‘The Crown’ actress Erin Doherty relives her audition for ‘Princess Anne’.
From stage to screen, Erin Doherty has been a part of some truly exciting productions: The Crucible at the National Theatre, Les Misérables and Call the Midwife for the BBC, A Thousand Blows for Disney+ and many more.
In this interview, you’ll learn about:
- Erin’s extended audition process: Erin Doherty faced a lengthy casting timeline, waiting three months between her initial January audition and her April callback.
- Her thorough research: Unfamiliar with ‘Princess Anne’ at first, Doherty dedicated her waiting time to studying the royal figure.
- Erin’s vocal preparation: She spent hours walking around listening to ‘Princess Anne’ to master her unique and complex accent.
- Her ability for constant readiness: Erin’s top advice is to stay sharp so that when the phone finally rings, you are ready to “smash the audition”.
Erin’s crowning achievement has to be portraying young Princess Anne in seasons three and four of the hit, award-winning series The Crown alongside co-stars Olivia Colman, Helena Bonham Carter, Charles Dance and Tobias Menzies.
The role earned her a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2020 and a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the Critics’ Choice Awards from MyEntertainmentWorld in 2021.
We had the chance to ask Erin about how she realised her royal role. Here’s what she shared and why it’s important to make sure you’re on top of your preparations:
Hi, Erin! Can you tell us about the audition process?
Okay, so I got the call. I was doing a play at the time, and got the call from my agent, like, “They want to see you for this thing,” and I didn’t know who ‘Princess Anne’ was, so I did my research. I went in for the first meeting – that would’ve been in January – and then I got called back again in April and had to wait.
So, it was a whole process of waiting and going away and doing your research and just making sure you’re on your stuff enough that, if the phone did ring, you’re ready to go in there and smash it as much as you could.
So that was what it was. And, like I say, it was a lot of YouTube clips and walking around listening to her, because they have the most insane accent. And, yeah, it went alright!
‘The Crown’ is available to watch on Netflix and Apple TV in the UK.
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