Since 2020, the actress has starred in the satirical black comedy as the titular character Catherine II, otherwise known as Catherine the Great.
In real life, the historical figure was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796, coming into power after overthrowing her husband Peter III, played in the programme by Skins’ Nicholas Hoult.
Ahead of season 3, which is due to drop next month, Elle opened up about what it was like acting as though she was carrying a baby, after her character’s pregnancy was revealed in season one, before she gave birth to her son Paul I of Russia in season two.
‘I was obsessed with it,’ the 24-year-old told Harper’s Bazaar UK. ‘I had a bespoke bump with boobs moulded onto me that went all the way up to my neck.
‘The costume team told me that this is pretty accurately what my body will look like when I’m pregnant… which did feel quite crazy. I loved the way it looked. It made me want to do it, to be pregnant.’
Before taking on the role of playing Catherine the Great, Elle admitted that she only thing that she knew about the empress ‘was the rumour she’d had sex with a horse’, remarking that the rumour felt like ‘one of the earliest forms of slut-shaming’.
‘So I wanted to reclaim her name a bit – to bring to the fore how progressive she was in championing science and female education, being an engine behind the Russian Enlightenment, separating church and state,’ she stated.
Elle has received several award nominations for her performance in The Great, including nods at the Golden Globes in 2021 and 2022, as well as a nomination at last year’s Emmy Awards.
‘I’ve definitely become a bit more bossy because of her,’ she said at the time.
‘I’m still young like her – on the cusp of growing up. But I’m also still feeling like I’m in my youth, and grappling with all that through a character has been really fun.’
The May issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK is on sale from April 6.
The Great season 3 premieres on Friday May 12 on Hulu in the US. The show airs on Lionsgate Plus via Amazon Prime Video in the UK.
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