“The Crown” back on Netflix: why Dominic West had a hard time playing Charles

Solène Delinger 11:57 a.m., November 09, 2022, modified at 11:59 a.m., November 09, 2022

The ten episodes of the fifth and new season of

the series on the British royal family, are finally available on Netflix.

After being played by British actor Josh O'Connor, 32, Prince Charles is this time played by Dominic West, 53.

The British actor, seen in the series

and

thus had to slip into the skin of an older and tormented Charles, because he was faced with many crises. 

The fifth season of The Crown is set during the 1990s, a scorching decade for the Windsors

The plot of the fifth season of

 takes place in fact during the 1990s, a particularly dark decade for the Windsors, marked by the marital troubles of Charles and Diana, the extra-marital relationship of the son of Elizabeth II with Camilla Parker-Bowles, and the tragic disappearance of Lady Di in a car accident in Paris.

Embodying Prince Charles was therefore a high-risk mission for Dominic West.

In an interview with

on November 6, the British actor says he had trouble putting himself in the shoes of the future sovereign. 

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Dominic West felt like an 'impostor'

"The first time I found myself in front of a camera playing Prince Charles was one of the worst days of my life," he reveals.

"It was for a test several months before filming, opposite Elizabeth Debicki who already perfectly embodied Princess Diana. I arrived on set, dressed and with my hair like Charles and I heard a voice in my head screaming at me: ' Who do you think you are? Imposter!'.

Dominic West ultimately learned a lot playing the future King of England.

"I had never really thought about his relationship with Camilla. In episode 5, there is the famous tampon scene. When this affair broke out, I remember something sordid. While playing this sequence, I I actually realized that she meant something very beautiful between them." 

As the fifth season of

is accused of distorting reality by tackling ultra-sensitive subjects, Dominic West has called on the public not to judge Charles harshly.

The season "covers a period when the press was against him. He was divorcing, and there are always two sides to a divorce," the actor explained to the press at the show's London premiere on Tuesday. November 8.

"I hope there's some perspective now. I love the person, and in that case inevitably we get on their side and give them the benefit of the doubt and I hope the public will do the same." , he concluded.