Playing an icon means you become an icon yourself, which is why we're so devastated that actress Claire Foy will be leaving The Crown after season 2. Foy plays Queen Elizabeth on the Netflix series, which released its first season in November, but it's already almost time to say goodbye.
The show will indeed be coming back for season 2 — when it will apparently explore topics like Prince Philip's alleged affair — but Foy explained to People that she and co-star Matt Smith won't return for season 3 due to their roles being recast to accommodate a large time-jump in the story.
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"That’s not a shock – we always knew when we signed up to it," she told People. "And also not to be funny but it’s also a real plus."
As brilliant as she is in the role, Foy isn't itching to spend seven or so years in the Queen's shoes. "I’m sure to some people it sounds amazing but to us it’s like, seven years of playing the same person?" she said. "And this is a tough job, you know?"
She much prefers things how they are: small, bite-sized stints as the Queen in between her work on other projects, like the upcoming film Breathe.
"It’s long, a good nine-monther," she continued. "And that’s a lot of your life that you sign over to it. I’m going to miss it terribly. But I just can’t wait to see where it goes, I just can’t wait."
Neither can we. In addition to the retelling of Prince Philip's rumoured affair, season 2 will also welcome actor Matthew Goode. The former Downton Abbey actor will be playing Antony Armstrong-Jones, known as Lord Snowdon, the short-lived husband of Princess Margaret. The two divorced in 1978, creating quite the scandal. If season 1 of The Crown was about the build-up, then season 2 is definitely about the drama. Let's hope Netflix repeats its own history by dropping the next season this fall.