'Terrifying': Emma Corrin on playing Princess Diana in 'The Crown'

The 25-year-old actress recalled the pressure she felt when she landed the role. Photo / Netflix

Emma Corrin says playing Princess Diana in The Crown was "terrifying".

The 25-year-old starred as the late Princess of Wales in the hit Netflix series, and has recalled the pressure she felt when she landed the role.

Speaking to Rege-Jean Page during Variety magazine's Actors on Actors series, she said: "I remember when I got the part, I did feel that insane sense of responsibility. Playing Diana as well, it's kind of terrifying."

Emma went on to praise the show for allowing her time to prepare for the important role. She says initially she wasn't meant to play the part, and was only hired to help other actresses with their auditions.

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She added: "It was a mental process, but I'll try to keep it short. I was sort of working, jobbing, trying to earn money in London and manically running around auditioning for anything that I could.

"I got asked by Nina Gold and Rob Sterne, who cast The Crown, to come in and help for some of the chemistry reads they were doing between Camillas, who they were auditioning.
"So I was like, 'OK,' - it wasn't an audition, I was being paid to be there and I wasn't going to be on camera."

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To which Rege-Jean responded: "You got a call from the casting director to come in and be a reader, essentially, boom! Emma's got Diana energy."

Meanwhile, Emma recently admitted she hopes the princess - who died in a car crash in 1997 - would be "proud" of her performance on the show.

She said: "Everyone has this ownership. [Public expectation has been] overwhelming since the beginning."

Explaining she wants to do Diana proud, she added: "I know that's strange and cheesy, but I feel like I know her."