The Prince Charles actor explained how he would consistently study the King to get more insights on the character.
Dominic West has revealed that contemporary events surrounding the royal family have a “massive” impact on The Crown.
The actor – who plays Prince Charles in the royal drama – exclusively told RadioTimes.com that events such as the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the ongoing situation regarding Prince Harry stepping back from his royal duties affected the way he and his fellow cast members approached their characters.
“During the show, Queen Elizabeth died, and Prince Harry’s whole drama blew up, and it hugely affects what you’re thinking,” he explained.
“You’ve scrutinised and studied these people for months, and I’ve never been on a job where the news affects how you feel about your character every day, almost. And it still does.”
He added that he had recently seen King Charles speaking Korean for the first time – which he described as “absolutely wonderful” – and said he was constantly discovering new things which gave him a better handle on the character.
“The role was manna from heaven for an actor,” he said. “There’s so much material there. And when he became king and there was the pen incident and all these little unguarded moments, they’re absolutely what you live for as an actor, especially an actor playing someone who’s not often unguarded.”
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He continued: “And trying to understand his voice. That wasn’t the voice that he used to give a public speech. What’s his voice like in private? And what are his tics like in private? Do they disappear?
“So anything that gives you a clue as to who he is, that is really useful, and I became totally addicted to new stories about him.”
The second half of the show’s final run began streaming on Netflix today (Thursday 14th December), bringing the drama to an end after six seasons covering Queen Elizabeth II’s reign over many decades.
In our four-star review of the last stretch, we said: “It may not be the series at its best, but this final batch of episodes succeeds by taking things back to basics.”
The Crown season 6 is available to stream in full on Netflix now. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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