Jared Harris has insisted the royal family should be “delighted” with their portrayal in ‘The Crown’.
The 62-year-old actor played Queen Elizabeth II’s father King George VI in the first two seasons of the hit Netflix TV show and he’s adamant the royals shouldn’t be angry about the way they are being shown on screen because the series is “humanising them” by telling their story.
During an appearance on the BBC’s Today program, he explained: “There’s always a question of whether you should be doing this or telling this tale or whether it is in some way disrespectful and my opinion is that I think the royal family would be delighted because it is humanising them.”
He added of the show’s beginnings: “There was a lot of a scrutiny back then about royal watchers and so on. Everyone knew there would be a tremendous amount of interest [when it started]. Vogue did a photo spread and whenever fashion mags are interested in your show you know it’s going to elevate to a different level.”
‘The Crown’ is currently airing its sixth and final season on Netflix showing the death of Diana, Princess of Wales and the aftermath of the tragedy.
Harris – who was nominated for a BAFTA for his work on the show – previously revealed he almost missed out on the opportunity to take a leading role in the series because creator Peter Morgan considered leaving out the character of King George VI.
Speaking during an appearance on TV show ‘Sunday Brunch, Harris explained: “In the original script, he wasn’t in it, at all. I think some friend of Peter Morgan’s said you have to start with the father, you have to start with that story …
“It was a great opportunity. There’s something about that character that’s incredibly empathetic. A lot of people have done very well with it. I don’t know what it is.”
He added of the modern day royals: “The idea that they’re this very removed family, I think this [‘The Crown’] has done a lot to get people to understand them and empathise with them and what their predicament is.”