Jonny Lee Miller joins The Crown as John Major—leaving royal fans ‘sexually confused’

Jonny Lee Miller has officially joined The Crown's star-studded cast—and prompted a sexual ruckus in the process. 

The British actor will play former prime minister, John Major, in the fifth season of the hit Netflix series, which is expected to be released in 2022. The news was revealed on Friday, bringing clarity to the ongoing speculation on who would replace Gillian Anderson's role as Margaret Thatcher. Jonny Lee is set to portray Major during his tenure as the country's leader from 1990 to 1997—which is also the year Princess Diana was tragically killed. 

The Crown's Season Five begins shooting this July, which gives the Trainspotting star less than a few days to get into character. And while fans have welcomed the addition of the talented TV and film star to its lineup, they've also struggled to accept his casting as the Conservative politician. Many viewers are flabbergasted by the stark physical differences between Major and Jonny Lee, with several taking to Twitter to vent their pent-up feelings. 

"When will the Crown stop making people feel extremely sexually confused about Tories," one user posted in response to the announcement. 

"I can only assume this decision was made today, to make us all feel less nauseous about the idea of politicians having affairs," comedian David Baddiel wrote. 

This isn't the first time The Crown's casting decisions have stirred controversy. Fans were quick to react to Charles O'Connor's portrayal of Prince Charles in Season Four, with many claiming the British actor didn't look similar enough to the real-life royal. The pattern has led some viewers to make their own predictions on which actors will be next to join the popular show—and the suggestions are pretty far-fetched. 

"Can't wait to see Angelina Jolie as Edwina Currie," writer Nathaniel Tapley joked. 

"Assume Edwina Currie will be played by Lily James," another Twitter user guessed. 

While fans shouldn't expect a doppelganger makeover, The Crown has been known to perform serious trickery when it comes to transforming its actors into political and royal characters. 

Fans were blown away by Gillian Anderson's portrayal of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who, even at the time of her reign in the 1980s, looked nothing like the British-American actor. The Sex Education star wore a heavy-duty costume for the role, including a bouffant wig and thick makeup. 

However, she didn't rely entirely on cosmetics to pull off the iconic character. She decided to shun prostethics and tap into her acting chops, using facial expressions to capture Thatcher's unique persona. Gillian Anderson revealed the secret behind her iconic ‘Thatcher Face’ in this recent interview, and sure enough, it all came from the Emmy-award winner herself. 

We're willing to bet Jonny Lee Miller will have no problem doing the same.