The Crown's Emma Corrin has revealed the unconventional way she landed the role of Princess Diana in the hit Netflix series.
The 25-year-old star, who won a Golden Globe for her performance as the late royal, was originally hired by the drama's casting directors to help with chemistry reads with actresses auditioning for the part of Camilla. The role eventually went to Oscar winner Emerald Fennell.
Chatting with Bridgerton's Rege-Jean Page about how she came to join the cast for Variety, Corrin recalled: 'It was a mental process. I was sort of working, jobbing, trying to earn money in London. I got asked by Nina Gold and Rob Sterne, who cast The Crown, to come in and help for some of the chemistry reads they were doing between Camillas, who they were auditioning.
'Peter [Morgan - creator] had written some preliminary scenes with Camilla and Diana, and so they needed someone to read for Diana.'
She continued: 'So I was like, "OK." And it wasn't an audition. I was being paid to be there, and I wasn’t going to be on camera. My agent was like, "It's the perfect situation because it's going to be a no-pressure audition".
'We decided that I would just prepare as if it was an audition. And so I did, and I worked on the voice with my mum, who is a speech therapist. And then I learned the lines. And I just had fun, because I wasn’t really doing anything at the time.'
The Crown will have another cast reshuffle for series 5 as it moves into the early-to-mid 1990s, with The Night Manager's Elizabeth Debicki taking over from Corrin to play Diana. Imelda Staunton will replace Olivia Colman as the Queen, Lesley Manville will take over from Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret, and Dominic West will play Prince Charles, replacing Josh O'Connor.
Meanwhile, Corrin is currently filming LGBTQ+ romantic drama My Policeman with Harry Styles, a movie adaptation of Bethan Roberts's 2012 novel.
Naomi Gordon is news writer mainly covering entertainment news with a focus on celebrity interviews and television.
