Elle Fanning has revealed that wearing a prosthetic baby bump while filming Catherine the Great made her ‘want to be pregnant’ – as she reflected on the series while stunning for May’s Harper’s Bazaar.

The actress, 24, will resume her role as Catherine II of Russia in the third series set in the 18th century, with the latest 10-part season set to premiere on Hulu on May 12. 

For a period of series two, her character was expecting and Elle has opened up about what it was like to take on that role – saying she was ‘obsessed’ with her fake bump and boobs.  

She told the publication: ‘I was obsessed with it. I had a bespoke bump with boobs moulded onto me that went all the way up to my neck. 

‘The costume team told me that this is pretty accurately what my body will look like when I’m pregnant… which did feel quite crazy. I loved the way it looked. It made me want to do it, to be pregnant!’ 

Role: Elle Fanning has revealed that wearing a prosthetic baby bump while filming Catherine the Great made her want to be pregnant – as she reflected on the series while stunning for May’s Harper’s Bazaar 

Upcoming: The actress, 24, will resume her role as Catherine II of Russia in the third series set in the 18th century. The latest 10-part season will premiere on Hulu on May 12

Filming: And for a period of the series two her character was expecting and Elle has opened up about what it was like to take on that role – saying she was ‘obsessed’ with her fake bump (pictured with co-star Gillian Anderson) 

Elle looked stunning for the glossy magazine’s ‘fairytale’ shoot in a series of pretty dresses while posing in a grand house and spring garden.

Elle and her co-star Nicholas Hoult are set to return for season three of the satirical comedy-drama.

There will be plenty of palace intrigue as Peter (Hoult) tries to make his marriage to Catherine (Fanning) work, after she tried have him killed at the end of last season.

Meanwhile, Catherine becomes inspired to reform her country after she gets a visit from the ambassador of the newly independent United States.

Created and written by Tony McNamara, the new season of The Great also stars Belinda Bromilow (Packed to the Rafters), Phoebe Fox (The Aeronauts) and Adam Godley (Breaking Bad).

Both Fanning and Hoult, 33, were nominated for Emmys in 2022 for their performances in The Great.

On preparing for her role in the series she told Harper’s Bazaar: ‘Before I stepped into her shoes, the only thing I knew about Catherine the Great was the rumour she’d had sex with a horse – which actually feels like one of the earliest forms of slut-shaming.

‘So I wanted to reclaim her name a bit – to bring to the fore how progressive she was in championing science and female education, being an engine behind the Russian Enlightenment, separating church and state.’

‘I still hear, ‘Catherine the Great? What a badass!’ But I don’t know how accurate that is. She takes risks, but she has to work herself up to it. 

Superstar: The May issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK is on sale from April 6 and features Elle on the cover

‘She’s powerful, but not always the most powerful person in the room. She can be both scheming and naïve. She’s a girl and a woman.’

On maturing as a person while playing the role she went on to explain: ‘I’ve been playing Catherine in such formative years of my life. I’ve grown as a woman alongside her.’

She also chatted about pushing herself to experiment with a comic genre in The Great – saying she felt ‘scared’ at the start of the project.

‘I hadn’t really done much [comedy], and was very scared at the start. But I’m not embarrassed any more: you just have to try, no matter how outrageous something is. It’s an extremely specific style that takes a while to get used to. 

‘We tread a very thin tightrope between tragedy and laughs,’ she told.

The ensemble cast includes Gwilym Lee (Bohemian Rhapsody), Charity Wakefield (Wolf Hall), Douglas Hodge (Joker), and Sacha Dhawan and Bayo Gbadamosi (Doctor Who). 

Elle rose to fame as a child actor in films like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, later winning acclaim for the controversial series The Girl from Plainville.

She is in a relationship with actor Max Minghella. The couple of four years was first linked after meeting on set of the 2018 film Teen Spirit.

Plot: There will be plenty of palace intrigue as Peter (Hoult) tries to make his marriage to Catherine (Fanning) work, after she tried have him killed at the end of last season 

Storyline: Catherine becomes inspired to reform Russia after she gets a visit from the ambassador of the newly independent United States in series three