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Thefirst four episodes ofThe Crowns final seasonmay as well be called The Di Summer Collection.
(They also return as ghostsfor some reason.)
You have to make it your own.
For Dianas scenes, it was so chaotic to shoot.
Then, with Camilla, you have those nice crane shots and everything is smooth.
For me, that says it all.
We knew it would be very sparse when you see her with the kids.
We needed to put as much of that love out there as possible.
This maternal behavior gave the iconic leopard swimsuit a deeper meaning.
She was giving them what they needed to make it be left in peace.
And she said, Do you think its right?
Im not sure about that.
I responded, Theres something incredibly attractive and yet dangerous in the way that youre given all that attention.
You think to yourself,Oh, they might be friends.
The negotiation paid off, Gabassi says.
She gave something, and they got something.
The conversation was always about how much Diana knew how to play the paparazzi.
While Gabassi was consumed with the paparazzis motives, Harvey was tasked with their equipment.
(A quick scan of the scene estimates more than two dozen wouldve been required.)
For cost reasons, Harvey decided to make them as props.
It was more prosaic, she admits, but it had to be done that way.
Costume designer Sid Roberts had a bit more fun re-creating Dianas leopard look.
The swimsuit is the new ball gown, she says.
Its leopard print leans into Dianas animalistic strengths.
It plays up to a safari, Roberts explains.
I put her in the bedroom, waking up and coming out of bed.
Shes in her nightgown and shes being embraced by Charles.
Shes part of that household.
(Theres no record of her being in attendance at the time.)
It echoes what shes suffered and she could never achieve with true love.
It was important for the audience to understand that this is a very steady relationship, Gabassi says.
They talk about something that really matters for Diana, which is the landmine charity.
It was our time to play.
I closed my eyes and thought,What do you remember about that swimsuit?
Whats the essence?Its a pink hue and theres a real vibrancy, she says.
This is her second holiday with Dodi, so theyre flirting.
There has to be a kind of sexiness to all the stuff she wears.
WhileThe Crownshows him being hired by Mohamed al-Fayed, Brenna claims he fortuitously encountered the yacht while on vacation.
I hope viewers get a sense that a photo can destroy a persons life, Schwochow says.
We feel that Diana is incredibly restless, he explains.
Theres happiness, but theres also quite a messiness in her life.
We used this moment to create this forlornness and melancholy.
Schwochow worked with Debicki for several hours to find different physical positions to best match the scene.
Theres no magic trick to re-creating it its just the actress and me, he says.
The first shot on the boat behind her with the camera took an hour.
It takes a lot of time to find the perfect position off the boat to have the best sunlight.
I love the trajectory of those three silhouettes because its like the chrysalis of a butterfly, she says.
However, she also had to consider Debickis tall frame.
Its vulnerable for an actor to go out on a diving board in just a swimsuit, she adds.
The 90s was very unforgiving in how high it was cut on the thigh and the hip.
A lot of that for us was working out where Elizabeth would be comfortable.
Whats interesting about the footage is you could see that they were laughing together.
We saw Dodi gently touching her back and giving her comfort, Schwochow notes.
We felt like theyre very much at ease and she feels very comfortable in his presence.
Thats why we improvised on that night.
Where have we ended up being together?
One thing that would never be shown, however, was the crash itself.
That was a very early conversation we all had, to always be as respectful as possible.
There was never a moment of the crash in the script.
It wasnt up for discussion.
We also decided very early that we didnt want to see the wreckage of the car.
Showing Dianas dead body, either in the tunnel or at the hospital, was promptly rejected.
The Crowntreats the royal family always with a lot of respect.
We kept buying flowers, she recounts.
When Diana died, I was actually there doing a job outside of Buckingham Palace.
The flowers were really, really staggering, and trying to re-create that would be impossible.
Everyone was running around buying more and more flowers.
Harvey lost count of the final number.
William and Harry, in particular, had trouble covering the emotions theyd been trained to hide.
Dont listen to the onlookers crying.
Dont listen to what they say.
Thats the subtext: Focus on the job because what we do here is part of our roles.
