Why do we like The Crown so much? There are many reasons that made Peter Morgan's work the series of the decade. First, the mastery with which the characters we observe, following their protocol and pomp in all circumstances, have acquired life, flesh, heart and courage. Also a production that increased the solemnity as well as the humanity of its protagonists. Added to this is the discreet and at the same time sober ability to penetrate the bedrooms of his palaces and the ambition to represent a historical period – the last half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century – that also runs parallel to our present. Also, very important, the wisdom and skill with which we happily swallowed, through the best audiovisual fiction, the most spectacular propaganda operation carried out in a secular institution in modern times.
But a great series doesn't work without actors in a state of grace. On the one hand, a good handful of established players who set a level of excellence, and on the other hand, fresh faces who play their role as discoveries for the league of future stars. That's also why we liked “The Crown”: because the cast and combinations defined the era with an absolutely outstanding result.
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Choosing three interpreters for the same role is a risky decision. If we add that the figure is iconic, the tremors multiply. Both for those who decide – in this case Morgan and his team – and for those who accept it. In the Queen's case, this opportunity, which was also a responsibility, was given to Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton. The first had the boldness of the newcomer and put her inexperienced face at the service of a character whose first steps were complex and delicate because she had to learn to be respected. Foy gave Elizabeth II an innocence that she had to counteract with character. She embodied her role in finding the place she was meant to represent, the weight of a still imperial crown on the head of a girl who was fundamentally not born to inherit the throne.
Olivia Colman, as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown.
His story at the start is one of imposed fate and the need to adapt to it with little baggage. That of a construction that was improvised and had to work without affecting the leadership of the state. As a counterpoint, Claire Foy's seasons featured Matt Smith in his role as Philip of Edinburgh and Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret at their best. An actress who recently followed in the footsteps of none other than Joaquin Phoenix in Ridley Scott's “Napoleon” in Josefina's footsteps.
The three-way conflicts between these characters in the early seasons were a highlight of the series. But this also applies to the personal conversation between Foy and John Lithgow, similar to Churchill. Their moments as mentor and student, the delicacy with which both met wisdom and inexperience with the tact necessary to keep each in their rightful place, revealed through their performances the series' brilliant, subtle and enduring power.
Natural dexterity
Then it was time for Olivia Colman. The actress is now one of the great ladies of British acting and had to play Elizabeth II in full maturity. She mastered it with the natural talent that gifted people show when it comes to taking on big roles. With a mixture of force and risk. Boldness and solidity. Confidence and sense of humor. Additionally, he has someone who can compete face-to-face with his rivals, which comes with an always-welcome ability to improve. Colman had equally memorable co-stars at the time such as Helena Bonham Carter and Margaret and Gillian Anderson, in the ever steely and blasé skin of Margaret Thatcher, although her work – somewhat theatrically – did not surpass that of Meryl Streep of her time. And also with another discovery that the series can boast of: the young Josh O'Connor in the role of his son Carlos.
Imelda Staunton plays Queen Elizabeth II in the last phase of her life. HBO
Imelda Stauton was given Twilight Isabella as a gift. Even colder and more hieratic in the first chapters, the film approaches the farewell in the final season with the solidity typical of its predecessors. The actress brings a warm, exciting serenity to the farewell. She connected in the darkness with the light that emanated from the nostalgia of her legacy and the shadow of a future in which both she and her husband – also glorious, Jonathan Pryce – report that they do not see the future of the institution clearly .
Monster hour
Like Foy and Coleman, Staunton taught a lesson in how to convey his thoughts with presence and gesture without articulating it through the language in his mouth, although he particularly excelled when giving speeches. His work in the last two parts, apart from Jonathan Pryce and Lesley Manville in the final phase of Margarita, was accompanied by two real monsters. We talk about Dominic West as Charles of England and another discovery with true star projection: that of Elizabeth Debicki as Diana of Wales.
The actress shocked us with her physical and psychological dubbing of the ill-fated princess. Her gaze, as cloudy and desperate as it is unprotected, her elegant and careless fragility have disarmed us. West, as we already knew very well, is a master of versatility and here he has proven it again. Over the course of his career, he has been able to delve into the Baltimore underworld like no other, as we discovered him in The Wire, or go to hell for love, as he was forced to do in The Affair . But now it was not easy for him to present himself to the world as a trustworthy heir: “I want to be your Támpax.”
Dominic West, in another moment from “The Crown.” Netflix
He was a cop who needed a great actor like him, able to humanize a touched character and make the audience give him a chance – through this fiction, this is the key to the series' power – as a worthy heir to the throne. West's work will be fundamental to the acceptance of a king whose sympathies are still being tested in the face of public opinion. It wouldn't hurt if the monarch thanked West for his work this Christmas with a nice bottle of whiskey.
All series – very few – that have earned their place as works of art in history have done so with great characters, brought to life in many cases by undiscovered actors or those we simply hadn't noticed. This presented an opportunity that they knew how to take advantage of. The Sopranos is linked to James Gandolfini in this sense; Mad Men to Jon Hamm; The Wire or Game of Thrones to an entire quarry dedicated to a few careers…
The Crown particularly stood out and more than fulfilled its function. Not only was it another milestone for the artists we already knew, it also gave us an enormous list of new talents who have excelled and can go as far as the teachers who accompanied them in this fundamental work. Given the void left by the excitement of receiving new shipments, there is now a solution: revisit the sixty chapters. The second time is even better.
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