The Great, which debuted on Hulu in 2020, was canceled in August of this year after the third season premiered. According to Deadline, the SAG-AFTRA strike prevented the cast from speaking about the cancellation. Now that the strike has concluded, Elle Fanning (Maleficent, All the Bright Places), who played Catherine the Great in the series, shared her thoughts on Instagram.
Fanning began her Instagram post, stating, “Scrolling down memory lane… I haven’t been able to properly share my thoughts after the news of The Great’s cancellation. This show has meant the world to me.”
She continued, “The experiences shared. The memories I’ll never forget. Tony McNamara is a certified genius. The last 3 seasons have shaped me. Through playing Catherine I discovered parts of myself I didn’t know I had. I love every crew member and cast member deeply. And although I won’t get to lace up my corset one last time, I am forever proud of what we accomplished together.”
Fanning then shared where she believes Catherine’s story left off, explaining, “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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Her co-star Nicholas Hoult (The Menu, Warm Bodies), who played Peter the Third of Russia in the series, commented on Fanning’s post. He stated, “Too many brilliant moments on and off screen. YOU ARE THE GREATEST.”
Fanning’s post along with the comment section can be viewed below.
Created by Tony McNamara (Poor Things, The Favourite), The Great focused on Catherine’s life and her marriage with Peter the Third. The series also starred Phoebe Fox (Life in Squares, Blue Iguana) as Marial Brezhnev, Charity Wakefield (Sense and Sensibility, Close to the Enemy) as Georgina Dymov, Gwilym Lee (Bohemian Rhapsody, Top End Wedding) as Grigor Dymov, Adam Godley (A Young Doctor’s Notebook, Suits) as Archbishop Samsa, Sacha Dhawan (The History Boys, The Boy With The Topknot) as Count Orlo, and many more.