Crown: This main character hardly appeared in the series

When it premiered in 2014, The Crown was already one of the most ambitious TV projects of all time. And over the seasons until its production ended last year, its impact on the world of the small screen was significant.

Made for Netflix and airing in 2016, Peter Morgan’s series chronicled the life of Queen Elizabeth II before she became monarch until 2005, when Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles. Its cast changed every two seasons, with Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton playing the lead roles successively, the series presented the Queen as she faced the flux and turmoil of the external (and internal) world.

Lady Dee or not?

But if he tried to be as close to reality as possible – adding his share of fiction to fill in certain gaps – Peter Morgan In an interview with Variety in June of last year, he spoke about his fears about portraying Diana on screen, particularly the worry of telling the story of her death. What was he afraid of? all.

“Honestly, everything. I was terribly afraid that I would not find a good enough actor to play her. So I think my biggest concern was finding someone who wouldn’t convince you they were Diana. I must say that I was ready to rewrite the series and not include Diana. And there were some advantages to that – he was this outside element, and we were with a family that was dealing with an outside element. I was ready to do it if we didn’t find the perfect actor – and first Emma Corinnethen together Elizabeth DebicI think we found the only one who could do it and in a way that really convinced you.“

He added:The handling of his death was obviously a matter of great sensitivity, but it is also a matter of historical record. This is a major historical event. And as a playwright, I think it’s your responsibility to address this topic. But of course you do it with the understanding that there are a lot of people who have a lot of feelings about it and experience it personally. So you have to be careful, sensitive and responsible.“

Diana, a ghost?

After writing the movie Queen in 2006, Peter Morgan He wanted to treat the subject differently, especially since the film did not offer us the same point of view.

“With The Crown, even though it covers the exact same period, I didn’t want to repeat myself. I didn’t want to do it through Tony Blair’s eyes. I didn’t want to have the same conversation. I then had a lot of that attitude towards Prince Charles, who is now our king. I also wanted to show, perhaps now that you’re dramatizing Diana, how it affected them after her death. So I wrote these scenes, which I thought about for a long time, in which Elizabeth Debicka was a figment of their imagination, part of their inner conversation.“

“There are only two moments in the series where we stop naturalism“- he added. “Immediately after the loss of a loved one, I don’t think it is rare for people to have imaginary conversations, imagine seeing them. One or two people in the UK have mentioned a ghost. This is not a ghost! No crunchy chains. It’s such a stupid term, it’s the imaginary talk of bored people. I find these scenes very exciting, very disturbing. I think Elizabeth Debic’s best performances took place in these scenes. He had incredible calmness and compassion.“

When the imagination must intervene

As for the scenes on the night of Diana and Dodi Fayed’s death, in addition to a lot of evidence, the creator’s imagination had to go.

“We have the first reports. But there was a period when Diana and Dodd were alone in a Ritz hotel room. We know everything that happened from the moment they left the hotel suite and got into the car. We know meter by meter, second by second what happened. But what we don’t know is what they were saying to each other in the hotel room. That’s where I come in, and I have to use my imagination, but I don’t immediately start writing thinking, “I wonder what they had…” – you have to think very long and hard. Where is this particular character at this particular point in their life? Many people close to Diana and Dodi have spoken about their mental state at the time and you are piecing together what you imagine. And if you’re wrong, the audience will tell you. The audience, even without research, will guess whether it is true or not. Society is very smart. If it’s unbelievable, the audience will know instantly. He will simply give up on her.“

He continued: “For me, the fun is in the imagination. But a fantasy that is so well supported by anecdotes, personal interviews, history books that you can imagine exactly. This scene from that night at the Ritz, I’m particularly proud of it because I really believe it’s the closest thing to what Diana and Dodd were saying to each other that night. The fact that he didn’t want to hurt her feelings, the fact that he wasn’t going to marry her. My conscience is completely clear about what happened to us.”

All six seasons of The Crown are available to watch on Netflix.