‘The Crown’ Casting Director Robert Sterne on the Requests He Still Gets: ‘Please, Can I Be Meghan Markle?’
Casting director Robert Sterne has been with Netflix’s hit drama “The Crown” for all six seasons — and even though the show has concluded, he continues to be asked about acting opportunities. “I still get letters saying, ‘Please, can I be Meghan Markle?’” he says. “And I think, ‘Well, the moment’s gone.’”
While the acclaimed program just concluded, the journey began nine years ago for Sterne. “It started with us sitting around a table talking about it, and now here we are,” says the U.K.-based CD who worked closely with series creator Peter Morgan throughout. “We were discussing how it was going to work, the idea of casting it again every two years. I think it was better than using ever-increasing layers of makeup. It was, in many ways, an experiment.”
And it’s one that’s paid off; in its six seasons, “The Crown” has won 21 Emmys and finds itself nominated for an additional 19 this year — that includes six cast members and a nod for Sterne himself in the casting for a drama category.
Sterne, who has also cast such projects as “Game of Thrones” and “Chernobyl,” has a history of discovering exciting new faces, in addition to hiring established actors. And when an actor comes into his audition room (whether on Zoom or in real life), he feels it’s his job to help them take this creative journey, noting, “It’s their time, their space, and we need to make sure they give them their best.”
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While I refuse to believe “The Crown” is over, what is it like to look back on these six seasons?
It really is a feeling of great satisfaction. From the start, the plan was to do six seasons, and we got to do that. And I think that we’ve found some like, amazing actors, bringing their A game to it. And it’s been exciting to, you know, make some discoveries along the way and see the younger people fly, and … you see their names on the side of a bus now, and you cheer. It’s great.
When the show began, I’ll admit I was nervous about changing casts because that first group of actors was so fantastic.
Of course. If you watch a show, you get invested in the people doing it. But I think it’s been a really interesting way of telling these characters’ lives by changing it up every two years. And people do become different people at different stages of their lives.
It’s been a good mix of recognizable actors and some new faces, such as Emma Corrin or Claire Foy. Were you given carte blanche and just told to find the best person?
It’s been about who out there would be the most exciting person to play a particular role. I had worked with Claire Foy on “Wolf Hall” where she played Anne Boleyn, and she was amazing. I have to say, I think Claire had the most difficult job of everybody on the whole project, because I think she had to define the acting tone of the whole endeavor, and that’s no mean task. And I think that what she managed to achieve was very special. What Claire did was made everybody kind of fall in love with that character and be totally engrossed by it and just her stillness and her every thought, she made that unknowable person very accessible.
Peter Morgan is such a visionary creator — what was he like to collaborate with?
The best thing for a casting person is to have good, clear lines of communication with writers and directors because you can better serve what they need. And Peter is incredibly kind and articulate and eloquent and rigorous in his thinking. And he gives you a lot of information about the characters — how he sees them, what function they have in the story.
What was the hardest role to cast in Season 5 or 6 — since I think of them very much as a continuation of each other?
It’s hard to say. Sometimes you think a role will be straightforward and it’s not. For some reason we struggled to find Andrew Morton, Diana’s biographer. We eventually found Andrew Steele in Northern Ireland and he was amazing. I suppose when you’re looking for unknown teenagers — as was the case with William and Kate and Harry — that’s always a challenge.
How did you find this generation of royals with William and Harry and Kate Middleton? Were you previously familiar with the actors who were cast?
No, we really did a wide search. We did the standard acting agencies and then we looked at drama groups around the country, and we did a social media search. It was completely open. Meg Bellamy, who was cast as Kate, was working at a Legoland in Windsor when she saw the posting for it. We were determined to keep it completely open and see everyone.
This is a broad question, but when it comes to sending in a tape, actors want to know how they can stand out. What would you want them to know, even if it sounds simple?
Obviously, we want to be able to see and hear you and have nothing too distracting in the background. But you’re not looking for a finished product on a tape, you’re looking for a spark of something. You’re looking for somebody who’s made some connection. Sometimes it’s as simple as a look in their eye.
What about if they’re in the room working with you
In general, I don’t think it’s my job to give too many dos and don’ts to people. I want to provide an environment where everyone feels comfortable enough to be creative and start inhabiting the characters. Especially for “The Crown,” when you’re portraying these very famous people. So, you want to find out what works for a person. So, I would say go with your instinct and don’t do it like you think we’re wanting or expecting it to be.
I do find it interesting when people have a connection to the writing or the character, and you can see it. I remember casting Erin Doherty as Princess Anne — she had watched loads of YouTube footage and said, “I know this woman. I know how to do this.” And then she just came in and just had a connection with the character in her own way.
You cast so many projects, I’m sure that when an actor auditions for you it isn’t just for one role — you’re going to remember them down the line.
That happened a lot of “The Crown,” actually. The famous one was Elizabeth Debicki, who ended up playing Princess Diana but who came in for a different part early on. But it was very clear to all of us in the room, “We’ve got to wait because there is something coming down the road.” And that worked out well.
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