Crown Actor Dominic West Talks Season 5, Meets Prince Charles and The Wire

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Peter Morgans The Crown returned Wednesday, Nov. 9, to Netflix — two months and a day after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Beginning the third and final chapter of two seasons of the fictional drama inspired by real events, Season 5 is set in the 90s when the monarchy takes a hit as royal marriages fall apart.

The new (and final) cast includes Imelda Staunton (Queen Elizabeth II), Jonathan Pryce (Prince Philip), Lesley Manville (Princess Margaret), Dominic West (Prince Charles), Elizabeth Debicki (Princess Diana) and Olivia Williams (Camilla Parker Bowles).

We recently caught up with West and Williams to discuss what it’s like to play royals, meet their real-life characters, and how The Crown has changed perceptions of King Charles III.

Hello, Dominic and Olivia, congratulations on The Crown. Quick question, have any of you been to Cleveland?

(Williams) I think I have family there. Hello, Cleveland Cushmans.

(West) Have you been there?

(Williams) Never.

(West) Have you ever been there? Well, it’s time she did.

Let’s talk about seasons 5 and 6 of The Crown. Intrinsically in every role, you feel responsible to your characters. Considering they’re high-profile — not to mention the show’s success — is that experience any different?

(West) You’re right, it’s very different. I played real people but not those who are still alive. So it was totally different, but in fact what I realized is that the approach has to be the same as for a fictional character. You have to forget about all the outside implications and the politics – and just play it as a character like you would play a character in a play, which involves trying to find the connections between you and them that allow you to feel that that they feel. in a given situation. So really, the fact that they’re there and the fact that they’re very famous ultimately doesn’t matter.

(Williams) You are very well given a script. And the job for the day is how you’re going to make that scene work and make it come alive. So you play with the words, you play with the scene and you work with the camera and the director to try to bring the scene to life. That’s why the disclaimer is a big factor in saying this is fiction. Didn’t try to pretend anyone had ever said those words to each other.

Has the recent death of the Queens changed your approach to the final season?

(Williams) What was extraordinary was to have read all the scripts and played the whole season, after his death, each scene meant something different. It was like a completely different series. It had a very different impact, a different focus. It completely changed a whole aspect of it.

Dominic, after playing Prince Charles, did that change your view of King Charles III?

(West) I know a lot more about him than before I started the role. Now I obsessively watch him and scrutinize him for everything he does. What’s interesting is that since he became king, there have been a few incidents where he received various character gifts. He is a man who, unlike his mother, wears his emotions a lot on his sleeve. I really enjoyed watching those moments when he talks to new prime ministers. I don’t know how many he had during his brief reign (laughs) but he’s a very emotionally expressive man and it’s been fascinating to watch him.

It seems that King Charles III benefited from the humanization of The Crown. Take for example his recent incident with a leaky pen. Previously, he would have been viewed differently but because of the TV show, viewers understood him better.

(Williams) I think everyone talks about him in relation to his mother, but I see his father much more – certainly with the pen.

(West) It really underlined how everyone said when the Queen was 70 never to take the wrong foot, without even expressing an emotion. And right away it happens — and I think it was a real relief, certainly for me and a lot of people — to see the emotion behind it all. I guess that’s what The Crown does: it gives emotional context to those events that we know about.

Have any of you met the characters you play?

Williams) For years after saying that if I met a member of the Royal Family I would not curtsy and treat them like any other member of society, when I was introduced to Camilla, there’s a photo of me clearly simpering, curtsying and laughing flatteringly at everything she said. So, yes, I am what is technically called a hypocrite.

(West) I met my character several times in a line-up. I was involved with his charity, The Princes Trust, an amazing organization. Every once in a while they bring people like me to line up and you meet it. The conversation doesn’t go much further than, have you come a long way?

So, Dominic, did Prince Charles say how much he enjoyed The Wire?

(West) No, he didn’t, unfortunately. (laughs) But I bet he did.

Speaking of which, The Wire recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. Why is it still so popular?

(West) He hasn’t aged. The reason it lasted is because it was written by very smart writers who really knew what they were writing about and in a way revolutionized the whole genre.

Finally, let’s have some fun. What would your Wire character, McNulty, think of The Crown?

I do not know. I think he would be too busy setting up an IKEA flatpack to figure out how to access Netflix. I’m not sure he would be a fan.

And the case?

I don’t know, maybe it would also be too close to my house.