The Crown star Elizabeth Debicki loved filming scene when her Princess Diana first meets Dodi Fayed

Elizabeth Debicki has described recreating the romance between Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed on The Crown with United 93 and The Kite Runner's Khalid Abdalla as "a joy." In real life, the Princess and Fayed began dating in the summer of 1997. On Aug. 31 of that year, the couple was killed in a car crash in Paris which also claimed the life of the car's driver, Henri Paul (Diana's bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, was the only survivor).

In the just-released fifth season of The Crown, creator Peter Morgan details the earlier histories of both Dodi and his father, Egyptian-born businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed. The show portrays the friendship between Mohamed and his employee Sydney Johnson, who had worked as the valet of Queen Elizabeth's uncle, the Duke of Windsor. When EW recently asked Morgan what surprised him most when researching season 5 of the show, among the items he named was "the charm of the Mohamed Al-Fayed backstory." On the show, Amir El-Masry plays the younger version of Mohamed Al-Fayed while Salim Daw portrays the '90s-era version of the businessman. Jude Akuwudike plays Sydney Johnson.

Netflix Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed on 'The Crown'

Episode 2 of the new season of The Crown depicts a brief, initial meeting between Diana and Dodi at a showjumping event (the pair actually first encountered each other at a polo match in 1986). The season ends with Mohamed inviting Diana to join him and his wife Heini Wathén (portrayed by Kingsmen actress Hanna Alström) on a vacation to San Tropez. That presumably tees up the show's recreation of the romance's beginning and tragic conclusion in the currently-being-shot sixth and final season of The Crown.

Netflix Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed on 'The Crown'

"I just adore him," says Debicki of the actor, who was born in Glasgow, Scotland to Egyptian parents. "I think that he's such a sensitive and soulful human being. The way that the actors on this show approach the parts, it's kind of astounding, because there's such a depth of caring, and there's such an understanding of the weight of responsibility to do our work as best as we can, and to search for truth within the retelling. But Khalid is an incredible actor and again has a sensitivity and an intelligence, so he's also such a joy to work with."

Keith Bernstein/ Netflix Elizabeth Debicki and Salim Daw on 'The Crown'

Debicki has fond memories of shooting the scene in which her Diana first meets Abdalla's Dodi.

"I love that scene very much because I got to work with Salim, who plays Mohamed, and then there's Khalid, who plays Dodi so beautifully. They're both great actors," she says. "That scene was also incredibly well written. I just had so much fun playing that scene and it's so playful. It's interesting, you very gently thread something through the story line, knowing what it means for the audience, because people are bringing their lived memory to a story, so you have to leave space for those moments of understanding and recognition. It's almost like a little drop in the ocean. You suggest it and then it ripples out because everybody knows this story in a way and that's interesting took as an actor, that's super unusual."

Season 5 of The Crown is streaming now on Netflix.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• The true story behind Andrew Morton's Princess Diana biography

• The Crown star Jonathan Pryce says new season isn't disrespectful to royal family

• The Crown star Imelda Staunton says she was 'devastated' by Queen's death

• The Crown's Elizabeth Debicki says wearing Diana's Revenge Dress made her feel powerful

• Battle Royal: The Crown's Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki on portraying Charles and Diana's bitter divorce

• The Crown's Elizabeth Debicki says Diana's final days are being handled with sensitivity