It might seem like he was born for for the role, but Josh O’Connor very nearly turned down the opportunity to play Prince Charles on “The Crown”.
The talented actor admits he hadn’t seen the show before being called to audition, which is why he was initially reluctant.
“It’s kind of embarrassing, really,” recalled the 30-year-old while speaking to E! News at the 2021 Golden Globe Awards. “I think I was working another job and I got a phone call saying, ‘Would I want to come in and read for Charles?’ I mean, it was a terrible mistake!”
Explaining the reason why he was so hesitant, O’Connor continued, “Partly, I hadn’t seen the show and then I watched the show and realized it’s incredible and what Claire [Foy] and Matt [Smith] did in the first two series was magic.
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“I don’t know where I’d been, I don’t know how I missed this magical show. And then I fell in love with the show, so I met with the guys and they convinced me and just said, ‘This is a great part.’ And they told me the story and the journey we were going to go on and it was just a no-brainer.”
The British star has been nominated for Best Actor in a Drama Series at Sunday night’s ceremony, thanks to his part in the historical series.
O’Connor will represent “The Crown” at the socially distanced show.
“We do have a ‘Crown’ group and that’s sort of pinging away at the moment,” he said of his fellow cast members at home. “But we’re also texting each other individually.”
