The Crown star Imelda Staunton understands why people are feeling sensitive about the show's return
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Imelda Staunton understands why "people are feeling sensitive," she tells EW, about the return of The Crown following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The actress portrays Elizabeth on season 5 of the Peter Morgan-created royal family drama, which has just premiered on Netflix. Among other events, the new episodes detail the bitter divorce of Prince Charles, who is played by Dominic West, and Princess Diana, who is played by Elizabeth Debicki. The arrival of this new season comes two months after the passing of the Queen, who died on Sept. 8, and Netflix has been criticized for both the show's depiction of royal family members and for not postponing the season's launch. In September, Britain's Daily Telegraph, the most pro-royal of the U.K.'s broadsheet newspapers, published an article headlined "The Crown's decision to show 'all-out' war between Charles and Diana raises concerns at Palace." The paper quoted a friend of the new King who called the show "exploitative" and said Netflix would have "no qualms about mangling people's reputations." A few weeks later, Dame Judi Dench blasted The Crown in a strongly worded open letter to the British newspaper The Times for what the actress claimed was the show's "crude sensationalism" and "inaccurate and harmful account of history." (Netflix subsequently added a disclaimer to the season 5 trailer.)
Netflix Imelda Staunton on 'The Crown'
"I feel it's understandable that people are feeling sensitive because of recent events," says Staunton, an Oscar nominee for 2004's Vera Drake whose many other credits include playing Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter films. "There's no doubt about it. We finished filming this season six months ago. If this was coming out two years ago, there wouldn't be all of this going on. So I think there's a sensitivity and there's not a lot we can do about that. I think one would like to feel that people would recognize over all the seasons that Peter Morgan has written, the amount of respect he has for this family, and the amount of integrity he uses in order to write these, yes, imagined scenes that are hung around real events. I don't think there's a lot we can do or say."
Staunton says she had been delighted but daunted to be approached about playing Queen Elizabeth, who was previously portrayed on the show by Claire Foy and Olivia Colman — both of whom won Emmys for their performances.
"I think we'd all seen The Crown and so to be joining something of such high quality was rather marvelous but then quite daunting, thinking, well, we've got to keep the standards up," she said.
The actress was filming season 6 of The Crown on the day Queen Elizabeth died and had previously recalled her devastation upon learning the news of her death. Production of the show was suspended following the Queen's death.
"We filmed that day, and then we got home and then discovered [what had happened] on the six o'clock, 6:30 news, so that was pretty devastating," Staunton told EW. "I was relieved that I then [already] had a week off. Anyway, filming stopped. But it was odd, to say the least, and I'm glad I had time to regroup before I started again."
Staunton's costar Jonathan Pryce, who plays Prince Philip on the new season, has similarly defended the show.
"I just find it very disappointing that a handful of people, and it is a handful of people, are being critical of this," Pryce told EW. "I mean, they say it's hurtful, unjust dangerous, none of those things I see in this production. I don't think any of us do...It's a thing that's being stirred up by the press...It's certainly been one of the best working experiences of a 50-year career, and I'm so proud of it, and the episodes I've seen are joyful, and I'm looking forward to filming the rest of season 6."
The cast of the show's fifth season also includes Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret and Jonny Lee Miller as former British Prime Minister John Major. The Crown season 5 is now available to watch on Netflix.
You can see more with Staunton, Manville, and Pryce in the video above.
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