Yahoo News The Crown boss discusses John Lithgow's surprise cameo as Winston Churchill
The Crown creator Peter Morgan has dished the dirt on why season 3 of the Netflix title broke the rules with its portrayal of Winston Churchill.
Played by Hollywood legend John Lithgow, Churchill's blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance was apparently "agonised" over during the writing stage, as Morgan explained on the show's official podcast.
Related: The Crown season 3 review: Does the new cast measure up?
"We really agonised about that, because to bring John Lithgow over and to hire him just to do one scene, there was a lot of hand-wringing about that," he said. "And we have this strict rule that the minute a prime minister is out of office you don't see them again.
"The reason why ultimately we decided to go back to having Churchill for a scene is because it felt like another bit of vulnerability for her [Queen Elizabeth II], you know. He was the last connection with her father and also he was her first prime minister."
Morgan added: "She'd so relied on him. But now, of course, by this point in her life and her reign, she's confident. She's had three or four prime ministers by now."
Elaborating on how Churchill's cameo affects the third season, the showrunner noted: "I liked how vulnerable it made her feel and in this episode and the first episode of course we're exploring the idea that not only might Downing Street be compromised, but also Buckingham Palace is compromised, as we're in the Cold War now, by a traitor.
Related: Did *that* moment in The Crown season 3's finale actually happen?
"And she's left feeling even more vulnerable without Churchill there somehow to protect her. It's a certain type of England that's gone when he goes. The post-Churchillian landscape is suddenly very different and instead of him you have Harold Wilson."
The Crown is available on Netflix.
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