Netflix will not be adding a disclaimer to “The Crown” that states the show is fictionalized, Variety has confirmed.
Last week, U.K. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden asked that such a label be added to the show in an interview with Daily Mail, citing that he fears “a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact.”
However, Netflix disagrees, and believes that their viewers are aware of its fictionalized nature.
“We have always presented ‘The Crown’ as a drama – and we have every confidence our members understand it’s a work of fiction that’s broadly based on historical events,” a Netflix spokesperson tells Variety. “As a result we have no plans — and see no need — to add a disclaimer.”
Dowden wrote a private letter to Netflix to discuss the matter, which was not made public, and the streamer did respond, though also privately.
Season 4 of “The Crown” sees the royal family’s storyline inching closer to the present day, with Princess Diana being one of its main focuses. “The Crown” depicts her struggles with bulimia in several episodes, which are flagged with a health warning at the beginning.
Emma Corrin, who portrays Princess Diana in “The Crown,” told Variety in an interview: “Those were difficult scenes to film and I also feel like taking her to that place was a good thing. It gave me somewhere to go with her, but I was exhausted a lot those days coming off set because at the same time as you’re playing someone who’s fictionalized and obviously you’re not feeling or thinking those things, it’s your job to make yourself feel that way.”