Emma Corrin was a stand-in at ‘The Crown’ auditions before getting Princess Diana role
It’s hard to imagine an actor more perfect for playing the role of Princess Diana than Emma Corrin, who stars as the late Princess of Wales in season 4 of Netflix’s “The Crown.” Corrin bears an uncanny resemblance to Diana, from her appearance to the way she captures the young princess’ way of carrying herself and her signature, shy smile.
Although Corrin, 24, seems almost born for the role, it turns out she was nearly cast by accident. In fact, she was originally just meant to be a stand-in to read lines during auditions for “The Crown.”
“Yeah, that's true," Corrin revealed Monday when asked on the 3rd hour of TODAY. "I was asked to come in and help read opposite the girls auditioning for Camilla. And Josh (O’Connor, who plays Prince Charles) was there as well, so yeah, that’s the first time we met. It’s kind of crazy, thinking back.”
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Corrin also discussed what she learned from Diana's former private secretary, Patrick Jephson, and reflected on playing the legendary princess despite having no memory of her when she was alive (Corrin was born in 1995, two years before Diana’s death).
“I have no living memory of her, so it’s always kind of bittersweet for me to talk to people who were close to her,” Corrin said. “But I remember him just saying how happy she was, how she had a very natural inclination toward happiness, and if you knew her well, you could always make her laugh in an instant, which was so nice.”
Season four of “The Crown,” which dropped on Netflix over the weekend, follows Diana as she meets and marries Prince Charles and later as she struggles to adjust to life as a member of the royal family.
The new season also introduces the formidable character of the United Kingdom’s first female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, played by Gillian Anderson.
