Olivia Colman: Oscar winner opens up about struggles to walk and talk like the Queen in The Crown

Olivia Colman in The Crown

Olivia Colman has opened up about struggling to walk, talk and sit like the Queen for her role in The Crown.

The Oscar winner was told she walks "like a farmer" as she tried to master Elizabeth II's movements for the forthcoming season of the Netflix drama.

Colman, 45, told Harper's Bazaar UK that she does not "enjoy research" while preparing for a role, but she had to accept it for this role.

"I can't just sit like me, I have to sit like her, and look like pictures of her," she said.

Colman said she was told she walks like a farmer (Harper's Bazaar UK / Alexi Lubomirski)

She added: "They have been teaching me how to walk - I'm really terrible at that, I have no physic

On mimicking the Queen's accent, Colman said: "I thought that general 'posh' would do it, but apparently not.

"Really unusual vowel sounds. If you're saying 'yes', ou say 'ears'. It's fun to do, isn't it? Very hard to stop. Ears."

The 45-year-old looked radiant for her cover shoot (Harper’s Bazaar UK/ Alexi Lubomirski)

Colman is taking over as the Queen from Claire Foy, who took the role in the first two seasons.

The new series of The Crown will cover the period from 1964 to 1977, and will see Tobias Menzies take over the role of the Duke of Edinburgh from Matt Smith.

Foy and Smith were at the centre of a dispute over a pay gap last year when it was disclosed that Smith had been paid more than lead star Foy.

She said she had to accept the research. (Harper’s Bazaar UK/ Alexi Lubomirski)

The show's creators said that Smith had earned more than Foy because of his status as a Doctor Who star, compared with her back catalogue of appearances in smaller dramas, such as Wolf Hall.

Asked about being paid as much as her co-star and on-screen husband Menzies, Colman said: "I bloody well hope so.

"It's not called Philip, it's called The Crown."

The new series of The Crown will also see Helena Bonham Carter join the cast, taking over as Princess Margaret from Vanessa Kirby.

Ben Daniels will take over as Tony Armstrong-Jones from Matthew Goode, while Josh O'Connor will play the Prince of Wales, Erin Doherty will appear as the Princess Royal, Marion Bailey as the Queen Mother and Jason Watkins as prime minister Harold Wilson.

Killing Eve writer Emerald Fennell will play Camilla Shand, now the Duchess of Cornwall.

The November issue of Harper's Bazaar is on sale from Thursday October 3.