‘The Crown’ Star Elizabeth Debicki Doesn’t Follow Royal Family: Daily Mail Coverage ‘Makes Me Nauseous’
Elizabeth Debicki had a royal advantage when being cast as Princess Diana in “The Crown.”
The Australian actress revealed to British Vogue that she doesn’t follow any news related to the Royal family, adding that the endless Daily Mail news coverage “makes me nauseous.”
“I don’t have any big opinions about the Royal Family. That’s an advantage here, right?” Debicki, who joins the Emmy-winning Netflix series in Season 5, said.
As for brushing shoulders with any Royals much like some of her “The Crown” co-stars, Debicki added, “No. Maybe I never will now. Prince Harry seems fun.”
“The Crown” Season 5 premieres November 9 and has already caused controversy in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s death earlier this year.
“Anyone who works on the show has a sense of how extremely difficult it is to be born into that [life],” Debicki said. “The rules are sort of decided for you as well: less is more. Although, of course, Diana broke that rule. She broke the fourth wall, reaped the benefits, but the consequences came hard and heavy. I will say it’s a huge gift to learn what I’ve learnt about this person. In so many ways, it’s a story of immense transformation – and triumph too. The public got to watch her evolve into an incredibly strong woman, trying to control a narrative that was the slipperiest thing ever.”
As for that Daily Mail coverage, Debicki said of the late Princess Diana, “When you’re media fodder, what sells a newspaper is everything, but it was always personal for her. How could it not be?”
“I hope I’ve done something interesting for her,” Debicki said. “That’s the ultimate goal.”
Created by Peter Morgan, “The Crown” has followed the history of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign beginning with her coronation in 1952. Debicki joined the cast as Princess Diana, with Dominic West taking over the role of Prince Charles, and Imelda Staunton playing Queen Elizabeth, along with Jonathan Pryce as Prince Phillip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Jonny Lee Miller as U.K. Prime Minister John Major, Olivia Williams as Charles’ future wife Camilla Parker Bowles, Marcia Warren as the Queen’s mother, and Timothy Dalton as Margaret’s lover Peter Townsend.