Emma Corrin says diving into Princess Diana's psyche wasn't easy
Few people in history provoke as many questions or opinions at Diana, Princess of Wales. Was she unfairly treated by the royal family? What really went on with her and Charles? Did they ever love each other? Beyond the gowns, tiaras and charity, who was Diana really?
If anyone is well-placed to answer these conversation-starters, it's Emma Corrin, who plays the late princess in season four of The Crown. It's a big role, and one she has spent huge amounts of time researching, whether talking to former aides or reading memoirs.
"A lot of it was hard to film," she told us. "The Diana I'm playing in the series goes through a lot. Even some of the more joyous scenes when their marriage was working were complex because there are so many underlying things going on."
It was important for Corrin that the scenes that explored Diana's struggles with bulimia were sensitively handled, but deep diving into the psyche of the princess wasn't easy. "There were scenes in which we'd look at her bulimia or mental health and that was tricky. You'd go home at the end of the day and think, 'oh my god'" she says. "That's when you stick on Friends."
Find out what Corrin learnt about Diana as a person while filming The Crown, from her troubled marriage to her often strained relationship with the royal family, in our interview above. Spoiler: it's complicated. "She comes from a different world," she says of her on-screen alter-ego. "The firm [operates] a completely different way of living and connecting with people. When you're in a new environment you want to feel comforted and supported, and I think - if we've learnt anything from series one to three - it's that the royal family can't offer that."
Season four of The Crown will be released on Netflix on 15 November
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