The Crown 's Elizabeth Debicki says wearing Diana's Revenge Dress made her feel powerful
Elizabeth Debicki received lots of messages from friends and acquaintances after it was announced that she would be playing Princess Diana in seasons 5 and 6 of The Crown — all of them with one big question: Would she get to wear Diana's so-called Revenge Dress? After it was announced that
"It fascinated me how entranced people were with that dress," says Debicki. "When it became known that I had the part, I received these text messages saying congratulations, [but] there was also a huge amount of text messages about the Revenge Dress. 'Do you get to wear the Revenge Dress?' 'Oh my God, you get to wear the Revenge Dress!'"
Keith Bernstein/Netflix; Jayne Fincher/Getty Images Elizabet Debicki on 'The Crown' and Princess Diana
Originally designed by Christina Stambolian, the Princess wore this form-fitting, off-the-shoulder black number to a party at London's Serpentine Gallery in 1994 — the same night a documentary screened about Prince Charles in which he confessed to being unfaithful to Diana after their marriage had "irretrievably broken down."
So what was it like for Debicki to wear the production's recreation of the dress?
"Very significant and quite powerful, but also it provoked something in me as an actor," says the Australian. "I can't really explain it. It's pretty incredible that a dress would represent a moment in history, or that this human's life would represent so much and become so iconic. So that was a big day on set for me!"
Debicki worked closely with The Crown costume designer Amy Roberts and head buyer Sidonie Roberts, on the outfits she wears on the show.
"They are incredible and we hit it off really beautifully as people and as collaborators," says the actress. "It's not really about a recreation. We were really interested in delving into the essence of what made the wardrobe so iconic, why so it was groundbreaking in many ways, what psychological thoughts [were] behind her making choices that then were kind of groundbreaking in a fashion sense, and also as a member of the royal family obviously. [Diana] created a silhouette that was more casual, more relatable, cooler, maybe more chic, and so we were so interested to get into that psychology."
The Crown fans will be able to see Debicki in the Revenge Dress when season 5 of the show launches Nov. 9 on Netflix. In addition to the actress, the new cast of The Crown includes Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth, Dominic West as Prince Charles, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, Olivia Williams as Camilla Parker-Bowles, and Jonny Lee Miller as British Prime Minister John Major.
Season 5 of The Crown will be the first to premiere since the passing in September of the Queen. Peter Morgan has confirmed to EW that the show will conclude with season 6.
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