Dominic West at The Crown Finale Celebration in London on Dec. 5; King Charles at a Commonwealth and Nature reception during COP28 in Dubai on November 30.Photo:Samir Hussein/WireImage; Chris Jackson/Getty
Samir Hussein/WireImage; Chris Jackson/Getty
Dominic Westhas a new view ofKing Charlesafter playing him inThe Crown.
The cast ofThe Crownfamously changedevery two seasons to reflect the royals aging through the decades ofQueen Elizabeth’s reign, and West closes the role of then-Prince Charles, which Josh O’Connor originated in season 3 and continued into season 4.
Dominic West at The Crown Finale Celebration in London on Dec. 5.Gareth Cattermole/Getty
Gareth Cattermole/Getty
Raising anticipation around the sixth and final season ofThe Crown, producers split the royal drama into two installments for the first time. Told in four episodes, part 1 premiered on Nov. 14 and follows the relationship betweenPrincess Diana(Elizabeth Debicki) andDodi Fayed(Khalid Abdalla) before their fatal car accident in Paris in August 1997. Part 2 will close the show with six episodes and take the monarchy into the new millennium — along with the challenges that come with it.
When asked what was hardest to film for season 6, West cites the “big emotional scenes” around Diana’s death.
Dominic West in character as King Charles in season 6 of The Crown on Netflix.Justin Downing/Netflix
Justin Downing/Netflix
“I think the big emotional scenes. In many ways, they’re wonderful for an actor. But Peter had written two scenes, one in the Scottish mountains and one in the hospital in Paris where Charles bawls, crying. He’s wailing,” West tells PEOPLE of what the showrunner envisioned in the script.
“I read that and thought, ‘How does a famously buttoned-up family, famously unemotional family, what are they like in times of high emotion when something deeply traumatic happens?' I was very worried about it, then, of course, comes the day you’re doing it and you’re acting, looking at the body of Diana and what you’ve got is a cross on a map box, that’s what you’ve got to look at. They’re difficult, those scenes,” he says. “And I suppose those are the ones I was most worried about.”
Rufus Kampa, Dominic West and Fflyn Edwards in character in season 6 of The Crown on Netflix.Keith Bernstein/Netflix
Keith Bernstein/Netflix
In a surprise revelation to theRadio Times, the BAFTA winner said hestopped his sonSenan Westfrom continuing in his role asPrince WilliaminThe Crownseason 6 to avoid depicting the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death together. The teen made histelevision debutas a young William in season 5, and his father revealed that Senan was invited back for the final season.
“I didn’t really fancy doing the scene at Balmoral, telling a boy his mother has died,” West explained,The Timesreported on Monday.
He carried on as Charles, however, and tells PEOPLE that he was most surprised to learn about the King’s intense energy while researching the role.
“When I first arrived, they gave me hiswatercolor equipmentwhen he goes painting. Then I have a scene planting flowers, which he’s all about. And then he has a scene where he’s dry-stone walling or he’s laying hedges. Just the sheer activity of the guy!” West says.
King Charles and Queen Camilla at the launch of The Coronation Food Project on Nov. 14, the King’s 75th birthday.Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images
Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images
“I think maybeQueen Camillahas commented on it, he never stops! We have a scene last season where he goes, ‘I can’t bear dissipation, I can’t bear laziness,’ and it’s true. He’s a man of intense action. He must be exhausted!” West says with a laugh. “He fits it all in. I think that’s what impressed me most, or certainly struck me most, just how much he fits in.”
The Crown’s timeline is set to conclude around 2005 — the wedding year of Charles and Camilla. Though the show will not catch up to the present, Morgan toldVarietyin the fall thatQueen Elizabeth’s death in September 2022drove him to changethe show’s ending.
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Dominic West and Olivia Williams in character as Charles and Camilla in season 6 of The Crown on Netflix.Justin Downing
Justin Downing
While the countdown continues to the part 2 premiere on Dec. 14, and Morgan toldVarietythat the Queen’s funeral is not seen, West hints that the final episode honors the late sovereign on screen.
“It’s a show about Queen Elizabeth II. And I think that’s why they’ve split this season in two — because the story of Diana is so big and dominant that what we come back to is Elizabeth, and it ends with her. You realize it’s the story of her reign, this extraordinary length of reign, and this extraordinary life,” the actor adds. “I suppose, ultimately, that’s whatThe Crownis about.”
The Crownseason 6, part 1, is now streaming, and part 2 hits queues on Dec. 14.
Netflix depicts the royal family taking a group photo in season 6, part 2 of The Crown.Netflix
Netflix
source: people.com
