Crown star says playing John Major changed his view of him

JONNY LEE MILLER may not have been the most obvious choice to play former prime minister Sir John Major in The Crown.

The Trainspotting star, who was once married to Angelina Jolie, was raised by socialist parents and has described himself as “pretty leftie”.

But he has revealed that being cast as the former Tory leader in the Netflix drama had “100 per cent” changed his perspective on the politician. “I was raised in a very, very socialist household, but the more I read about Sir John, the more I liked him,” he said.

“He’s one of the most misunderstood politicians ever: he was very magnetic and had a great sense of humour.”

Miller told The Observer: “That’s actually how Peter Morgan [the creator of The Crown] described him to me. He said: ‘He’s George f------ Clooney!’ Oh right, what am I doing here then?”

The actor won plaudits for his portrayal of Sir John as he skilfully navigated the fallout from the breakdown of the marriage between Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, acting as something of an intermediary.

He has previously described how he discovered that he and Sir John had many similarities. They were both raised in south-west London and went to state grammar schools.

“I had all these things in common, and then the more you learn about the work that he did – my respect for him grew massively,” he has said.

In the penultimate series, broadcast in late 2022, Prince Charles, played by Dominic West, is shown agitating for modernisation and trying to recruit Sir John to his cause, insisting that the monarchy is in need of a revamp.

He summons the Prime Minister to a secret meeting at Highgrove in 1991, hinting that he could replace his mother just as the Conservative party had ousted Margaret Thatcher. “What makes the Conservative party successful? Its instinct for renewal and its willingness to make way for someone younger,” he says.

Sir John described the plotlines as “malicious nonsense”, adding that “utterly untrue” storylines presented as fact so soon after the death of Elizabeth II would be devastating for the Royal family. In a letter to The Telegraph he said that scenes “will be profoundly hurtful to a family who are grieving”.

‘He’s one of the most misunderstood politicians: he was magnetic and had a great sense of humour’