Elizabeth Debicki on Filming ‘The Crown’ Closure Scene With Dominic West After Princess Diana’s Death: “It Absolutely Destroyed Me”

(This story contains spoilers from the first four episodes of season six of The crown.)

A question that has stuck The Crown since introducing Princess Diana in season four is how the fictional drama will deal with the real-life death of the Princess of Wales in 1997. The storyline comes to a head in part one of the series’ sixth and final season, now available. streaming on Netflix, in which Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki) and Dodi Al-Fayed (Khalid Abdalla) explore the beginning of a relationship.

Over the course of four episodes, the audience sees how not only the couple’s lives, but also their budding romance was ripped away from them in its infancy, smothered by the media and Dodi’s father, Mohamed Al-Fayed’s (Salim Daw), own selfish desires for his son. and his business empire.

“It was really important for us to create that feeling for the audience, so that when they enter this pressure cooker of turmoil, you know that they had this time together and that they understand each other and care for each other,” says Debicki. The Hollywood Reporter in the conversation below.

Describing the fatal crash that occurred in Paris on the night of August 31, 1997, the actors recreate the real-life events that followed, from Prince Charles (Dominic West) flying to France to identify Diana’s body to Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda). Staunton) who struggles with the decision to mourn publicly with the citizens of London. The show’s creators also took extra creative liberties to give members of the royal family closure about their personal relationships with the princess.

One such moment comes in the form of a conversation between Diana and Charles at his private charter home after identifying her body in episode four, “Aftermath.” In the scene, Diana says to Charles, “You know I loved you so much, so deeply. But also so painful. It’s over now. Be easier on everyone now that I’m gone.”

“In this imaginary incarnation, they can say what they may have never been able to say, and I think that’s very real and accurate when you’re grieving someone,” Debicki explains. “Having the opportunity as a character to say the thing that I think I probably wanted to say for two seasons within that character absolutely destroyed me, but in the best way.”

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In episode one of the final season, “Persona No Grata,” we see Diana so full of light, which is in stark contrast to the inner and outer torment we saw her struggle with in previous seasons. What was it like for you to show this other side of her?

It was truly a pleasure. It was so important for me to paint with that color. I really felt like there were moments in the season before where I was really reaching for that, because we saw her so isolated and in so much turmoil and very sad. And so when I opened the script for the first episode, I thought, “Oh, this is so good.” Also, I knew from my research that the reason they are on holiday is because she is a mother thinking, “Are we going to keep the kids here in rainy London or are we going to try to have fun?” And it’s hard when your kids are teenagers. It’s like: what’s fun for them now? What do they need? What do you want to do? I just love the reality of it, and it was so important to me to show those really, really real moments of how happy she was just to be with the kids. For me it was like no acting was necessary. I love the actors who play the children. We laughed all the time. They are funny and beautiful and really support me. They are just magic.

We also get to see the breadth of Diana and Dodi’s relationship in the first three episodes. What was your conclusion about their time together?

Khalid, who is just the most beautiful actor and the most beautiful person to work with, and I was very curious to get into it. We had a few conversations and I remember thinking that we would trust each other to figure out what it is at the time we do it. And what we discovered almost immediately was that there was a very easy chemistry between us. We really liked being close to each other. He is one of those people who make me feel calmer. And I remember thinking, maybe that’s what it was; perhaps Diana felt calmer with Dodi. He was fun and very spontaneous. He loved being with children. He was great with children. He had a kind of silliness and sense of joy about him. And so we just let all these things that we found in each other as actors be part of their relationship.

There was also a real sense of someone who would listen to you and that felt to me absolutely crucial to the character at that point in her life. Someone who will sit down and listen – and not only listen, but who might also ask you first how you feel, what you need. And that feeling of being seen was a huge relief for me, within the character. There were days when we were on that boat with these long, multi-page scenes and it felt like, “Oh my God, how are we going to get through this?” And honestly, when I worked with Khalid, it was like the camera would roll and we’d just talk, and then the camera would close the scene and I’d be like, ‘Oh, we did another one. How many have we done?” And someone would say, “We did 50 takes.” And I’m like, “Really, 50 takes?” So that feeling of support and being seen was key. And it was really important for us to create that feeling in the audience as well, so that when they enter this pressure cooker of turmoil, you know clearly that they’ve had this time together and that they understand each other and care for each other.

In the final episode of part one, ‘The Aftermath’, Diana appears to Charles after her death and they have a final conversation about their relationship. Can you talk about filming that scene with Dominic West?

That scene was truly devastating and very beautiful. Dom and I were very curious when we went there. I don’t think we knew how to play it, and I don’t think we actually rehearsed it. So what people see is very raw; it’s the first or second take for both of us. It’s a kind of meta-conversation about grief. And to me it felt so real, the idea that if you suddenly lose someone you love, you have to talk to them again. And also in this imaginary incarnation they can say what they may never have been able to say. I think that’s very real and accurate when you’re grieving someone.

And being able to say as a character what I think I probably wanted to say within that character for two seasons absolutely destroyed me, but in the best way. But of course what you don’t see is that we would be doing the recording and then someone would cut, and then we would both whimper and it would be a horrible, painful kind of scream. And then we cleaned it all up and did another take. I think we shot it for about an hour and by the end we were on the table. We were so tired. But I’m really proud of that scene. I feel like it’s very honest and I just think Dom’s work throughout the season, but especially in that episode, is just amazingly beautiful.

The Crown releases part 2 of season six on Netflix on December 14.