Elle Fanning gives The Great a final “Huzzah!”

Hulu canceled The Great after three seasons earlier this year

By Matt Schimkowitz  |  November 14, 2023 | 2:48am
Aux News The Great
Elle Fanning gives The Great a final “Huzzah!”
Elle Fanning on The Great Photo: Christopher Raphael (Hulu)

Canceled in the middle of SAG-AFTRA’s now-successful multi-month work stoppage, Hulu’s historical satire The Great went down without a word from its cast. Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult were unable to discuss AMPTP projects while the strike continued, meaning that they couldn’t speak to the sudden demise of their beloved series. Well, the strikes are over, and Elle Fanning, now free of her restrictive corset, has something to say.

“I haven’t been able to properly share my thoughts after the news of The Great’s cancellation,” Fanning wrote on Instagram. “This show has meant the world to me. The experiences shared. The memories I’ll never forget.”

Fanning, who spent the last three seasons playing Empress of Russia Catherine the Great opposite her husband Nicholas Hoult’s Emperor Peter III, praised her cast and great, saying she loves them “deeply.” However, she only singled out creator Tony McNamara as a “genius,” which has got to sting.

“Through playing Catherine, I discovered parts of myself I didn’t know I had,” she continued. “Although I won’t get to lace up my corset one last time, I am forever proud of what we accomplished together. In my mind, Catherine is left ‘shaking it all night long’ finally stepping into the leader we always knew she would become, a multitude of lovers thrown in for good measure, many macaroons, vodka shots, long-winded speeches, battles of wit, and of course HUUU-FUCKING-ZZAHHHHSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Hulu unceremoniously put an end to The Great in August, following three well-regarded, Emmy-winning seasons. Though as our own Saloni Gajjar made clear in her review of the now-final season, The Great went “out in a blaze of glory” as “Hulu’s flagship comedy because of this unique creative vision.”

 
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