The Crown star Jonathan Pryce gets teary watching Elizabeth Debicki play Princess Diana

Even though actor Jonathan Pryce has racked up an incredible list of credits, from Terry Gilliam's Brazil to Game of Thrones to his Oscar-nominated performance in 2019's The Two Popes, the Brit regards his time on The Crown, the fifth season of which has just premiered on Netflix, as a personal highlight.

"It's certainly been one of the best working experiences of a 50-year career," Pryce says of playing Prince Philip on the series, a role previously taken by Matt Smith and Tobias Menzies. "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."

Netflix Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana in 'The Crown'

Pryce says he is particularly impressed by Elizabeth Debicki's performance as Princess Diana.

"I especially enjoyed the scenes I have with Elizabeth as Diana," he explains. "I think it's an extraordinary performance in that it's not an impersonation, but it is incredibly life-like. She has the tone and the attitude to such an extent that every time I've seen her on screen I begin to tear up, and I get a lump in my throat, and that's quite a testament to her performance."

Pryce admits to EW that he now realizes he knew comparatively little about Philip before The Crown creator Peter Morgan approached him about playing him on the show.

"They're people we've known all our lives, and of course, you think you know them," he says of the British royal family. "All I really [knew] about him is what I read in the newspapers, and it's never very flattering. And then, to do the research, and obviously Peter's done the research, and discover that he was nothing like the man you thought he was — he was an intellectual, highly intelligent, [he had a] great interest in everything scientific, or things to do with the natural world, and a man with a great sense of humor, and a great deal of compassion, and a wonderful loving relationship with his wife."

Keith Bernstein/Netflix The cast of 'The Crown' season 5

Season 5 of The Crown details the divorce of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. The show has come under fire from many quarters both because of the season's content and because its arrival follows the recent death of Queen Elizabeth.

Pryce says his conscience is clear with regard to 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 in any way without having seen it," he says. "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. And as Lesley [Manville, who plays Princess Margaret] has said in the recent past, she wouldn't and I wouldn't be involved in it if we thought there was any hint of disrespect or anything unjust towards the royal family. It's a thing that's being stirred up by the press."

The cast of The Crown also includes Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth, Dominic West as Prince Charles, and Jonny Lee Miller as British Prime Minister John Major.

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