Aided by a coach, Elizabeth Debicki transformed her gait and gaze into Diana's on 'The Crown'
During her 16 years in the spotlight, Diana, Princess of Wales, was one of the most photographed women in the world. Part of what endeared her to the public and made her so irresistible to the press were her distinct, unusually expressive mannerisms — the bashful head tilt, the nervous lip-biting, the tactile way she interacted with her sons.
The challenge for any actor playing such a recognizable public figure is how to capture their essential movements without descending into caricature. For Elizabeth Debicki, who stars as Diana in the final season of "The Crown," that task was made less daunting by movement coach and choreographer Polly Bennett.
Bennett has worked on "The Crown" since Season 3, helping the cast fine-tune their physical performances and understand the origins of each character's unique gestures, posture and gait.
"We find the reasons why movements happen," Bennett said in a recent video chat from London. Originally trained as a dancer, Bennett encourages actors to be as conscious of their bodies as they are of their dialogue and accents.
"Actors spend a lot of time by themselves, taking in
