THE QUEEN’S DEATH FORCES RE-WRITE OF THE CROWN’S FINAL EPISODE
In a shocking revelation, Imelda Staunton, the actress who portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in the hit series The Crown, disclosed that the last episode had to be re-written due to the Queen’s untimely demise. Speaking on BBC’s The One Show, the 68-year-old actress described the filming process as “long and sad” towards the end, emphasizing the seriousness and responsibility of her role.
Imelda revealed that when Queen Elizabeth II passed away in September 2022, the Netflix team behind the show made the decision to reflect on Her Majesty’s life by completely re-writing the final episode. She expressed the deep sadness felt by the entire cast and crew, stating, “Doing The Crown of course towards the end of the final six or eight months the Queen died. We were all really, really sad about that. That put an extra weight on it and in fact we did change the whole of the last episode to reflect that.”
The gravity of the situation had a profound impact on Imelda, who admitted that she spent a significant amount of time contemplating her own mortality. However, she found solace in the fact that portraying the Queen was a welcome distraction from these thoughts. She described it as a “wonderful” experience, especially after enduring a long and somber period.
During a recent event, Imelda shared that she had spent four years with the Queen constantly on her mind, even going as far as incorporating elements of the monarch’s wardrobe into her own. Reflecting on the immense responsibility of her role, she said, “It was quite a serious job and quite a serious responsibility carrying all that stuff. I finished doing that last May and June and shaking that off — so now I can be up and funny — it’s just taken me that time. I was doing it day in, day out. I knew in 2019 I was doing it, and I started in 2021, so it was a long time. Four years of her in my head. The work that went in, you can see it on the screen, every detail from the set to the costumes. I’m wearing one of her shirts now.”
Imelda also mentioned that she took a few days off following the Queen’s death, which occurred during the filming of the series. The impact of the loss was deeply felt by all involved, and it undoubtedly influenced the final product that viewers will soon witness.
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