“Elizabeth is hard-core, but I find her so enjoyable, especially as a woman,” she said. “The scripts I read, even for big-budget movies, generally have two lines where you’re a little fiery or you’re not a pushover. But mostly you’re pretty and really understanding.” She laughed. “This is so far from that.” Here are edited excerpts from the conversation.

Q. So, they didn’t incorporate your pregnancy into the story line. How’d you work around it?

A. There was a lot of winter-coat wearing. We justified it, like, “My mind is full of so many things, and I’m so worried that I just keep my coat on, even in the bedroom.” I held a lot of giant salad bowls.

Where is Elizabeth’s mind this season?

This season feels a lot more about the emotional cost of it all instead of fancy spy tricks and stunts. Philip’s struggle with wanting to protect Martha really pushes Elizabeth’s jealousy. And I love watching Elizabeth in that predicament, because it catches her off-guard and only makes her more human and relatable.

Do you get to act out what you might not normally do?

She’s my fantasy person. I wish I could walk through the day as Elizabeth. I’d be so mean and honest and direct with everybody. She’s unapologetically for her cause and for her family, and I love that she’s sexy, too.