The actress portraying Princess Diana in season four of the hit series has joined co-star Josh O’Connor in defending Netflix’s decision not to make it clear that the show is a work of fiction.
- Dec 17, 2020
AceShowbiz – Emma Corrin does not find it necessary for Netflix to label “The Crown” as a work of fiction. Although a number of prominent figures in the U.K. have called for the addition of a fiction disclaimer to the hit series, the actress playing Princess Diana in season four defended the streaming giant’s adverse decision by likening it to “Succession“.
The 25-year-old actress weighed in on the controversy when talking to Marc Malkin from her London apartment for an upcoming episode of the Variety and iHeart podcast “The Big Ticket”. During which, she stressed, “It is very clearly a dramatized version of events. This is fictitious in the same way people don’t mistake ‘Succession’ for what actually happened with the Murdochs.”
While she backed Netflix’s choice against the adding of the fiction disclaimer, the “Misbehaviour” actress did acknowledge the intention behind the request in the first place. “I also understand [the request] comes from a place of sensitivity and protectiveness of the royal family and Diana,” she pointed out.
The call for disclaimers came in late November when British culture minister Oliver Dowden urged Netflix to make it clear that “The Crown” is a work of fiction. “It’s a beautifully produced work of fiction, so as with other TV productions, Netflix should be very clear at the beginning it is just that,” he told The Mail on Sunday. “Without this, I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact.”
Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, also offered similar thought on the TV series. “I think it would help ‘The Crown’ an enormous amount if, at the beginning of each episode, it stated that, ‘This isn’t true but it is based around some real events,’ ” he voiced his concerns to ITV. “I worry people do think that this is gospel and that’s unfair.”
Netflix, however, stood its ground. “We have always presented ‘The Crown’ as a drama — and we have every confidence our members understand it’s a work of fiction that’s broadly based on historical events,” it responded to the call through a statement. “As a result we have no plans — and see no need — to add a disclaimer.”
Also defending the streaming giant’s decision was Emma’s co-star Josh O’Connor. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times podcast “The Envelope”, the Prince Charles depicter stated, “We were slightly let down by our culture secretary, whose job it is to encourage culture. In my opinion, it’s pretty outrageous that he came out and said what he said. Particularly, in this time when he knows that the arts are struggling and they’re on their knees, I think it’s a bit of a low blow.”
Source: Television - aceshowbiz.com
