The Crown star Olivia Colman "quite pleased" to move on from the Queen

The Crown cast will undergo another rotation for its fifth and sixth instalments, with Harry Potter and Downton Abbey star Imelda Staunton set to take over in the lead.

During an online conversation staged by Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, Colman reflected on her time with The Crown, revealing she finds it harder to play real people than fictional characters.

"Because behind closed doors, we don’t know what she’s like," she explained. "I had a little bit of play with that. But definitely… the hardest part I’ve done is someone who’s real. I’m not ashamed to say that I’m quite pleased now to be able to move on to something else."

Colman went on to discuss the difficulty she experienced while attempting to forge an acting career, admitting that the numerous rejections she received in her early days have made her afraid of running out of work.

"Being employed for two years [on The Crown], that’s a lovely feeling because I still get the fear that it’s not going to happen again," she said.

Her advice to any budding actors listening was to never think of themselves as above a certain kind of work, such as independent short films, as they can be very valuable opportunities.

“Some people might think: ‘I don’t do that any more,’" Colman added. "I think that’s exciting to do. You’re going to meet new people or a new writer who might remember you later on…

"Do not get too up yourself, too grand. Work is work. If I now decided: ‘Oh, I will only do feature films,’ I might not work again. If you get accolades for something, enjoy it for a bit, but put it aside and pretend that hasn’t happened a week later.

"You still need to work and no one else will remember it either after a week. So crack on."

Colman's upcoming projects include The Lost Daughter, featuring Normal People's Paul Mescal, as well as Mothering Sunday, where she reunites with her The Crown co-star Josh O'Connor.

The Crown is available to stream on Netflix. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.