Dominic West is feeling some relief now that “The Crown” is over. The actor played Prince Charles during the Netflix series’ final two seasons, which just so happened to be its most divisive among television critics. Variety called Season 5 the show’s “weakest,” while Netflix’s decision to split the sixth and final season into two parts led to a batch of strong episodes (those primarily focused on Princess Diana’s final days) and not-so-strong episodes (Variety said the show ended in “anticlimax”). While still an awards heavyweight, “The Crown” fell off its critical throne by the end of its run and it appears West took notice.
“I don’t want to make their lives any more difficult than they already are, so I suppose it does concern you,” West said on BBC’s “Today” when asked about the royal reaction to his performance. “All reactions worry me. I read all the reviews and spent two days in bed. So yes, I’m a sensitive soul, I worry about what people think.”
West is making the press rounds supporting his new U.K. stage production of Arthur Miller’s “A View from the Bridge,” and he said “it’s such a relief now to go back to theater and not have to talk about the monarchy anymore.”
“I was reluctant to take it on but you don’t turn down a Peter Morgan script very easily … He’s such a greater writer and it was such a great show,” West added on a more positive note. “I loved being on it. I loved wearing the clothes. I loved driving the cars and I loved having people bow to me. It’s an absolutely wonderful feeling. I miss it.”
Despite mixed reviews for the show at large, West earned strong notices for his portrayal of Prince Charles and was recently nominated at the Golden Globes for his performance. The show’s final season gave West some of the most dramatic scenes, including Charles telling his sons about their mother’s accident.
“When I read that Peter had written how Charles reacts to the news of Diana — when he sees her dead, he howls with grief in the Paris hospital to the point that they could hear him outside the room — I thought, ‘Oh, God, no. Oh dear.’ We don’t know, obviously, how Prince Charles reacted,” West previously told Variety. “But anyway, he obviously decided to make him very emotional, and I’m glad he did, in hindsight and having done it. I think Charles is an emotional man compared to some of his family.”
All six seasons of “The Crown” are now available to stream on Netflix.