Emma Corrin was absolutely captivating as a young Princess Diana in The Crown season 4—she truly transformed into the role of the Princess of Wales so effortlessly, capturing hearts of thousands of viewers and movie critics until she won her first ever Golden Globes for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series.
As Emma Corrin’s name rose to fame on Hollywood’s silver screen, here’s 5 key facts to know about the breakout star.
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 her biggest role to date. She was a main cast member in season 4 as Princess Diana becomes a pivotal figure in the royal family.
Emma revealed she worked with a dialect coach to nail Diana’s voice, which was a “key part of her.” She 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. She’s BFF with Harry Styles
They’re so close that Harry Styles even dogsat for her once. Emma revealed all during her 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 are set to star in the upcoming romantic drama My Policeman together.
3. Emma made her film debut in 2020.
She 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 her first big audition.
In 2018, Emma was packing boxes of underwear at a retail startup in London when she learned about her first major TV audition for a role in Pennyworth, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She 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, she landed the role of Princess Diana.
5. She won’t be the only actress playing Diana in ‘The Crown.’
Emma played the young Princess Diana from 1979 to 1990. The Crown season 5 will be moving into the 1990s, which were the final years of Diana’s life. Elizabeth Debicki has been cast as 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.