'The Crown's Josh O'Connor on How He 'Easily' Put Prince Charles Role Behind Him (Exclusive)
Josh O'Connor dug deep into research to play Prince Charles on The Crown, but stepping out of character came "easily." While speaking with ET's Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner on the red carpet at Sunday's Emmy Awards, O'Connor opened up about saying goodbye to the character.
"It happened quite easily, there was a whole global pandemic," he said, matter-of-factly.
O'Connor played the role of Charles for two seasons, which was a "long time" in his book. "I loved it," he said. "My back was aching [because I slouched for the part]."
"I had the time of my life making it. It was, like, two of the most special years," O'Connor shared.
The role of Charles on the Netflix drama will next be played by Dominic West, who needs no advice from O'Connor, the 31-year-old actor insisted.
"Dominic needs no tips from me. He's the greatest of the great," he raved.
Fans all know where the show will go next, but news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle watch The Crown was surprising to O'Connor.
"That's great, I love that. Any audience for The Crown is great. ... It's one of those shows that touched a lot of people," he expressed, joking that the entire royal family must all be "big fans" of the series.
The Crown is up for many awards at Sunday's show, including Outstanding Drama Series. Olivia Colman and Emma Corrin are also nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, while O'Connor is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Tobias Menzies is nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Gillian Anderson, Helena Bonham Carter and Emerald Fennell also received individual acting nods.
"They're amazing and I miss them all," O'Connor told ET of his acclaimed cast. "...It's sad not to be together to celebrate the end of it, but we'll celebrate back in London."
The 2021 Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, will air live Sunday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and Paramount+. In the meantime, stay tuned to ETonline.com for complete Emmys coverage.
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