What Josh O'Connor Thinks Prince Charles Will Be Like As King Of England
Although Josh O'Connor got introduced to fans through roles in productions like "Emma" and "God's Own Country," the English actor's portrayal of Prince Charles during Seasons 3 and 4 of Netflix's "The Crown" have set him on the path to stardom. O'Connor won an Emmy at the September award show for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, solidifying his rise to the top. This year, he also took home a trophy from the Golden Globes as the best overall actor in any television series, competing against heavy-hitters like Bob Odenkirk and Jason Bateman.
During O'Connor's seasons playing Charles on "The Crown," the actor taps into Charles' unstable relationship with the late Princess Diana, who is played by Emma Corrin. With Season 5 approaching and a new cast for "The Crown" being introduced, viewers won't be seeing O'Connor on the show going forward.
However, his departure hasn't stopped the actor from speculating about the royalty he portrays. Here is what Josh O'Connor thinks Prince Charles will be like as the King of England.
Josh O'Connor says Prince Charles isn't the stereotypical man
Josh O'Connor shared his personal thoughts in a February Los Angeles Times interview about what his real-life counterpart could be like as the future King of England. Specifically, O'Connor shared the analysis he did about how Charles fits or doesn't fit into traditional gender roles, which is something that helped prepare him for the Emmy-winning part.
"Generally, in my career, I'm constantly fascinated by masculinity and the fragility of masculinity," O'Connor said. "The ultimate masculine power/status model is the idea of the monarch, the king. The king of England, in historical times, is a man of power and strength and stability and duty. And my initial thing with this character was I thought: I don't think he is that. I think he's softer around the edges; there's a kind of an empathy about him. He wants love, he wants to give love and receive love, and I think that what was really interesting to me was playing those antitheses off of each other."
While some some experts have their doubts about Charles becoming king, it seems like O'Connor thinks he will simply be a different type of king: one who is more in touch with his emotions than your stereotypical ruler.
Josh O'Connor delved into Prince Charles' marriage to Princess Diana
Even with Josh O'Connor's careful thought process about Prince Charles' personality and how it would apply to him as England's king, the actor also dived deeply into the marriage between Charles and Diana to prepare for his role in "The Crown." Continuing on in his interview with the Los Angeles Times, the actor stated that Season 4 revolved around highlighting that the couple had both love and struggle in their relationship.
"Last season, my biggest philosophical battle was this idea that he was a man who was waiting for his mother to die for his life to take meaning, and that to me felt profound and challenging and interesting," he said. "I think this season, it was to do with marriage, how difficult marriage is. ... I was really keen that we found moments of real love between Diana and Charles. And so for me the tragedy of a failed marriage was the big crux this [season]," he explained.
At this point, it seems like O'Connor can add the title of "Prince Charles Expert" to his resume!