The Story of Diana and Charles
This article was published in issue 45 of 2022 and we are republishing it today to trace the changes that have gone through in the last 20. Here are all the articles we are republishing. No one has ever been more Diana than this. The way she tilts her head, the movement of her eyes, the shameless unhappiness. The resemblance is striking: be prepared. More than an interpretation, Elizabeth Debicki’s is an absolute adherence to Lady D, who, 25 years after her death, lives twice thanks to the new season of The Crown.
The Cast of the New Season of The Crown
The fifth (and penultimate) is about to arrive on Netflix on November 9, two months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the proclamation of King Charles III, preceded by a series of controversies that not even the most controversial series in the history of streaming. But let’s proceed in order. The cast is totally renewed for the third time: Imelda Staunton inherits the title of sovereign from Olivia Colman, Sir Jonathan Pryce is Prince Philip after Tobias Menzies and Dominic West is (somewhat accurate) Charles after Josh O’Connor (who earned an Emmy), Debicki takes up the torch from Emma Corrin and plays, or rather, becomes Diana Spencer. They are two drops of water, which makes an effect.
Elizabeth Debicki As Lady Diana
We can say this with certainty because we have seen some episodes in preview, where Elizabeth reigns. Of Melbourne, born in Paris from ex-classical dancer parents, 32 years old, seven when the sad princess died prematurely in a car accident, she made her debut in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, continued quickly between theatrical performances, Marvel blockbusters and fantasy-action at Tenet. She herself confirms to us that her character “has very specific physical characteristics”. In fact, she also did a great job with Polly Bennett, a famous posture teacher and movement coach, including Lady D’s famous head tilt. “I had no deep knowledge of any of the protagonists of The Crown; I don’t feel close to them, even though Australia, where I live, is part of the Commonwealth. This gave me freedom. But Diana was the most photographed person in the world: just google it and you will be overwhelmed by a tsunami of information and I, white canvas, swam happily in it. My goal was to get into the much more faceted shoes of the simple “people’s princess”: I had to interpret Peter’s (Morgan, the creator of the series, ed.) vision and bring out the complexity of the character, the intelligence, the humor and the true vitality of Lady D”. An image far from the cinematic versions that have come so far. Without venturing too far into the dangerous territory of spoilers, Elizabeth lights up everything that is already known about the plot, adding some more details: “It starts with Charles and Diana in Italy in the early nineties, on the holiday nicknamed by the media as the “second honeymoon”. It is a moment of happiness, a last illusion before their story takes a bad turn“.
