Emma Corrin covers the October issue of British Vogue to promote her role in Season 4 of The Crown. Emma plays the young Lady Diana Spencer, and then Diana, Princess of Wales. Season 4 apparently shows some of the courtship of Lady Diana and Prince Charles, then their wedding and how quickly their marriage fell apart, basically. Judging from British Vogue’s photos, I honestly don’t see much of a resemblance, but I’m sure the wig will change that. Emma definitely has similar eyes to Diana. Anyway, Emma chatted about playing the iconic Diana with British Vogue:
Emma kept her casting a secret: “I didn’t tell anyone for a while. I love my mates but I think it would have got out.” Her fascination with the late royal, however, ultimately gave her away – with her inner circle figuring out her secret on their own. “My friends from school did this incredible thing, where they made me a scrapbook filled with all of the screenshots from our group WhatsApp, where I have said, ‘Oh my God, guys, I’ve been invited to read.’ Or a random conversation we’d had four years ago when I said, ‘Isn’t Diana amazing!’”
She did endless research into Diana’s life: She met with Diana’s private secretary Patrick Jephson (“[He] said that she was so funny and so happy so much of the time – I loved that”), to watching Diana: In Her Own Words “about a hundred times”. She even worked with movement coach Polly Bennett to try and figure out which animal Diana most resembled in her movements. (After initially considering a deer, Corrin settled on a cat.)
Playing Diana from age 16 to her mid-20s: “I feel I’ve got to know Diana like you would a friend. I know that sounds really weird, but I get a great sense of companionship from her. I suppose, over time, you kind of start to patch together a sense of empathy and a sense of understanding. I love figuring people out.”
The show recreated Diana’s wedding gown too: “The Emanuels, who designed the original, gave us the patterns, and then it was made for me. We were filming the scene when you first see her in the wedding dress – I think it was Lancaster House in London – and I had a team of about 10 people helping me put it on, because it’s massive. I walked out and everyone went completely silent. More than anything else I wear in the series, it’s so… It’s her.”
She’s only 24, and I’m interested in how she makes those subtle ageing adjustments throughout the fourth season – I’m guessing it was “easy” for her to play Diana-at-20 but it was more difficult for her to play the hardened Diana of the late 1980s. Anyway, Emma could be the It Girl of the moment, and clearly it’s a great boost for a young actress’s career. I actually can’t wait to see what Elizabeth Debicki does with Diana in Season 5!! But I’m interested in Emma’s take too.
Photos courtesy of WENN, British Vogue, Avalon Red.
Tom and Lorenzo says that she nails Diana. Most of their pop culture takes I tend to find merit in, so I’ll take their word for it.
Who are Tom and Lorenzo, curious so I may read as well.
They have a fashion and pop culture site. Not sure I can put a link in here but if you google Tom and Lorenzo, it will come up. Definitely check it out. They are great!
Someone who watched the first 4 episodes said she could win the Emmy. Obviously we don’t know who she’ll be competing against, but that sounds good.
I cannot wait to see this. I grew up with Diana in the media and recall where I was when her accident was reported. One of those moments I will remember. I wasn’t crazy of the early pic where they have her in heavy eyeliner early on, that can afterwards.
So looking forward to The Crown moving into the 80s. I am, however, super curious to see if they got the hair right. I don’t know what it is about Diana’s hair but nobody has gotten it right yet, it always looks, well, like a bad wig. I can’t tell from the stills.
Yesterday I have started re-watching season I.
I can’t wait for November !
I think anyone who studies Diana feels that way. I remember years ago Oxygen did a whole Diana week for her anniversary. I mean docs upon docs. Her interviews. Everything was Diana, and after watching that for a whole week I came out loving her and thinking the Royal Family killed her. I’m sure she wasn’t always a great person, no one is perfect but she was an endearing one even without the mystique. She just seemed like a lovely, flawed person, and slightly petty, but aren’t we all? She was also so young when she went about plotting her revenge on the RF. Can’t blame her. I just remember feeling a different way after that week.
I hear you Ashley. I keep remembering that she was barely out of her teens with not much life experience when she got caught up in that dysfunctional clown show that calls itself a royal family. I think it says something that she lasted as long as she did and accomplished what she did.
You guys forgot the wedding dress shot Netflix released! I lowkey hate it lol. But I think she’s a good Diana, she doesn’t have to look identical.
According to that Vogue article, The Crown hired Diana’s former stylist and he worked with Emma’s hair – not a wig.
I wonder if the Emmanuel’s recreated the dress. Lord knows David is broke and thirsty enough…