Actress Imelda Staunton is the new Queen Elizabeth for Netflix's The Crown season 5 and 6 and she has weighed on the show's controversy about putting a disclaimer in every episode to inform viewers that it is a work of fiction.
In an exclusive interview with Variety, Staunton said that she has to trust the intelligence of the show's viewers, who would be able to distinguish that the scenes are made up. She also said that the dialogues in The Crown are not verbatim or taken from the real royal family's diaries. Ultimately, however, Staunton said that it is up to the show's producers or directors to put a disclaimer.
In December, Netflix declined such a request from the United Kingdom's Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, who said that viewers need to be reminded that the show is not based on actual historical facts surrounding the royal family. The streamer said in a statement that it has "always presented The Crown as a drama."
The request comes following the depiction of Prince Charles and Princess Diana's marriage in the 1980s, as well as its eventual breakdown. People defended the royal family by saying that The Crown was unfair to the future British King. It has also resulted in Clarence House shutting down all of Prince Charles' social media accounts, which he shares with his second wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.
Meanwhile, Staunton shares her actual dilemma about playing Queen Elizabeth in the final two seasons of The Crown. She said that she is playing a Queen that many people are familiar with since the upcoming season will cover more current timelines.
Staunton said that Claire Foy, who was Queen Elizabeth for seasons 1 and 2, played the Queen who "was almost history" since her timeline was in the 1950s. The veteran actress admitted that this is her biggest fear because many people will compare her to the real Queen, and perhaps say that "she's not like that."
In July 2020, Staunton said that she has been preparing for her role as the Queen even as the actual production won't begin in London in July 2021. The actress said that she's been reading about Her Majesty, as well as watching and listening to clips.
Staunton also said that, on top of her research, it might help that she has met the real Queen Elizabeth a few times in her life. She sang for Her Majesty for her 90th birthday, and the Queen has also watched her perform on stage in the 1980s.
However, she admitted that the role of Queen Elizabeth is indeed quite daunting, as her predecessors Foy and Olivia Colman have said in the past. Staunton described the role of the monarch as a huge, exciting, and terrifying responsibility.
