‘The Crown’ actor too ‘hot’ to play Prince Charles?
Actor can deal with such criticism.
In an interview with Variety, actor Dominic West talked about the many ways that Season 5 of “The Crown” has stirred up controversy, including with his portrayal of King Charles III in the 1990s, when he was merely heir to the throne and tormenting Princess Diana with his indifference to her needs and his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.
West also had something to say to Variety about how people don’t so much object to his performance, but that they can’t square him with playing the bigeared and often-stiff Charles. After all, West is an actor who’s built a career on being rakishly handsome and who can legitimately play heavy-duty sex scenes in “The Wire” or “The Affair.”
To West’s fans, he’s “hot.”
And, as argued on Twitter, Charles is not.
With Variety, West acknowledged that “The Crown” “has stirred up a lot of controversy” because Queen Elizabeth II died in September. Notably, Season 5, which premiered on Nov. 9 (streaming on Netflix), portrays the queen and the monarchy as archaic, repressive and cruel to anyone — such as Diana — who possesses a free spirit or star power.
Variety writer K.J. Rosman said that the main criticism being leveled at West and Olivia Williams, who plays Camilla, is that both actors are “too hot” to play the royal couple. When asked for his response about his “hotness,” West laughed and said, “Well I think there’s something in that you know. I’ve had worse.”
On social media many of “The Crown” watchers say that Josh O’conner, who played Charles in Seasons 3 and 4, better captured Charles’ awkwardness and mannerisms.