Elizabeth Debicki has said she feels like audiences know The Crown is “clearly fictional” as she responded to criticism of how certain storylines are depicted. The 32-year-old Australian actress will portray Diana, Princess of Wales in the fifth series of the hit Netflix drama, which is set to land on November 8. Here’s what you need to know.
Ahead of the series release, former UK prime ministers John Major and Tony Blair have hit out at their depiction while actress Judi Dench called for a disclaimer to be added to each episode, saying it has begun to verge on “crude sensationalism.”
The Crown Spoilers: Elizabeth Debicki Admits That The Series Is Completely Fictional
Asked whether she felt defensive to the criticism in an interview with the Guardian, she said: “I don’t really. I understand what the show is and what it’s trying to do. I also understand the reaction to it. I think this is a period of time that’s been told many times over and will continue to be told, and I know the degree of care and respect people enter into these stories with.”
The actress feels in her mind the show is a television drama, based on real events. “I mean, it is clearly fictional. I feel like audiences know that because there are actors, playing parts,” she added. “I never watched The Crown and thought, ‘this is a documentary’ or ‘this is obviously true.'”
John Major recently wrote a letter to The Telegraph responding to the upcoming fifth series which is expected to show Charles, played by Dominic West, cutting short a holiday with Diana to host a secret meeting with Major at Highgrove in 1991, at which they discuss potentially ousting the Queen.
The former prime minister wrote that it “will be profoundly hurtful to a family who are still grieving for the very person on whose life the entire drama was founded.”
Charles is reportedly shown trying to recruit Blair as an ally to protect his future and pave the way for him to marry Camilla, shortly after the 1997 general election which saw Blair become the Labour prime minister.
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