Published On: January 8th, 2024
Elizabeth Debicki wins the Golden Globe for portraying Princess Diana in ‘The Crown’ as the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama. In what is probably the most Aussie-dominated Golden Globes ever, Elizabeth won the accolades and deservedly so.
Playing the Late Princess Diana for the series’ final two seasons was always a challenge. But her composed character portraitures in Tenet, The Night Manager (TV series), Widows, and even in Marvel’s GotGs helped her bring to life the ethereal, popular, and layered persona of Lady Diana.
Australian Elizabeth Debicki Wins the Golden Globe Playing Princess Diana
Australian Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana
Bringing British royalty to the television as a British production was difficult, although the first 2 seasons of ‘The Crown’ remain well appreciated. The essence of showing the Queen and the other royal members of the family, including their interpersonal minutiae, is an achievement for the creators.
But the challenge would always be Princess Diana, her complex relationship with Prince Charles III, the intertwining consequences to the royal family, and finally, yet most essentially, the public sentiment.
Yet, Elizabeth Debicki’s success in portraying a massively popular character such as Lady Diana is among the best in the last two seasons of the series. And that’s by popular opinion as well.
Criticism is an open world of free speech and expression. Just so, the Guardian is flamboyantly sceptical of how the character of Lady Diana put up in the series as a “virtual saint” and how Elizabeth is “trying gamely to arrest its fall.” For others like Rotten Tomatoes, Elizabeth “seems to possess a clarity of understanding about the difference between the princess’s public persona and who she was in private.”
In short, Elizabeth seemingly spares the royal blushes with her portrayal of Princess Diana for a series that, according to widespread consensus, loses the plot towards the final two seasons. While the producers struggle to turn the spotlight from the Queen to the Princess, Debicki shines from the first take and holds it together befittingly, even as Ghost Diana!
Was Elizabeth Debicki Always to Play Diana?
Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana in ‘The Crown’
While the Aussie actor paid tribute to her godmother and Ed McVey and Luther Ford, who played Prince William and Prince Harry in the series, her resemblance to Diana still captivates audiences, new and old.
The daughter of a Polish father and an Australian-Irish mother, Elizabeth was born into theatre and the arts of the Commonwealth. With both parents being professional ballet dancers, it was no wonder when Debicki won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Newcomer for her performance in The Maids.
Debuting in films with A Few Good Men, the 33-year-old was immediately impacted and cast alongside Leonardo Di Caprio in The Great Gatsby. Also cast as Kat in Tenet by Christopher Nolan, Debicki had already made a mark as a controlled, detailed character actor.
Elizabeth first auditioned for a small role in the series for season two. Instead, she was picked as the potential actor for Diana in seasons five and six, which were still four years away. Debicki has confessed to dreaming of the role before attending the auditions!
Leading the Aussie Wave in Golden Globe 2024
As expected, ‘Oppenheimer’ took home the big ones, including Best Picture, Best Director for Christopher Nolan, Best Actor for Cillian Murphy and Best Supporting Actor for Robery Downey Jr. Emma Stone won the Best Actress for Poor Things. ‘Succession’ won the Best Drama TV Series.
