How to Play Princess Diana and Become a Star: Emma Corrin’s Story

Why did Emma decide to become an actress?

The 27-year-old actress was born in Kent to a family of a businessman and a speech therapist. From early childhood, Emma was fascinated by the world of cinema and theater. Most of all, the girl was influenced by the rom-coms of Nora Efron and theatrical performances, which engendered in her a feeling of envy for the actors on stage. But it was not the duet of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, or even Shakespearean tragedies, that became the decisive moment. Everything changed while studying at a boarding school for girls, where the student had her first stage experience at the age of 10 years. Emma played the Toad in Toad from the Toad Hall, a play by Alan Alexander Milne, the same author of the Winnie the Pooh stories. After the performance was over, the mother of one of her friends approached her and complimented her on the performance. The flattering praise (which a kind woman may have said to every girl) planted a seed of hope within Emma. There was no turning back, ahead was the desire to learn more about acting and become a professional in her field.

Trying to be an actress

After her success in a school production, Emma managed to take a Shakespeare course at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, and then went to South Africa to work as a school teacher. Emma’s passion for acting did not subside with time, but on the contrary, convinced her not to give up, despite numerous rejections during auditions for drama schools. For two years, the girl could not get into any suitable educational institution, and in the end she agreed to study drama at the University of Bristol. But Corrin did not stay here for too long and ended up in an ideal place for a studious British woman – in Cambridge. Perhaps the main experience for Emma over these three years was the role of Juliet in Shakespeare’s production and a tour of Japan.

Welcome to British Communal

Before conquering the world, Emma Korin went through the initiation ceremony of every second aspiring actor – she played episodic roles in TV shows. The actress appeared in a small role in Granchester, and in Pennyworth she tried on the role of Alfred Pennyworth’s lover, Batman’s butler. Another important step in the beginning of Corrin’s career was participation in the Miss Bad Behavior project, a story about a group of feminists who are trying to disrupt a beauty pageant. On the screen, Emma remained in the shadow of her colleagues. Keira Knightley managed to outshine everyone except for Jessie Buckley, another young artist of the new generation. A sketch about the sexual revolution was released in the spring of 2020, there are a few months left before the release of the fourth season of The Crown – just about all the publications will begin to publish the previously unknown Emma Corrin and compare her with the princess of human hearts.

Breakthrough in the “Crown”

There are a number of roles that play which means winning the lottery: Marilyn Monroe, James Bond and, of course, Princess Diana. Choosing the right blonde who can hypnotize the audience with her charm is a task that took more than a year to solve.

Emma Corrin was not originally considered for the role of Diana. She was called to the site only to read the lines of the Princess of Wales while auditioning several girls for the role of Camilla, the mistress of Prince Charles. The actress’s agent warned her that this meant nothing, but Emma prepared as if she had come to the audition herself. Obviously, the efforts of the young lady paid off in full – Corrin was offered to embody Diana on the screen. Having received the main role in life, the girl decided to celebrate this event and got a dog. The precious cockapoo puppy is named Spencer – yes, in honor of the princess.

Long preparations for filming began: Emma took dance lessons, watched the documentary “Diana: The Story of Her Words” about a hundred times, met with the princess’s personal secretary, Patrick Jephson. Obviously, Corrin easily conveys the combination of innocence and grace of the royal person. In fact, the figure of Lady Dee has always haunted the aspiring actress: the thing is that Corrine’s mother bears a striking resemblance to the Princess of Wales. Once a woman was mistaken for Diana in a London cafe just a few hours after the death of everyone’s favorite.

The third is not superfluous: a retro image of a melancholy aristocrat

In the past year, premieres of two films with Emma Corrin took place. The roles of the actress, as well as the paintings themselves, are simultaneously similar to each other and at the same time completely different. “My Cop” and “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” have in common retro flair (1950s and 1920s) and love triangles. A bygone era suits Emma, ​​but I want to believe that the actress will not take the place of the same Knightley, who can be seen in every second historical drama. It seems that the directors found out that Corrin is suitable not only for impeccable robes of the twentieth century, but also for the image of a melancholy aristocrat. In fairness, Emma in this role steals all the attention and breaks hearts. It all started with “The Crown” – superfluous in her own marriage, continued in “My Cop” – the third link in the relationship, the circle closed in “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” with the party of a woman eager to get out of the shackles of an unhappy marriage.

To date, one thing is clear: talent and style (watching the outfits of the actress on the red carpet is a separate pleasure) is what provides Emma with enduring popularity in the industry. Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, creators of the underrated show OA, are starring in the mini-series Retreat. And then anything can happen: the same type of roles, non-obvious projects, or even leaving the cinema. Emma Corrin’s career is one of those times when it doesn’t make sense to make predictions. It remains only to cross your fingers and be patient.