WATCH: Margaret Thatcher was briefly resurrected at the Emmy Awards

Not sure how Gillian Anderson kept a straight face here...

The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards took place on Sunday night in Los Angeles. The sky was dark, for all the stars were out. Big winners on the night included Ted Lasso, Mare of Easttown and The Crown, with Netflix's royal drama taking home seven individual awards. One such gong went to Gillian Anderson, who took home Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, triumphing over the likes of Helena Bonham Carter, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd, Aunjanue Ellis, Emerald Fennell, Yvonne Strahovski and Samira Wiley in the process. Anderson, of course, portrayed Margaret Thatcher in the show's fourth season. Now, you'd think that most people – particularly journalists who managed to land time with Gillian Anderson following her victory – would have a basic knowledge of the very famous woman that she played. Domestic policy, public perception, the fact that she died in 2013, that sort of thing. Alas, dear reader, that wasn't the case. And so it was that Anderson fielded enquiries and well-wishes from reporters, only to be asked a genuinely jaw-dropping question. "Hi Gillian, congratulations, I love you on this show," began Tanya Hart of American Urban Radio Networks. "Just to kind of continue with the whole Margaret Thatcher thing; first question – have you talked to her about this role at all? And secondly, why do you think it has taken America so long to get a female leader, you know? When all of these other countries... and look at what Margaret did in the UK?" In fairness, it’s probably handy enough to commune with the spirit of Thatcher; just stare in the mirror and say her name three times. Ever a class act, Anderson took the bizarre question in stride. "Uh, well, I, um, I have not spoken to Margaret," she noted, matter-of-factly. "And why has it taken... well, the UK had Ms [Theresa] May not that long ago, which is even before the United States of America, so I think maybe the question is why is it taking the United States of America so long to get a female leader? "Maybe Kamala Harris at some point? Maybe that's the next step." Simply fire up the video below for an extremely cringeworthy experience. Clip via ScreenSlam