Akhilesh C.
The fact of the matter is – no one gets to play the Queen herself every day, no one except the One. Claire Foy had not only proven herself as the most deserved actor on the planet for portraying the Queen of the British Commonwealth on-screen, she also has undertaken an arduous journey to reach the zenith of such critically acclaimed actresses. The undisputed “hero” of many of her works, Claire Foy is known for her vivid character portrayals and her English descent and accent is more than enough to add the necessary charm to her performances.
With some astoundingly big projects she’s currently working on, including Damien Chazelle’s ‘First Man’, wherein she’ll play Neil Armstrong’s first wife and ‘The Girl in the Spider’s Web’ which is a reboot of the ‘Millennium’ series with Foy assuming the role of the protagonist Lisbeth Salander, Claire Foy’s career seemingly is on a full upswing.
After her successful stint at the two seasons of Netflix’s ‘The Crown’, which garnered rave reviews and popular acclaim for the production design, costume design and more notably the performances, Foy accomplished yet another feat by bagging the Golden Globe and Screen Actor’s Guild Award for her role as Princess and then the Queen Elizabeth II. One of the lesser-known or rather, lesser-noticed facts about Claire Foy’s works is also that she’s mostly featured in biographies throughout her career, either in a leading or a supporting role.
With her fearless demeanour and her looks to die for, Claire Foy continues to amaze us in many ways, and the thrill of seeing her as the Queen earns her even the more respect and an imminent stardom. By the means of this list, we have brought you some of her top performances which impressed and mesmerised us all over.
11. Season of the Witch (2011)
Notwithstanding the fact that the film also has Nicolas Cage as the protagonist in addition to the lacklustre storyline, one simply cannot ignore the omnipresence of Claire Foy in ‘Season of the Witch’. As it turns out by the end of the movie, the entire ordeal of Behmen and Felson, the Teutonic Knights, to safeguard and transport the witch Anna was ill-founded, for she was apparently never possessed until the very end. As simplistic and predictable as it sounds, all goes well in the end, as Anna gets saved from the clutches of croony religious hardliners. ‘Season of the Witch’ is so bad that it is good.
10. Wreckers (2011)
A Cumberbatch’s affair through and through, ‘Wreckers’ surrounds a bunch of perennially wrecked people – David (Benedict Cumberbatch) who’s married to Dawn (Claire Foy), David’s younger sibling Nick, neighbours and childhood friends Gary and Sharon. As it stands out, David and Nick have had some differences, David can’t father a child, Dawn is apprehensive of David being weird lately and Gary has feelings for Dawn, while the latter is uninterested. Dawn’s child, who is fathered by Gary brings peace to Dawn and David’s relationship, despite the fact that David isn’t the father of the child. Though there’s nothing much the movie has to offer different than others, the power-packed performances are the reason why one should watch it.
9. Crossbones (2014)
The dreaded pirate captain “Blackbeard”a.k.a. Edward Teach is brought to life in this TV show, yet unfortunately, the show was cancelled after a single-season run. Claire Foy featured as one of the series’ regulars playing Kate Balfour, a young lass who has her roots in the trading family and who is held captive at the hands of the “Blackbeard”. As Lowe, a British Spy heads to Santa Campana, the proverbial HQ of Edward Teach in order to assassinate the latter, he also discovers his newfound attraction for Kate, who is otherwise married. Though the premise and initial few episodes of ‘Crossbones’ are definitely overwhelming, the loose ends and the monotonous treatment of its characters might have sunken the pirate ship.
8. Rosewater (2014)
A film that ran into several politico-legal troubles and accusations post its release, ‘Rosewater’ often falls under the category of the “road less travelled”. The movie revolves around the true story of a London-based journalist with Iranian origin Maziar Bahari, who was imprisoned in 2009 during his visit to Iran while he was covering the nation’s presidential elections which ran into some serious troubles and allegations afterwards. Claire Foy plays Bahari’s pregnant wife Paola, who is apprehensive of his visit to Iran.
Like any other movie based on the “middle-eastern” regimes, ‘Rosewater’ seems to hit all the right notes, like instances of oppression, anarchy, and the political unrest that have been aptly portrayed in the aftermath of the so-called Iranian Green Movement. As bold as the subject is, so are the performances, and kudos to Foy having chosen such a different role that fits right into her well thought out and broadened career.
7. Upstairs Downstairs (2010-2012)
The carried-forward version of its predecessor ten years from where it had left in ’75, ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ is set in London’s 1936, wherein a townhouse and the said house’s upstairs and downstairs folks strive to live together. The “upstairs” vs. “downstairs” are representational here, often referred to as the higher, privileged class, in this case, Sir Hallam Holland and his wife Agnes, Agnes’ younger sister Lady Persephone (Claire Foy), Sir Hallam’s mother Lady Maud, Hallam’s Down’s-Syndrome affected sister Pamela, and the Duke of Kent versus the ragtag group of servants, housemaids, butlers, and cooks living downstairs. The ecosystems of lives both upstairs and downstairs often collide and the resultant mess is just beyond beautiful, yet leaves you longing for more. Due to its declining viewership, ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ called it a day after a run for two seasons.
6. Wolf Hall (2015)
Based on Hilary Mantel’s book of the same name, which was also the winner of the prestigious Man Booker Prize of 2009, ‘Wolf Hall’ surrounds the life and times of King Henry VIII as he rose to power, the politics around him and his advisor and one of the most powerful men in his ministry – Thomas Cromwell, and the eventual marrying and beheading of Anne Boleyn, the prodigal wife. As oppressive and dictatorial Henry VIII might sound, he broke many stereotypes and traditions and drastically reformed the laws of England to as we know it.
Claire Foy’s Anne Boleyn is fierce and perseveres the test of time. As the series moves forward, she’s charged with incest, adultery and treachery by her husband and is subsequently beheaded within three years of their marriage. Perhaps one of the most brilliant yet underrated series out there, Foy shines as a polished gem as she breathes life to Anne Boleyn, yet another Royal character she has enacted gracefully.
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