What Elizabeth Debicki Was Doing Before Playing Princess Diana In The Crown

"The Crown" Season 5 dropped on Netflix on November 9, 2022, and the verdict is in regarding Elizabeth Debicki's depiction of Diana, Princess of Wales. "She is winning raves for her portrayal," CNN wrote. "It was unnerving. It was like being with a ghost," Andrew Morton told the Daily Beast. Debicki replaced Emma Corrin for the penultimate installment, which focuses heavily on the turmoil and tragic circumstances leading up to Diana's final days.

There are Morton's "unauthorized" biography revelations that Diana felt neglected, abandoned, suicidal, and struggled with an eating disorder. The cringe-fest "Camilla-gate" call, and Diana's controversial and explosive BBC interview, where she claimed, "There were three of us in this marriage." The bitter divorce battle between King Charles III and Diana also plays out during the season.

Season 5 came under fire for airing so soon after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Per the Daily Mail, it's also been attacked for its "artistic license." King Charles, played by Dominic West, is portrayed as privileged, entitled, cold, dismissive, and self-centered, while Diana is shown as unstable, lonely, and desperately unhappy. Debicki's depiction of the late princess during the most turbulent and traumatic period of her life is uncannily realistic — it's clear she was born to play the role. Still, she has a history of other roles in her repertoire, as Elizabeth Debicki appeared in multiple projects before playing Princess Diana in "The Crown." 

Elizabeth Debicki appeared in numerous plays, movies, and shows prior to "The Crown." She'd initially planned to become a ballet dancer, but was forced to turn to acting instead. "I was taller than my teachers when I was 12, and I remember the lightbulb moment: This isn't going to work," Debicki told Allure in 2015.

Debicki was fresh out of college when Baz Luhrmann cast her in his 2013 smash hit, "The Great Gatsby," as Jordan Baker. IndieWire ranked Debicki's portrayal of the loose-lipped, golfing socialite as No. 32 in its "50 Best Movie Performances of the Decade," but she played down the fanfare."I was such a baby when I made that movie," she told The Guardian in 2020. "I had just finished acting school, I only had the knowledge you get from your life, your own soul, and reading a lot," she admitted.

However, from then on, the only way was up. Debicki starred in "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," the "Scottish play," aka "Macbeth," and "Everest," all in the same year. The casting streak led to her being honored as the "breakthrough talent of 2015" at the Australians in Film awards. "Elizabeth Debicki has catapulted onto the world screen with stand-out performances over the past couple of years," the organization's president said, adding they were "thrilled to be honoring her." Meanwhile, she was only just getting started.

By 2016, Elizabeth Debicki was a bonafide star. First, she appeared in the critically acclaimed British mini-series "The Night Manager." The Guardian raved about the 6'3" actor's performance, claiming "she stole the show." Next up was the Australian dark thriller, "The Kettering Incident," followed by the mega-bucks role of Ayesha in "Guardians of the Galaxy 2." Debicki admitted to Collider that she'd been "excited" to play the golden villian.

"I think with Ayesha, how I feel about her as an actress, is that it feels like the tip of the iceberg of where that character can go in terms of her emotional journey," she shared. Debicki got her chance to find out. Variety reports that she will reprise her role as Ayesha in the final "Guardians of the Galaxy" installment, which will be released in May. Meanwhile, Debicki still has her work cut out filming Season 6 of "The Crown."

Despite being French-born and growing up in Australia, Debicki nailed Diana's clipped British accent, distinct mannerisms, and shy upwards glance. She told Netflix that the show's movement and dialect coaches worked closely with the cast to develop the "physicality of the characters." Debicki admitted that she became so absorbed in the role, that she channeled Diana even when she wasn't acting. "On set, someone went, 'God, you're so like her!' I went, 'I'm not even doing it anymore.' Where is the line? I've lost the line," she admitted to The Guardian.

Elizabeth Debicki is thrilled to be returning for sixth installment of "The Crown," which will be the final season of the series. "Princess Diana's spirit, her words, and her actions live in the hearts of so many," she told Vogue. "It is my true privilege and honor." Meanwhile, several public figures have slammed Season 5. "[The show's narrative] should be seen as nothing other than damaging and malicious fiction. A barrel-load of nonsense peddled for no other reason than to provide maximum — and entirely false — dramatic impact," a spokesperson for John Major insisted in a statement (via The Guardian).

"The closer the drama comes to our present times, the more freely art seems willing to blur the lines between historical accuracy and crude sensationalism," Dame Judi Dench wrote in The Times, calling the show "crude and cruel." Well, brace yourselves! Season 6 will be an even bumpier ride as it chronicles Diana, Princess of Wales' death and the explosive aftermath — which nearly spelled the end of the British monarchy.

Along with Debicki, the rest of the Season 5 cast will be returning for the final installment, with the exception of the young Prince William, who's being replaced by two new actors. According to Deadline, Rufus Kampa will play the teenage William, while Ed McVey will portray his early adult life. And there's another new addition to the cast, too. Meg Bellamy will play William's future-wife-to-be, Kate Middleton.