Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby, Tenet) currently plays Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales, on season five of the Netflix original series The Crown. However, Debicki had not originally sought out the role of the late princess when she first auditioned. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Debicki had initially auditioned for a small role in season two back in 2016. She reportedly left the audition feeling that she was not right for the part, with her “tail tucked between her legs,” via The Hollywood Reporter. 

Debicki was offered the role of adult Diana Spencer, as the casting director saw something “Diana-y” in her performance, according to The Hollywood Reporter, but would not be able to play the part until 2020. Debicki states she felt like she waited for an “eternity” until her time finally came; unfortunately, production was pushed back due to the pandemic, via The Hollywood Reporter. 

During this time, Debicki was able to study Spencer’s mannerisms and speech patterns in order to accurately portray the character, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Debicki told The Hollywood Reporter she thought “‘My God, I won’t have any time.’ But suddenly, I had this time. Everything I was learning, I was really learning it for the first time. It wasn’t like a task. It was sort of like a joy. But it was a lot of work at the same time.” Debicki’s research included watching other projects that included a portrayal of Princess Diana, and says “they’re all so different, and neither is right or wrong. And they’re all just an interpretation,” via The Hollywood Reporter.

“The thing that I think makes her so iconic and that women love so much about… her wardrobe was that you always got a sense that she made the decisions herself, and that’s what’s so vivid and sexy and empowering” – Elizabeth Debicki on Diana’s celebrated sartorial choices. pic.twitter.com/pdnYuIV3EX

— The Crown (@TheCrownNetflix) November 16, 2022

Debicki describes the experience of playing Diana Spencer as a “fun challenge,” and did not have many fears about portraying the late princess, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She says her one fear was her ability to match her co-stars. She tells The Hollywood Reporter that “Everyone’s amazing in the show. I really do think the performances have been incredible the whole way through. And so as an actor, there’s a part of you that thinks, of course I want to step into that and try that and see if I can do that.”

The most challenging scenes for Debicki were the ones that hit the heart and soul, and she thought “that’s gonna hurt, it’s so so sad.  And how am I going to be able to do that then?” she tells The Hollywood Reporter. She then tells The Hollywood Reporter that “Privacy is so fundamental to somebody’s capacity to stay centered and be happy and grow relationships and feel calm, and that was something that was denied her for her whole public life.” 

Read the full interview at The Hollywood Reporter.

The Crown released season five of the series on November 9. Seasons one through five are now available to stream on Netflix.