Why Netflix’s The Crown Can Be A Super Weird Acting Gig, According To Emmy Winner Josh O'Connor

the crown charles fighting with diana screenshot netflix

The Crown is a captivating show that tells the tale of the British royal family over several decades (and recastings), and it has become a huge success. In fact, the show recently picked up even more Emmys, with Josh O'Connor taking the trophy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. O’Connor explained why The Crown can be a really weird acting gig.

Josh O’Connor portrayed a young Prince Charles on The Crown, taking on the task of playing a major historical and prominent royal figure. O’Connor revealed to Variety that while making the show for a couple of years, it was not the easiest:

It’s been two years of my life, cumulatively, making the show. And then the rest of my life has just been talking about it. It’s a strange dynamic; you spend more time talking about your work than you do making it sometimes. And that just shows the success of [The Crown] — that people want to hear about it and want to understand the process and the stories. I’ve had the best two years ever. But it’s also exciting, the idea that I can go off and talk about other stuff.

Josh O'Connor definitely seems like he has loved his work on the show, and landing one of the biggest awards in television couldn't hurt. Still, talking about working on The Crown more than actively working on The Crown is an odd situation that not many people would likely be able to relate to. The Emmy win at least means that he ends his time as Prince Charles on the highest of high notes. As The Crown moves into the next era, Dominic West will be taking on the role.

The Crown was originally going to end with the upcoming Season 5, but it was announced in July 2020 that the British royal family drama would be coming back for a sixth and final season. The reasoning, according to creator Peter Morgan, is because they want to do “justice to the richness and complexity of the story.” Fans just can’t get enough of the series, so there's certainly an audience for the show for however long it runs.

Even though the show will enter its fifth season next year, The Crown is still dominating. The series won several more Primetime Emmy Awards recently, including for Outstanding Drama Series. And with Josh O’Connor being included in those wins, he’s probably getting even more people talking to him about his job. But it comes with the territory. With Dominic West poised to play Prince Charles as time passes on The Crown, O'Connor will undoubtedly have new jobs to talk about as he moves on from the Netflix series.

Megan Behnke
Freelance TV News Writer

Passionate writer. Obsessed with anything and everything entertainment, specifically movies and television. Can get easily attached to fictional characters.