Emma Corrin was absolutely captivating as a young Princess Diana in The Crown season 4. Emma transformed into the role of the Princess of Wales as she went from a shy preschool assistant to a global icon. Similar to Diana in the beginning, the spotlight has been on Emma (they/them) after The Crown season 4 debuted.
Like many of their co-stars, Emma earned rave reviews for their performance. They received their first Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama for their portrayal of Princess Diana. HollywoodLife has 5 key facts to know about the star on the rise.
1. The role of Princess Diana was Emma’s breakout role.
Emma had a few roles prior to The Crown, including a 4-episode arc on the EPIX series Pennyworth in 2019, but The Crown is their biggest role to date. They were a main cast member in season 4 as Princess Diana became a pivotal figure in the royal family. Emma starred alongside Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles and Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II.
Emma revealed they worked with a dialect coach to nail Diana’s voice, which was a “key part of her.” They also worked with a movement coach. “Those little details helped so much to make it less scary. It is a huge responsibility and also a huge honour,” Emma said in a statement to Netflix.
2. Emma is friends with Harry Styles.
Harry Styles even dog sat for her once. Emma revealed all during their interview on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in Nov. 2020. “I was having dinner near where he lives and he looked after Spencer for me,” Emma said. “But not again. He hasn’t done it again.…I think it’s because halfway through the meal, I got a message that just said, ‘He won’t stop farting. Is this normal?’” Harry and Emma starred in the romantic drama My Policeman together.
3. Emma made their film debut in 2020.
They starred in the movie Misbehaviour, a historical drama that follows a group of women from the Women’s Liberation Movement seeking to disrupt the 1970 Miss World beauty competition. Emma starred alongside Keira Knightley, Keeley Hawes, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
4. Emma was working in retail before their big break.
In 2018, Emma was packing boxes of underwear at a retail startup in London when they learned about their first major TV audition for a role in Pennyworth, according to The Hollywood Reporter. They rushed to the audition after nabbing some ’60s-era clothes and booked the role of Esme Winikus in the Batman prequel series. The next year, they landed the role of Princess Diana.
5. Emma isn’t the only actor to play Diana in The Crown.
Emma played the young Princess Diana from 1979 to 1990. The Crown season 5 moved into the 1990s, which were the final years of Diana’s life. Elizabeth Debicki is playing Princess Diana for seasons 5 and 6 of The Crown. Diana tragically died in a car accident in 1997, so the Netflix series will likely cover her death and the impact it had on the world.