Josh O’Connor shared his personal thoughts in a FebruaryLos Angeles Times interview about what his real-life counterpart could be like as the future King of England. O’Connor spoke about the analysis that he performed on Charles to determine if he fits into the traditional gender roles. This was something that prepared him for the Emmy-winning role.
“Generally, in my career, I’m constantly fascinated by masculinity and the fragility of masculinity,” O’Connor stated. “The ultimate masculine power/status model is the idea of the monarch, the king. The king of England, in historical times, 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. I think he’s softer around the edges; there’s a kind of an empathy about him. He wants love, he wants to give love and receive love, and I think that what was really interesting to me was playing those antitheses off of each other.”
While some some experts have their doubts about Charles becoming king, it seems like O’Connor thinks he will simply be a different type of king: one who is more in touch with his emotions than your stereotypical ruler.