The Crown may be one of Netflix’s most unstoppable hits, but it has its critics. Members of the Royal Family, as one can imagine, aren’t terribly keen on the show, especially as it gets closer and closer to perhaps their biggest scandal: their treatment of Princess Diana and her subsequent violent death. Then there’s Dame Judi Dench, who recently penned a blistering takedown for The Times U.K. Now the same publication is reporting an odd twist in the story.
As caught by The A.V. Club, a source tells the publication that they were a little confused about Dench’s stance, and for good reason: She had reportedly been in talks to join the cast. Dench was courted to play Queen Elizabeth II’s mother, Queen Elizabeth, in talks that “went on for a few weeks.” The insider said, “Both sides were taking it seriously.”
The role eventually went to Marcia Warren, with Dench turning it down partly because the part was too small. But she was also, as a friend of now-Queen Camilla, “concerned that taking the role could compromise her relationship with the royal family.”
Among Dench’s complaints was that the show was heavily fictionalized, which would be fine if the show had a disclaimer saying as much, which they didn’t. That has since changed, perhaps in part due to Dench’s blistering open letter, but also perhaps in part due to the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II, who is currently being played by Imelda Staunton. There’s some additional signs that the show will take a less lurid portrayal of The Firm. For one thing, they won’t actually be showing Diana’s grisly car crash death, which occurred just over a quarter century ago.
(Via The Times U.K. and The A.V. Club)