The Crown star Josh O’Connor says he has ‘no interest’ in the royals and didn’t watch Harry and Meghan’s Oprah interview – as he confirms Dominic West will succeed him as Charles
- English actor, 30, says he ‘doesn’t feel bad’ about not watching Oprah interview
- O’Connor admits he has a ‘fondness’ for Prince Charles but little interest in royals
- Says he’d ‘laugh off’ Dominic West if he asked him for advice for playing Charles
The Crown star Josh O’Connor has admitted he still has ‘very little interest’ in the Royal Family despite playing Prince Charles for two seasons of the Netflix hit.
The English actor, 30, admitted he ‘definitely didn’t’ watch Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey and ‘doesn’t feel bad about it’.
Speaking to GQ, he added that he has a ‘great fondness’ for the Prince of Wales as a person because of all the research he did ahead of playing the part.
‘I think I find it really hard pinning the real Royal Family to The Crown. They feel so far removed,’ O’Connor told the publication. ‘And basically, I had no interest in the Royal Family before I did The Crown. And I have very little interest now!’
The Crown star Josh O’Connor has admitted he still has ‘very little interest’ in the Royal Family despite playing Prince Charles for two seasons of the Netflix hit
O’Connor, who won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Charles, also appeared to confirm his successor is The Affair star Dominic West – and joked he’d ‘laugh him off’ if the 51-year-old approached him for advice.
He added that while he’s said in the past it’s ‘brilliant’ he doesn’t have to play the future king anymore, that doesn’t mean he didn’t enjoy it.
‘I absolutely loved it. But the reason I wanted to be an actor is to play different people,’ he told GQ.
‘Playing that character has brought me a lot of joy. But it’s lovely to come away and go, “Great. Now hand it over to Dominic West” … But if Dominic West came to me asking me for advice, I’d laugh him off. I’d be like, “Dom! You’re Dominic West!”‘
O’Connor, who won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Charles, also appeared to confirm his successor is The Affair star Dominic West – and joked he’d ‘laugh him off’ if the 51-year-old approached him for advice
The English actor, 30, admitted he ‘definitely didn’t’ watch Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey and ‘doesn’t feel bad about it’
Earlier this month it was announced West has been cast as lothario Dudley Wrangel Clarke – a World War II spy known to be surrounded by women who were referred to as ‘Dudley’s Duchesses’ – in the new BBC One drama SAS: Rogue Heroes.
In October last year, married West was seen sharing a scooter ride and caught kissing actress Lily James, 31, during a trip to Rome.
A source told The Sun of Dominic’s casting: ‘Viewers would be forgiven for thinking Dominic was getting typecast in roles on the back of what’s happening in his private life. Signing up for Rogue Heroes comes after he was asked to play love cheat Prince Charles in Netflix blockbuster The Crown.’
Filming for series five of The Crown is set to commence this summer, with Imelda Staunton taking over from Olivia Colman as the Queen. Speaking about the scripts, the shows production designer Martin Childs gave little away other than to say they are ‘really good’ and ‘juicy’.
Royal correspondent Michael Cole predicted the series, which is expected to cover Diana’s relationship with Dodi Fayed and her death in August 1997, will contain plenty of ‘dramatic material and startling revelations’. The show has already faced widespread criticism over its ‘twisted’ depiction of the Firm, which portrays Charles as callous and self-serving and his mother the Queen as cold.
Earlier this month it was announced West has been cast as lothario Dudley Wrangel Clarke – a World War II spy known to be surrounded by women who were referred to as ‘Dudley’s Duchesses’ – in the new BBC One drama SAS: Rogue Heroes
In his GQ interview O’Connor revealed he’s yet to receive the Golden Globe he won for Best Actor in a Drama TV Series in the post, and is hoping it doesn’t end up being delivered to another flat because he’s about to go away for work.
Read the full Josh O’Connor feature online at GQ Hype now
The actor, who will star alongside Jessie Buckley in an upcoming film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, spoke about his concerns about the impact of the global pandemic on mental health.
O’Connor, who actively campaigns for the charity Mind, said he has been ‘concerned’ for his own mental health as well as the nation’s and fears Covid is pulling people further and further apart due to our increasing reliance on technology to communicate.
Speaking about filming Romeo and Juliet during the pandemic, he told how the cast would be tested for Covid twice a week and had a three hour ‘intimacy window’ when they received their results, during which they were able to film kissing scenes.
He added that rehearsing was challenging, with Buckley – whom O’Connor has known for nearly 10 years – often replaced by stand-ins and, at times, a pillow.
Romeo & Juliet airs on Sky Arts at 9pm on Sunday 4 April.
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