Did Josh O'Connor Give Dominic West Advice About Playing Prince Charles?

Josh O'Connor starred as a younger Prince Charles on Seasons 3 and 4 of Netflix's "The Crown," but he's not necessarily what you'd call a royalist. In fact, his political views had him turning down a first opportunity to read for the smash show. "I thought, I can't add anything to this," the Emmy winner told The Irish Times in 2020. "I'm a [U.K.] Republican. I'm not interested in the royal family." (Per the Cambridge Dictionary, a Republican in the U.K. is "a supporter of government by elected representatives of the people rather than government by a king or queen.") And stepping into the British heir's shoes didn't do much to sway his opinion, either. "I find it really hard pinning the real royal family back to 'The Crown.' They feel so far removed," O'Connor said to GQ. "Basically I had no interest in the royal family before I did 'The Crown.' And I have very little interest now."

That said, O'Connor enjoyed playing Prince Charles, perhaps more than he anticipated. "I loved it," he told ET Canada of his two seasons with the series. "I had the time of my life making it. It was, like, two of the most special years." But O'Connor was ready to pass along "The Crown" after two years in the spotlight — and by October 2020, Variety announced that Dominic West would be taking up the royal mantle come Seasons 5 and 6. 

As O'Connor reminisces on his time portraying Charles, does he have any advice for West moving forward?

Josh O'Connor might be abdicating the Netflix show, but he's confident that he's leaving the British monarchy in good hands. As the next two seasons of "The Crown" take place in the '90s and 2000s, a more physically mature actor is needed to portray Prince Charles, and O'Connor feels good about his successor, Dominic West. "Dominic needs no tips from me. He's the greatest of the great," O'Connor told ET Canada on his way out.

But not everyone is feeling so confident about West's debut. One viewer tweeted, "Elizabeth Debicki is perfect as Diana but Dominic West as Prince Charles feels like bad casting." Another shared, "I am still skeptical as hell about Dominic West" in response to the casting news. A third person wrote, using a side-by-side photo of the two, "Love the casting on this show. But Dominic West as Prince Charles?" At least West has one staunch fan in O'Connor!

Prince Charles' character marked a breakout for actor Josh O'Connor, who inspired outrage over the royal's alleged mistreatment of his then-wife, Princess Diana. In addition to nabbing an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, the Brit also took home a trophy from the Golden Globes for Best Actor in a TV Series, Drama. And O'Connor delved deeply into his real-life counterpart to perfect the part. "The king of England ... is a man of power and strength and stability and duty. And my initial thing with this character was I thought: I don't think he is that," O'Connor told the Los Angeles Times. "I think he's softer around the edges; there's a kind of an empathy about him," he added.

While O'Connor brought vulnerability to his on-screen portrayal of the heir apparent, West is also used to playing his fair share of morally compromised characters. From the bad cop McNulty in HBO's "The Wire," to the cheating husband in "The Affair," West's portfolio of experience could make him the right choice to channel Charles' internal conflict.

Fans can catch the newest season and scrutinize West's portrayal of Charles when "The Crown" drops on Netflix come November 2022.