Diana’s name mentioned… ever.’

But, Marcia is a huge fan of the new King. They met when she starred with Felicity Kendal in the play Humble Boy, for which Marcia won an Olivier Award. ‘He arrived with Camilla and was so handsome and charming,’ she smiles. She also met Princess Margaret, who came to watch her when she starred as Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit in the Eighties. ‘I adored her too. She was so beautiful, and she loved the theatre.’

But it’s The Queen Mother – who Marcia will portray between the ages of 97 and 101 in season six of The Crown – for whom she has the most affection. ‘I’m not sure why The Queen Mother lived so long,’ she says. ‘Whether it was the alcohol or the afternoon naps, she continued to carry out her duties, inspecting troops even at the age of 100. And she refused to use a walking stick even though she was in pain with her hips. She really was the most incredible woman.’

Images © Netflix