Elizabeth Debicki’s turn as Princess Diana in Season 5 and 6 of Netflix’s The Crown has earned the actor unanimous acclaim and awards attention. In a new interview with The New York Times, the actor revealed that she never really auditioned to play the part. Emma Corrin was cast as the young Diana in Season 4, but it was creator Peter Morgan who had Elizabeth in mind for the later years. The actor also added that she agrees with the decision of the show not to show the fateful car crash. (Also read: The Crown Season 6 Part 1 review: British royal family drama returns with a thrilling and telling ride to a sombre end)
What Elizabeth Debicki said about playing Princess Diana
In the interview with The New York Times, Elizabeth Debicki said that her agent told her that the show might want her later on for Diana. But the actor did not trust it. Creator Peter Morgan insists, “She was only ever in a group of one for me. If she had turned us down, I’d have had no option but to write the show differently.” In preparation, the actor took to reading about her, perfecting Diana’s specific dialect and cadence, plus master the princess’s gait. Talking about her experience playing Diana, Elizabeth said that playing the character let her love people around much more, in a way that it gave her full permission to just absolutely do so.
On not showing Princess Diana’s death
The actor also agreed with the show’s decision not to show the the fateful crash nor Diana’s eventual death at a hospital, saying: “I don’t think it’s at all necessary. You must proceed with enormous respect and caution because this was a real person and a profound and horrific tragedy.”
About Season 6
Season six of The Crown has been divided into two parts. The first part focuses on Princess Diana’s life after her divorce from Prince Charles and, eventually, her untimely death in 1997. Part two, which drops on December 14 on Netflix, will will revolve around Prince William as he begins his pursuit of higher education at St. Andrews College. It will also introduce Kate Middleton, his eventual wife and the next Princess of Wales.