O n the screen before me , Emma Corrin looks as though they could be posing for a painting. The 26-year-old actor is curled up in a chair before a large bay window, illuminated by string lights, when something offscreen catches their attention, breaking their contemplative stillness. Suddenly, Corrin scoops their dog Spencer onto their lap, lavishing him with pets as we continue our chat. “He’s watching the rain like a Tum-
most iconic and nuanced public figures of the last century comes with its own set of stressors—not to mention the existing difficulties of everyday life. Thankfully, though, that’s where Spencer steps in. “The moments I feel overwhelmed or depressed or that I can’t get out of bed, and everything feels too much, there’s this pull that’s like, ‘Take me outside, pay me attention.’ And it’s the best thing because you have to—you can’t ignore it,” Corrin says. The role of Princess Di somewhat prophetically stripped Corrin of their anonym- ity, and thrust them into the public arena. Their profile only continues to rise with their hotly anticipated drama My Policeman. The actor is also headlining an adaptation of Lady Chatterley’s Lover, premiering on Netflix on December 2, as well as a forthcom- ing production of Orlando at the Garrick Theatre in the West End from November 25 through February 25, 2023. The adaptation of Bethan Roberts’ 2012 novel chronicles police officer Tom Bur- gess’s (Harry Styles) marriage to schoolteacher Marion (Corrin) while he simultaneous- ly juggles an illicit affair with their friend, curator Patrick Hazlewood (David Dawson). The story is just as much about romantic love as it is platonic love, and the ways in which we stand in the way of, and inevitably give way to our truths. “I thought that it was such a beautiful ensemble story, and it explores so many versions of what love means to different people and how love can exist. I think it’s rare that you see that in books or films,” Corrin says. “I think that, even if it’s not intentional, even if Marion wanted more, what she and Tom end up having is this deep bond of friendship and trust in each other.” Playing a woman scorned by her husband’s affair isn’t exactly uncharted territory for Corrin. But in My Policeman, Marion’s naïveté in conjunction with the social con- servatism of the 1950s has led the actor to tackle a role that is diametrically opposed to their 2022 sensibilities. In one of the most devastating moments of the film, Marion, en- raged and heartbroken by Tom’s love for Patrick, mails a letter to the police that expos- es Patrick’s sexuality, forcing him through a humiliating trial, and lands him in prison. While the gravity of the moment was initially lost on Marion, it is not lost on Corrin, who, in their lifetime, has witnessed a drastic change in social and political at- titudes surrounding queerness. In 1967, British Parliament passed the Sexual Offenc- es Act, which many celebrate as the decriminalization of gay relationships. However, Corrin was born in a time when, despite some legislative progress, people were still persecuted for their sexuality. They were 18 years old when same-sex marriage was legalized in the United Kingdom. Legal recognition of gay marriage is not equivalent to full-fledged equality either. In the UK, according to Stonewall, one in five LGBTQ+ people has faced a hate crime because of their gender and/or sexual identity in the last year; two in five transgender people have faced a hate crime in the last year. As a queer, nonbinary person, Corrin’s character’s actions fly in the face of their
blr girl,” Corrin says of their pooch, who is staring pensively at the volatile London sky, which is turning from a bright blue to a muddled gray in real time. “He’s thinking about his recent heartbreak, just having a moment.” Corrin made their film debut in Cesare in 2017, and proceeded to appear in television roles in Grantchester and Penny- worth, but they procured their beloved pup after landing their global breakthrough role—the Golden Globe-winning portray- al of Lady Diana Spencer—on The Crown. Any relation to their dog’s name? The ac- tor nods bashfully, their platinum blond fringe falling over their face, obscuring their embarrassment. “I regret it a lot,” they admit. The moniker was a joke they made with their friends which, one day, wasn’t so much of a joke anymore. “He is more known as Spence,” Corrin offers. Though they’ve only had him for a few years, Spencer has served as a grounding force for Corrin, who was born in Kent, England, since they were announced as The Crown ’s Diana in 2019. Being swept up in the hubbub of a Netflix juggernaut is something most actors can only dream of. But taking on the portrayal of one of the
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