As far as proposals go, Emma Corrin’s invitation to join the fourth season of The Crown was indeed fit for a princess. “I got taken to this insane manor house, which of course I’m used to now,” the actor says with a laugh. “But back then it was like, Woah, this is crazy.” After she finished reading an audition scene with Josh O’Connor, who plays Prince Charles, Corrin remembers director Benjamin Caron getting down on one knee: “He said, ‘Will you be our Diana?’” Naturally, Corrin said yes.

Her turn as the Princess of Wales, ages 16 to 28, has earned applause from both Diana devotees and those less familiar with the royal. She plays a young woman trying to find her way in the world, at various points vulnerable, steely, joyful, and stricken. Diana is trapped by a troubled marriage and facing impossible public scrutiny. In Corrin’s hands, she is entirely relatable and deeply sympathetic.

The courtship between Corrin and The Crown was a long one. The first call came when Corrin had just graduated from Cambridge University and moved to London, where she was couch surfing and trying to find work. Her agent said The Crown was looking for people to read Diana’s lines while they auditioned actors for the role of Camilla Parker Bowles.

“I was so new, it wasn’t really intimidating,” Corrin remembers. Her agent told her who would be in the room: The Crown’s creator, Peter Morgan, executive producer Suzanne Mackie, and Caron. “I didn’t know who any of those people were,” Corrin explains. “My agent was like ‘O.K., that’s probably a good thing. You won’t scare yourself.’”
She decided to approach the opportunity as an audition. She memorized the scene despite being told she could reference the script, and she enlisted her mother, a speech therapist, to help her work on sounding like Diana. Corrin spent the morning of the reading speaking her lines from the corner of the audition room. That afternoon, the director asked her to move in front of the camera.

“She was extraordinary,” remembers Mackie. “As she walked out, we all looked at each other and said, ‘We think we may have just found our Diana.’ I just knew in my bones.” Adds Caron: “She was the only person I really wanted. She had that amazing quality of vulnerability and strength. But of course, you have to be sensible.”
By “sensible,” he means thorough. It would be almost eight months before Corrin got the call to audition at the manor. During that period, she filmed the TV series Pennyworth and tried not to worry about her prospects with The Crown. She already possessed an actor’s necessary ability to stay the course, although her experience was essentially limited to theater productions at Cambridge. Even the rejections she received from acting schools after graduating from her all-girls boarding school never made her doubt her path.

Corrin was raised with her two brothers 30 miles from London, in Royal Tunbridge Wells. “I spent the majority of my childhood living in a fantasy world,” she says. “I would create worlds for myself through writing, or by going outside for days on end, living in things I’d built in the woods, and getting my two brothers to play fantasy worlds with me. It was always about acting. I think that requires some kind of blind faith and determination.”

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Emma Corrin on ‘The Crown’ Season 4 and the Unusual Way She Was Cast as Princess Diana

Plus, how she depicted Diana’s battle with bulimia and had to unlearn how to sing.

With The Crown now streaming it’s fourth season on Netflix, I recently spoke with Emma Corrin about playing Princess Diana in the fantastic series. During the wide-ranging conversation, Corrin revealed the surprising way she was cast, what it was like working with The Crown creator Peter Morgan, what she learned from researching Diana’s life, the way they went about preparing to depict Diana’s battle with bulimia, filming the fight scenes between Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor) and Diana, what surprised her about making the series, and more. In addition, she talked about her school days at St. John’s College (which throws some great year-end parties), the TV series she’d like to guest star on, and the popularity of The Crown in the United Kingdom. Check out what she had to say below.

Collider: So I got a bunch of questions for you, but I want to start with a fun one, which is, I believe you went to St. John’s college.
EMMA CORRIN: I did.

So two of my very close friends went to St. John’s college, and I’m probably the only person you’re talking to that actually went to a May Ball.
CORRIN: Oh, my God. How did you know? You went to John’s May Ball, as well?

Yeah. I went to St. John’s May Ball.
CORRIN: Oh, the best one.

That’s what they would say.
CORRIN: Seventh best party in the world, according to Time Magazine.

Right? That’s what I wanted to actually get into, for people that don’t understand. There is a competition in Cambridge about who puts on the best ball.
CORRIN: Yeah. It’s 100% John’s.

My friends who went to St. Johns wanted to know if they still do the pennies and no hands dessert at formal hall?
CORRIN: Yeah. That is a thing. Yeah. That is a thing. Also, they do the thing where if you are in formal hall and you are sitting next to someone, if you put a penny in their drink, they have to down it. They also do that. There are so many ridiculous things.

I don’t want to spend too much more time on St. John’s, but I will say that for people that don’t know what the May Ball is, it’s a pretty epic night.
CORRIN: It’s insane. Yeah. It’s the best party you’ll ever go to. It’s great. It’s crazy. Yeah.

I know you just got to do, The Crown, but what TV show would you love to guest star on?
CORRIN: That’s an amazing question. What have I watched recently that…everyone’s talking about Succession, aren’t they? I feel like I’m just saying that because it’s really good. Maybe Selling Sunset.

If it makes you feel any better, a lot of people I’ve been talking to, I asked these same few questions of everyone, and Succession is usually the popular answer.
CORRIN: Yeah. I’m going to change it to Selling Sunset though. I think I’d have a lot more fun on Selling Sunset.

I think there’s a good possibility on that one. And my other thing is, what movie have you seen the most?
CORRIN: Oh, that’s such a good question. Oh, probably my favorite film, which is, You’ve Got Mail.

The Crown in America is a very popular show, but how is it in England for people that don’t live there?
CORRIN: It is very popular here as well. I think they do a different kinds of popularity. I think in America, people have this, I think you guys have an obsession over the Royal family in a way that we don’t. Because I guess we just live with it. But it’s very popular here. Everyone loves it, I think. Though, saying that, a lot of my friends are like, oh, I’ve never watched it.

That’s going to change.
CORRIN: Yeah. Well, I’ll make them watch it.

I am curious about the casting process for you. Can you talk about the auditions and how badly did you want this role?
CORRIN: Well, my casting process was very unusual, I think actually. I’ll explain it, but I feel like any young actor listening should not think that this is how it normally works, which is that, so I went in August 2018. Got a call from my agent. She said, The Crown are doing a chemistry read between the girls they had found to play Camilla potentially, and Joshua O’Connor. But obviously they’re reading scripts that are from season three and also season four, which was obviously in the pipeline. And they need someone to read for Diana. And so I went in and I was paid and obviously, it wasn’t an audition for me. I was just helping out, but it weirdly turned into an audition, because they started putting me on camera and they were obviously enjoying what I was doing. And it was quite strange.

And I remember calling my agent afterwards and being like, Maya, I really think something shifted in the room. I think they really liked me for Diana. She was like, Emma, don’t be ridiculous, they haven’t even started filming season three yet. Don’t be an idiot. And then about five, six months went by, and we heard murmurings of things. They kept checking to make sure that I was still available or what I was up to. I started doing another job, but I remember I sat down at the cast welcome dinner, and everyone was a bit drunk and the director goes, oh, congratulations on that Crown job. And I was like, what? And he was like, shit. No, don’t worry about it. It was very strange and it was a lot of that thing where I was like, am I being not told something? But obviously there’s nothing I could do.

So I very much from the get-go tried to not get my hopes up. And then actually the part was announced and people started auditioning and I went in for a few additions, which was so much fun. I loved it. It was just me, Peter, and one of the directors, Ben, just spending a lot of time talking about Diana and what we loved about her, and the nuances of their relationship. Then I got invited to set to chemistry read with Josh, and I had to go to where they were filming. They were doing some pickups in season three and we ran the scenes a couple of times. And then they offered me the part in the room, which was very special. I have no memory of it, because I think I blacked out from shock. But Josh says it was the closest to X-Factor he’ll ever get. He said it was very fun. So very strange process. In retrospect, obviously worked out very well. At the time, it was very, very stressful.

So for actors that are reading this, if you ever get the opportunity to just be in the room take it.
CORRIN: Oh, yeah. Take the opportunity 100%. Yeah.

I am a huge fan of Peter Morgan, and I’m curious if you can sort of talk about what it’s like collaborating with him, working with him, maybe what surprised you also.
CORRIN: He’s a genius. I fully think he’s a genius. The way he writes has a weight to it that is fully Shakespearian, and an intelligence to it that’s funny Shakespearian. I think he’s masterful the way he can communicate all the different sides of a person, so you see them. I mean, for instance, I watched some of season four with my friend recently, and we’re all very liberal and obviously not at all fans of Margaret Thatcher, quite the opposite. But we sat down to watch it, and my friends were having a crisis because they were like, why am I being made to understand her?

Why am I being made to feel sympathetic towards her? And Peter does this incredible thing where he can show a very balanced and very dynamic presentation of a character. He really takes you to the limits of their experience. And I think with all the women in the series, he explores the nuances of how they grapple with being in power, and what that means for them. It’s incredible. He’s a phenomenal guy. I would love to spend a day in his brain.

I think he’s a phenomenal writer.
CORRIN: Yeah.

You’re relatively young and obviously you grew up with Diana, but she wasn’t in your life.
CORRIN: Mm-hmm (affirmative).

I’m curious, what things really surprised you as you researched her that perhaps you were not expecting?
CORRIN: I loved learning about what she was like before she entered the Royal family. I loved learning about her childhood and how that perhaps had a knock-on effect to how she was when she was older. I was surprised at how strong she was or maybe I wasn’t, but I was surprised at the fine line between her vulnerability and her strength. I find that really fascinating the way that she was going through so much, but yet could come across so strong and so generous and with other people. I was surprised at the lack of support she received in the Royal family all the way through. I didn’t know whether that was something that was a more gradual thing. I was surprised that she landed in the palace and from day one, they weren’t really there for her.

No. I haven’t said it yet, but season four is fantastic.
CORRIN: Thank you.

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‘The Crown’: Emma Corrin and Josh O’Connor on Embodying the Agony of Charles and Di
Yes, performing that awkward ‘Phantom of the Opera’ scene made them both want to go fetal.

“It’s so cringey,” said Emma Corrin, who stars as Princess Diana in Season 4 of Netflix’s “The Crown.” “It’s the worst.”

“It’s so uncomfortable,” agreed Josh O’Connor, who, as Prince Charles, is Corrin’s frequent scene partner. “It’s so horrible. I’m so sorry.”

Here’s the thing about playing the British royal family’s two very famous star-crossed lovers — there are any number of based-on-real-life scenes with Corrin and O’Connor in “The Crown” that they could be talking about. Is it the duo’s terrible engagement interview, where it becomes very apparent that Charles has little interest in his future bride? Is it the press conference in Australia where Diana fumbles incredibly basic questions about their trip Down Under? Is it when Charles watches aghast as attention-starved Diana does a surprise dance to Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” in front of a packed audience at the Royal Opera House?

All worthy contenders, but the scene in question is the one in Episode 9, “Avalanche,” where Corrin, on stage in full Sarah Brightman “Phantom of the Opera” costume — complete with sets and orchestral backing — records a video of the impossible soprano lung-buster “All I Ask of You” for Charles’ anniversary present. The two, after a tepid dinner, watch the video together on the VCR — and O’Connor’s brutal, horrified reaction to Diana’s wide-eyed attempt at reconciliation is both heart-piercing and priceless.

“She hasn’t learned!” Corrin replied. “It’s the second time she’s done it [after the Billy Joel performance]! You’re like, ‘Come on Di! COME ON!’”

“In reality, what Emma did in that scene is amazing,” O’Connor said. “The [crew] were like, ‘Do you want to see it before [you film]? and I was like, ‘Maybe not, because I’m not really into that, I would rather react in the moment.’ But then the director was like ‘Emma is quite fucking great in it!’ — sorry, I shouldn’t swear — but it was like ‘Emma is really good in it!’ so I sat down and watched. And the singing is amazing! But then I had to be that prat! If my partner did that for my birthday, I would be in tears and so grateful. It was really hard to go from that, to acting like ‘What an idiot!’”

It’s the mixing of private moments with the public persona of Charles and Diana that makes Corrin and O’Connor’s performances so resonant. Each is required to make countless broad and fine choices every moment on screen to avoid mimicry, but to still give the audience the satisfaction of recognizing their personal experience of the characters.

They were helped by creator and showrunner Peter Morgan’s scripts, which cleverly intertwine a select number of very public moments that put a not-so-delicate point on the couple’s private upheaval. Moments that we’ve all endlessly seen are left out; the episode focused on the royal wedding cuts to black just before Diana, in her wedding dress, leaves for Westminster Abbey. The “Lion King”-esque presentations of newborn Prince William and Prince Harry on the steps of the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital are omitted entirely.

What remains are the moments that deepen the focus on a couple as their public facade slowly crumbles to reveal a relationship built without a foundation beyond patriarchal expectations of marriage and duty.

“Diana’s iconism — Is that a word? It should be! — really kind of annoyed me,” Corrin said. “It means we can slap a term on this person, but it’s very insensitive to her experience. She was incredibly strong — but at the same time, a very vulnerable woman taking on a lot of responsibility at a very young age […] those two forces playing against each other are just incredible.”

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A complete unknown, plucked from obscurity and thrust into the spotlight, her life changing forever as a result.

It’s not lost on Emma Corrin that this is as much a fitting description for her own situation as it is for the character she plays in her breakthrough role.

Emma’s life is about to be transformed, with millions of people around the world tuning in to the new series of The Crown, where she portrays the young Princess Diana.

The fourth season of Netflix’s drama about the inner workings of the royal family during the reign of Queen Elizabeth launches today and covers the period from the late ’70s, when Prince Charles, next in line to the throne, was still unmarried at 30, causing consternation within the Royal household. His too-good-to-be-true fairytale wedding with Lady Diana Spencer, a shy nursery school teacher 14 years his junior, proved to be exactly that, the cracks in their fragile marriage revealing themselves almost immediately.

Emma, a 24-year-old actor with just a handful of credits on her CV, is preparing for her anonymity to come to an end, with early reviews from the critics describing her turn as the People’s Princess “a tour-de-force”.

“I’m excited,” she smiled. “I know my life is changing a lot but it’s manageable – although it wouldn’t be if I didn’t have lovely people around me.

“It was certainly a huge amount of pressure when I got the part. I felt huge responsibility. People like Diana, Charles and The Queen are icons in a way that makes them incredibly untouchable and kind of unknowable.

“As an actor, to be asked to portray them is really daunting. You are constantly looking for a foothold into the character you are playing, something to relate to or empathise with. It can be very difficult.

“It was really only when I got the script I realised this is a fictional character I am playing – I’m playing The Crown’s version of Diana.”

Emma, daughter of a businessman and speech therapist, attended an independent school for girls in Surrey before graduating from Cambridge University. She appeared in an episode of ITV drama Grantchester, a handful of episodes of US series Pennywise and had a small role in British movie Misbehaviour, about the feminist attack on the 1970 Miss World competition, before she was chosen to play Diana.

Emma was working a part-time job when her agent called to tell her she had an off-camera script read-through for The Crown, to assist producers who were auditioning actors to play Camilla. Emma would read Diana’s lines and, while her agent told her it wasn’t an audition, the young actress turned up for the job as if it was, devouring books and articles on the princess in preparation.

Her diligence paid off, as producers spotted her potential and invited her back to audition for the Diana role, competing alongside hundreds of others. When she was later told she had been cast, her reaction was “just disbelief. I stood there speechless for quite a long time.

Emma wasn’t even two years old when Diana, just 36, died in 1997, so she has no memory of the princess but has always felt a connection to her because her own mother looks very similar to Diana – so much so that passers-by in the street would do a double take when they walked past.

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