Helena Bonham Carter Says ‘The Crown’ Has ‘Moral Responsibility’ to Label Itself a Drama
“The Crown” has a “moral responsibility” to make it clear to viewers that the Netflix British royal family drama is in fact “a drama” and not a documentary, according to star Helena Bonham Carter.
Bonham Carter, who plays Princess Margaret on Seasons 3 and 4 of the Peter Morgan-created show, said during an interview with “The Crown: The Official Podcast” Monday that, “It is dramatized. I do feel very strongly, because I think we have a moral responsibility to say, ‘Hang on guys, this is not– it’s not a drama-doc, we’re making a drama. And they are two different entities.'”
The actress, who is exiting the show along with Olivia Colman, Tobias Menzies and the rest of the Seasons 3 and 4 cast members that have been replaced because their characters are aging up again for the show’s final two seasons, made her feelings on the matter known while discussing Episode 7 of the recently launched fourth season, which focuses on Margaret’s attempt to find out about some members of the British royal family who had been hidden away due to their mental illness.
*Also Read:* British Culture Minister Wants Netflix's 'The Crown' to Add Fiction Disclaimer
“I don’t know what happened in the real version, but in our version, we’re talking about a time when rules were rules and that’s what defines a monarchy,” Bonham Carter said. “And Margaret herself, as somebody who was a protocol obsessive, like, no, this is the way it’s done… It’s almost like without those rules, any hierarchy will just crumble, the monarchy would crumble. So if you take away those rules or you start making allowances, then they start becoming wobbly and then suddenly you’re just left with nothing, the castle falls.”
Over the weekend, Britain’s culture minister said he wants a clear warning label that “The Crown,” which has now reached the British royal family’s Princess Diana-era, a tumultuous time that many viewers of the Netflix drama remember playing out in the news in real-life, is fiction.
“It’s a beautifully produced work of fiction. So as with other TV productions, Netflix should be very clear at the beginning it is just that,” Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said in a story published by U.K. newspaper the Mail on Sunday. “Without this, I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact.”
*Also Read:* 'The Crown': Emma Corrin on 'Harrowing' Scenes That Do 'Justice' to Princess Diana's Bulimia Battle
Dowden told the paper he plans to write to Netflix this week regarding the addition of a fiction label.
A spokesperson for Netflix did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment on Dowden or Bonham Carter’s remarks.
*Related stories from TheWrap:*
British Culture Minister Wants Netflix's 'The Crown' to Add Fiction Disclaimer
'The Crown': Emma Corrin on 'Harrowing' Scenes That Do 'Justice' to Princess Diana's Bulimia Battle
'The Crown' Stars Josh O'Connor and Emma Corrin Struggled 'Not to Play the Ending' With Charles and Diana
