The Crown's Josh O'Connor Says Prince Charles "Must Have" Loved Princess Diana
Actor Josh O'Connor opened up about playing Prince Charles on The Crown—and gave a few hints as to how the show's upcoming fourth season will portray Charles's relationship with Princess Diana.
"The big excitement for me, going into season three, was effectively looking at both seasons three and four," the actor told Screen Daily. "We all know roughly what happened with Charles and Diana, and I had an idea from Peter about where Charles was going. Having the opportunity to go back and mark the moments that have influenced behavior, or influenced the older version of this person, was a real treat."
O'Connor continued, "We all have a set position on the dynamic between Charles and Diana. It’s been great to have the ability to either fight against that or, at times, acknowledge it and also to challenge any question of, ‘Did he ever love her?’ Personally I think he must have done. There’s a wealth of layers and richness to Charles and Diana, and I loved seeking that out."
The actor also explained that who he—and by extension Emma Corrin, the actress who plays Diana—are portraying is not quite who the royals actually are. In part, this is because the public doesn't truly know them. "The trick is to remember that anything we know of Prince Charles is a media representation of him," O'Connor explained. "Usually, the moments where he is in the public eye are well planned and organized. He is presenting a version of himself that he wants people to see. I think that was a luxury, because it meant you can invent.”
And then, there's the fact that The Crown isn't a documentary. "Ultimately, The Crown is a work of fiction from [showrunner] Peter Morgan, and that gives you freedom to create something which isn’t actually Prince Charles. It’s an essence of him."
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