Gillian Anderson on The Great Season 2 and Filming the Slapping Scene

[Editor’s note: The following contains some spoilers for Episode 7, “Stapler,“ and Episode 8, “Five Days,“ for Season 2 of The Great.] From creator Tony McNamara, the second season of the Hulu original series The Great sees Catherine (Elle Fanning) succeed in her coup against Peter (Nicholas Hoult), taking the Russian throne for herself. But that’s definitely not the end of the battle, as she finds herself up against her court, her team and even her own mother (Gillian Anderson), and she must decide whether she might actually love the husband turned prisoner who is also the father of her child. During this interview with Collider, which you can both watch and read, Anderson talked about playing Joanna, a mother who always knows what’s best for her family and expects her children to follow her plan, why she wanted to be a part of The Great, the challenge of working in the incredible costumes, whether she believes Joanna loves Catherine, shooting the slapping scene, and wha