“It’s clearly fictional… I have a feeling audiences know that”: Elizabeth Debicki – who will play Princess Diana in The Crown – finds herself at odds over how the Netflix drama depicts royal storylines
- Those who watch The Crown know it’s “clearly fiction,” Elizabeth Debicki said
- The Australian actress, 32, will play Diana, Princess of Wales in the new series
- She defended the program but added that she understood the “reaction to it.”
- It comes as former Prime Ministers John Major and Tony Blair slammed the show
The Crown’s Elizabeth Debicki has said those watching the Netflix drama know it’s “clearly fiction”.
The 32-year-old actress, who plays Diana, Princess of Wales, defended the fifth series after weeks of criticism including from former Prime Ministers Sir John Major and Sir Tony Blair and veteran actress Dame Judi Dench.
Dench said the show had begun to border on “gross sensationalism” and called for a disclaimer to be added to each episode. Netflix confirmed earlier this week that it would not be adding a disclaimer, despite the growing outcry.
The Australian actress was asked in an interview with The Guardian if she felt repelled by the criticism the show has received in recent weeks.
Elizabeth Debicki, who plays Diana in the upcoming series of The Crown, said those watching the Netflix drama know it’s “clearly fiction”. Pictured: Debicki plays Princess Diana in season five
She said: “I don’t really. I understand what the show is and what it’s trying to do. I understand the reaction to that too.
“I think this is a time that has been and continues to be told many times, and I know the care and respect with which people go into these stories.”
The setback of the two former prime ministers, both of whom were serving in the 1990s when the final season of The Crown was shelved.
Debicki said she understands the “reaction to that,” but added she knows “the level of care and respect that people go into these stories with.”
The show is expected to feature a scene where King Charles, played by Dominic West, cuts short a holiday with Diana to hold a secret meeting with Sir John at Highgrove in 1991 where they discuss the Queen’s fall.
The former Prime Minister wrote in a letter in The Telegraph “will be deeply hurtful to a family who still mourn the loss of the very person on whose life the whole drama was founded”.
Debicki stressed that she believes the show is a television drama based on true events.
Dame Judi Dench said the show had begun to border on “gross sensationalism” and called for a disclaimer to be added to every episode. Netflix confirmed earlier this week that it would not be adding a disclaimer, despite the growing outcry
She said: “I mean, it’s clearly fictional. I feel like the audience knows that because there are actors playing roles.
“I’ve never seen The Crown and thought ‘this is a documentary’ or ‘this is obviously true’.
Another scene expected to appear in the new season shows King Charles attempting to recruit Sir Blair as an ally to protect his future and pave the way for him to marry Camilla shortly after his election.
The former Labor Prime Minister said: “It should come as no surprise that this is complete and utter rubbish.”
Former Labor Prime Minister Tony Blair slammed the show by claiming some of the portrayals were “complete and utter rubbish”.
Debicki will take on the role of Diana, played by Emma Corrin in season four, for the upcoming fifth and final sixth season.
The fifth series will chronicle the events leading up to Diana’s death, but the tragic crash won’t be revealed until season six.
However, it will dramatize sensitive scenes, including Diana’s divorce from Charles and the infamous Panorama interview with former BBC journalist Martin Bashir.
Debicki said that despite the sensitivity of the role and the knowledge that she would examine it intensely, she never hesitated to take part in the show.
She said: “I went out of instinct and didn’t think about it. I’ve been watching this show for years and love it.
“I knew I was working with people who were extremely intelligent and very sensitive about how they were writing the script and making decisions.
“So I never felt like I jumped on unstable ground.”