Emma Corrin, who plays Princess Diana on season four of Netflix's The Crown, thinks that streaming service should not have to add a fiction disclaimer. The reason? The audience already knows it's not a perfectly accurate portrait of the royal family.
Corrin told Variety that while she understands that the request "comes from a place of sensitivity and protectiveness of the royal family and Diana," she doesn't believe it's necessary to add to the show.
"It is very clearly a dramatized version of events," Corrin explained. "This is fictitious in the same way people don't mistake Succession for what actually happened with the Murdochs."
The argument for a disclaimer came from several prominent figures. Oliver Dowden, the United Kingdom's secretary of state for culture, called The Crown a "beautifully produced work of fiction," but believed the streaming service should make it clear that it's only inspired by real world events. He told The Mail on Sunday, "Without this, I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact."
Charles Spencer, Diana's brother, also told ITV that he worried "people do think that this is gospel and that's unfair," while The Crown star Helena Bonham Carter, who plays the late Princess Margaret, told The Crown: The Official Podcast, "I do feel very strongly because I think we have a moral responsibility to say, ‘Hang on guys, it's not a drama doc. We're making a drama. They are different entities.'"
Recently, the real Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, who is portrayed by Emerald Fennell in the series, have received renewed backlash from fans of The Crown, who accused them of mistreating Diana.
Corrin, however, is not the only star of The Crown to defend Netflix's choice not to include a disclaimer. Josh O'Connor, who plays Prince Charles, also believed it was unnecessary.
"We were slightly let down by our culture secretary, whose job it is to encourage culture," the actor shared with the Los Angeles Times podcast The Envelope. "In my opinion, it's pretty outrageous that he came out and said what he said. Particularly, in this time when he knows that the arts are struggling and they're on their knees, I think it's a bit of a low blow."
He added, "My personal view is that audiences understand. You have to show them the respect and understand that they're intelligent enough to see it for what it is, which is pure fiction."
It's not unprecedented for Netflix to change course due to backlash. In 2018, the platform removed a graphic scene depicting suicide from the show 13 Reasons Why after public criticism. They also added new content warnings to the show in 2017.