After almost two years of waiting, Season 5 of The Crown has landed on Netflix.
The latest series will see the British royal family in the '90s, the decade of the annus horribilis, the divorce of Prince Charles and Diana as well as Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips. Princess Diana's interview with Martin Bashir will also form a key storyline.
Just as Season 3 saw a change of cast from the first two seasons of The Crown, Season 5 features a brand-new cast as the royals enter a new decade.
Elizabeth Debicki takes over from Golden Globe winner Emma Corrin as Princess Diana, whose divorce from Prince Charles will play out in Season 5.
Newsweek has everything you need to know about Debicki below.
Who Is Elizabeth Debicki?
Elizabeth Debicki is an Australian actress who has swapped her superhero and action movie roles for royalty in The Crown Season 5.
Debicki, 32, was born in Paris, France, and moved to Melbourne, Australia, when she was five years old.
As a child, Debicki trained in ballet before turning to acting.
She attended the Victorian College of Arts, studying drama, and made her feature film debut in the 2011 movie, A Few Best Men, shortly after graduating.
Aged 21, Debicki landed the role of Jordan Baker in Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby. For her performance, she won the AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role as well as critical acclaim worldwide.
She then went on to star as Victoria in The Man from U.N.C.L.E alongside Henry Cavill and Hugh Grant.
In 2015 she played the role of Dr. Caroline Mackenzie in the biographical film, Everest, appearing opposite Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emily Watson, and Keira Knightley.
Debicki then landed the role of Ayesha in the Marvel movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, and will reprise the role in the upcoming movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Audiences may also recognize Debicki from her role as Jed in The Night Manager and Dr. Anna Macy in The Kettering Incident.
She also appeared as Mrs. G in The Tale, Alice in Steve McQueen's heist film Widows, and portrayed Virginia Woolf in Vita & Virginia.
In 2020, she starred opposite Kenneth Branagh in Christopher Nolan's spy thriller, Tenet.
Debicki is no stranger to the stage. She starred as Madame in the Sydney Theatre Company's production of The Maids, opposite Cate Blanchett and Isabelle Huppert. For her performance, she won the best newcomer award at the Sydney Theatre Awards.
She also starred in The Red Barn at the National Theatre's Lyttelton Theatre in London.
Her other well-known credits include Rake, Breath, The Burnt Orange Heresy, and The Cloverfield Paradox.
Speaking to The Guardian ahead of The Crown Season 5's release, Debicki shared she had auditioned for an undisclosed role for Season 2 of The Crown and shortly afterward, was asked if she would be interested in portraying Princess Diana in the future.
A few years later when The Crown creator Peter Morgan reached out about the role, Debicki said yes.
She shared she was not reluctant to take on the role, adding: "I went off instinct, and I didn't overthink it. I've watched this show and loved it for years. I knew I was stepping into working with people who were extremely intelligent and very sensitive about how they went about creating the script and making decisions. So I never felt like I'd jumped on unstable ground."
The Crown Seasons 1 to 5 are streaming on Netflix now.
About the writer
Molli Mitchell is a Senior SEO TV and Film Newsweek Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on ... Read more
