Season four ofThe Crownbegins streaming November 15 on Netflix.
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She bought binders and notebooks and pens.
She cued up a list of documentaries and lined up stacks of biographies.
She made folders of archival photos.
She listened to recordings of Dianas voice over and over again.
None of it felt all that useful.
Here, she and her collaborators explain the details that made Diana click into place.
This swiftly became the center of how Corrin conceived of her.
Its the kind of interior understanding that radiates outward into a physical portrayal.
I did something with my hands in a lot of scenes, Corrin says.
She will rub them together when shes anxious, when shes cross, when shes emotional.
Its something that gave her some distance from the world, Corrin says.
Its a protective thing.
The way Diana looks out from under her hair is also playful, though.
Its both a barrier and an invitation.
Its,Look at me; dont look at me, Corrin says.
Its almost doll-like, kind of puppy dog, says Cate Hall,The Crowns hair and makeup designer.
It gets a bit naughty after a while.
That detail kind of seems insane, but once you get there, its like,Aha!
Her Catlike Spirit
Corrin needed to master a number of skills for the part.
She learned to roller-skate, which issohard, by the way, she says.
(Photos of Diana on Rollerblades ran inNews of the Worldwith the headline Princess of Wheels.)
Throughout the movement coaching for her role, Corrin came to think of Diana as a cat.
Polly [Bennett, her coach] said, What animal are you?
I said, Well, obviously like a deer caught in headlights?
And Polly was like, I dont think so.
So I went away and thought about it.
Where I was living, there was a backyard, and we had a lot of neighbors with cats.
They have this amazing way of drawing you in but never giving too much away.
Diana had that complete effect on people.
She had a wicked sense of humor, says Corrin.
Still, I cant believe thats the first thing anyones going to see me in.
The most hyped series, and they see me as a tree.
