‘Maleficent’ Actress Elle Fanning Steals the Show in Season Two of ‘The Great’

If your previous familiarity with American actress Elle Fanning has mainly just involved her role as Princess Aurora and Sleeping Beauty in ‘Maleficent’ and ‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’, then you’ll be in for a surprise when you see the actress in her element on the historical comedy ‘The Great’! This show airs on Hulu, and season two has just premiered with rousing success. The first season was widely praised and critically acclaimed, with good reason, and now it looks like the show’s ability to mix sassy humor with period drama tropes has paid off again!

The TV show follows Elle Fanning’s character Catherine the Great, the ruler of Russia, as she battles her unpleasant husband Peter for the throne. Peter is played by Nicholas Hoult, another actor that many audience members have seen before who is now playing a very different role. Hoult’s character is greedy, unfaithful, dimwitted, and prone to temper tantrums. He’s also patronizing towards his estranged wife Catherine–so seeing her take the throne over him in this season will be a satisfying turn of events for many viewers! ‘X Files’ and ‘The Crown’ actress Gillian Andersen’s entrance into the show as Catherine’s mother has also been a pleasant surprise for audiences.

A trailer of the show’s second season was aired during Destination D23 this fall, since Hulu is currently part of a special Disney Bundle. Elle  Fanning and Nicholas Hoult filmed a video message that aired before the trailer, thanking everyone for their interest and encouraging them to watch the show. If you typically don’t like period dramas, or if you like Elle Fanning but have always mentally categorized her as a dainty, delicate flower, then you may want to give this show a try! Elle is just as beautiful, feminine, and ethereal as she was in ‘Maleficent’ when she played an iconic Disney princess (and had an amazing Disney princess wedding), but she’s also more foul-mouthed, calculating, and funny in this show.

‘The Great’ is meant to be a comedy, and that’s definitely what it is, so give this show a try for some laughs! Just keep in mind that this is definitely not a family-friendly show. And if you want to copy the natural, simple, and flattering makeup look that Elle sports in this show, then we’ve got the perfect tutorial for you here!