The Crown's Princess Diana star says filming car chase was 'Groundhog Day'

16 November 2023 , 06:31

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The Crown's Princess Diana star says filming car chase was 'Groundhog Day'

Elizabeth Debicki, who plays Diana, Princess of Wales in the final series of The Crown, said filming the car chase scene felt like "Groundhog Day".

The scene portrays a paparazzi-led chase that ended tragically with the deaths of Diana, Dodi Fayed and their chauffeur. Chatting about the experience, the Aussie actress said: "I always was very clear that rather than feeling like a victim in it, I was really just trying to get from A to B."

She added: "It's just about getting somewhere, and that should be a set thing but because of the way the media were pursuing them so relentlessly and aggressively, what happens is the energy around your journey is just so panicked, it's so kind of frazzled."

Elizabeth Debicki has said filming Diana's final moments was like "Groundhog Day" (NETFLIX)

Debicki described the situation to the PA news agency, saying: "It's really uncomfortable and especially being stuck in traffic when you can't move and they (the media) were, by all accounts very aggressive, sort of banging on the cars and yelling and flashing. It's just completely invasive. And it sort of feels like a stunt. Your body reacts to it quite strongly."

The actress explained how the intense scenes triggered a strong fight or flight response. She said: "You have this very strong fight or flight response. You want to be able to, sort of like, escape what's going on, but you just need to get to your destination. So we shot those sequences a lot."

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Elizabeth, 33, continued: "Obviously, they happened over weeks of re-entering that kind of environment where we're in a car and we're moving and people (are) sort of yelling and then, stop, start, stop, start. After a while, you sort of feel like you're in this kind of Groundhog Day experience and it's super unpleasant. One thing that becomes immediately clear to you is that nobody should ever have to endure that. People should be able to be protected from that kind of behaviour."

The show will depict Diana's final moments (GC Images)

In 2022, Netflix announced that the sixth and final series of The Crown would not depict the Paris car crash that killed Diana in August 1997, despite media speculation. It's believed that the mangled car was transported over to Paris under a tarpaulin in order to film the tragic scenes documenting the final moments of Diana's tragic life.

The last series of The Crown showcases the budding romance between Diana and Dodi, portrayed by Khalid Abdalla. It also delves into the early relationship between a young Prince William, played by Ed McVey, and Kate Middleton, played by Meg Bellamy, during their time at the University of St Andrews.

The popular Royal drama will be released in two parts, with the first four episodes launching on Thursday and the second part airing on December 14.

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]

Daniel Bird