“This is going to be enormous; people have no idea, like nothing we’ve ever seen,” declares an anxious Dominic West in a surprisingly beneficent portrayal of Prince Charles in the final season of Netflix’s The Crown. Charles is accurately predicting the public reaction to the death of his former wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, but he could just as well be talking about the Aussie actor who plays her, the extraordinary Elizabeth Debicki. The show’s first four episodes are dominated by her captivating performance.
For anyone who wasn’t around to be caught up in Diana’s unique blend of vulnerability, charisma, maternal warmth and manipulative girl-power, this is a chance to catch up. Through Elizabeth, viewers witness Diana’s dreamy charm lighting up the screen. It’s a fantastic piece of acting. That shy head tilt, doe eyes gazing up through her fringe, seductive plummy voice, gazelle elegance, puckish playfulness, sad search for love – OMG, Diana is back!
It’s a very strange feeling because we all
