Now Playing The X-Files: Why Gillian Anderson Had a Hard Time Getting Back Into Character

Netflix's The Crown has found its Iron Lady.

Gillian Anderson will star as Britain's first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, on the series' upcoming fourth season, The Sunday Times reports. Thatcher, who occupied the position from 1979 to 1990, was previously portrayed by Meryl Streep in 2011's The Iron Lady, and the actress went on to win her third Academy Award for the depiction. In other words, Anderson's got some big shoes to fill.

For those who aren't familiar with Anderson's acting achievements outside of her iconic role as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully on The X-Files, we've got some good news: Anderson is totally up to the job. Here are a few period pieces and/or killer performances you can stream right now for proof of that.

Any Human Heart

This PBS Masterpiece adaptation of William Boyd's novel features Anderson as Wallis Simpson, the divorcee for whom King Edward abdicated the throne, later resulting in Queen Elizabeth II's reign. It doesn't get much more on the nose than that royal connection to The Crown.

Watch it on Amazon Prime Video (for purchase)

Crooked House

This 2017 film adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel of the same name features Anderson as Magda Leonides, and if you had any doubt that Anderson could be cold and calculated and completely vexing (with a wig, no less!), her performance in this pic will put those concerns to rest.

Watch it on Amazon Prime Video (for purchase)

Great Expectations

Great Expectations, Gillian Anderson Photo: BBC

In this 2011 BBC mini-series, adapting Charles Dickens' classic book of the same name, Anderson stars as Miss Havisham, the wealthy wedding dress-wearing woman who gets revenge for her own broken heart by having her daughter humiliate the orphaned Pip. It's all very British and harsh and tragic, and it's a perfect atmospheric primer for her role to come.

Watch it on Amazon Prime

Bleak House

Bleak House, Gillian Anderson Photo: BBC

In another Dickensian turn, Anderson appears as Lady Dedlock, one of the potential beneficiaries of a grand estate who has a secret she's desperate to hide. Much like The Crown, the stakes are high for every decision these characters make, and the palace intrigue factor is on peak.

Watch it on Hulu

War & Peace

War and Peace, Gillian Anderson Photo: BBC

This 2016 mini-series adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's classic novel features Anderson as Anna Pavlovna, the Russian socialite whose salons become the center of many pieces of the story, as she facilitates all the politicking and matchmaking afoot for her own personal amusement.

Watch it on Hulu

The Fall

The Fall, Gillian Anderson Photo: Helen Sloan, Helen Sloan / The Fall 3 Ltd

Although it has a very different feel than any of the above, this British murder-mystery series still showcases Anderson's grit, as she portrays Irish detective superintendent Stella Gibson, who relentlessly pursues a loose serial killer.

Watch it on Netflix

Sex Education

Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Sex Education Photo: Sam Taylor/Netflix

This new, ultra-bingeable Netflix series features Anderson as a therapist whose freewheeling relationship with sex inspires her son to start his own sex counseling business in the basement. It might have nothing to do with The Crown, but it's still definitely worth your time while exploring Anderson's chops.

Watch it on Netflix