Dominic West reveals he didn't get out of bed for two days after reading negative reviews of The Crown, with critics calling Princess Diana's ghost scenes 'tasteless'
Dominic West has revealed he didn't get out of bed for two days after reading negative reviews about The Crown.
The sixth and final series, released last year, was branded 'very tasteless' and 'absolutely deplorable' by critics and royal experts after the ghost of Princess Diana appeared in scenes.
The actor, 54, who played the King – and then Prince Charles – in the Netflix series, said he is relieved the drama is over and he no longer has to be immersed in the world of the royal family.
Dominic was asked on BBC Radio 4's Today program on Monday whether he was concerned about how the royals would react to the series.
Dominic West has revealed he didn't get out of bed for two days after reading negative reviews about The Crown
The actor, 54, who played the King – and then Prince Charles – in the Netflix series, said he is relieved the drama is over and he no longer has to be immersed in the world of the royal family.
He said: 'All the responses concern me. I read all the reviews and spent two days in bed.
“So yeah, I'm a sensitive soul, I worry about what people think.
“I don't want to make their lives any more difficult than they already are, so I guess it's your concern.”
Speaking about his experience on the show, Dominic said: “I loved being on it. I loved wearing the clothes. I loved driving cars and I loved it when people bowed to me. It's an absolutely amazing feeling.
'I miss it.'
The actor, who is promoting his new British theater production of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge, laughed: “It's such a relief to get back to the theater and not have to talk about the monarchy anymore.”
For the London run of his new show, 100 tickets per performance will cost £20 and be available to those under 25.
Dominic recently criticized the 'crazy' ticket prices and audiences for the West End, saying the costs 'mean only a certain small group of people go to the theater and probably won't enjoy it much'.
The sixth and final series, released last year, was branded 'very tasteless' and 'absolutely deplorable' by critics and royal experts after the ghost of Princess Diana appeared
Tragic: Diana and Dodi Fayed (pictured on August 22, 1997) died in the early hours of August 31, 1997, after the S-Class they were traveling in crashed into the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris
Netflix's decision to have Princess Diana's ghost appear before her ex-husband Prince Charles and the late Queen in The Crown has been slammed by royal experts.
Diana, played by Elizabeth Debicki, had an emotional reconciliation with a grieving Charles, played by Dominic, in the show's sixth and final series.
She then reappeared in phantom form before Queen Elizabeth II, played by Imelda Staunton, as they discussed funeral arrangements with Charles.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline at the time of the launch that 'the idea that they have even considered Diana as a ghost seems absolutely strange', especially given the controversial elements already swirling around the show.
He also said Charles would remain silent about the portrayal, but Princes William and Harry could speak out.
Brand and culture expert Nick Ede added that the brothers could be “shocked” by the portrayal of their late mother, and that it would be “quite triggering.”
Netflix's decision to have Princess Diana's ghost appear before her ex-husband Prince Charles and the late Queen in The Crown was slammed by royal experts (pictured in 1987)
Katie Rosseinsky of The Independent gave the show only two stars and was among those who saw the ending as far removed from its successful beginning.
She wrote, “When it comes to The Crown and What If?, the biggest question is this: What if this juggernaut of a show hadn't wasted its once-golden potential?
“As the final six episodes arrive on Netflix, bringing a half-century saga to a close, Morgan's drama is haunted by the ghost of faded glory.”
The largely scathing review added that some of William and Harry's lines appear to have been written by an 'AI bot', and while praising The Queen's (Imelda Staunton) final scenes, she added that they were 'not enough and arrived too late.
Anita Singh of The Telegraph agreed, arguing that a “once-beautiful drama relinquishes itself to a miserable whimper”.
Singh said: “Farewell then to The Crown (Netflix), a show that started as a sublime period drama – interesting history, fantastic dresses, a luminous Claire Foy – and ends as a Hallmark Channel movie in which the Queen has a nightmare. Tony and Cherie Blair are crowned at Westminster Abbey with the new anthem Things Can Only Get Better, and William and Kate's dreamy first kiss is interrupted by a royal protection officer announcing the Queen Mother's death.'
The Times seemed more positive, offering three stars and calling it a “mediocre ending to a royal epic,” adding that it was “pretty dull” and felt like it “ran out of power like a Duracell advertisement'.