Left Bank Pictures reportedly has posted an advertisement on casting website Spotlight, billing the role of the disgraced Duke of York as a 'very good role.'
- Apr 26, 2021
AceShowbiz - The next season of "The Crown" will feature Prince Andrew in his mid 30s and early 40s, but the bosses for the hit Netflix series can't seem to find a perfect actor for the "unpopular" prince. According to a new report, the show is struggling to get an actor to play the Duke of York.
The Sun reported that Left Bank Pictures had posted an advertisement on casting website Spotlight. While the production company billed the character as "very good role," the news outlet believed that it was actually a role of Prince Andrew, who was known for his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Backing up the claims was a casting source, who spilled to The Sun, "Prince Andrew is one of the most unpopular members of the royal family and wannabe stars aren't exactly queuing up to play him."
"It's not the sexiest role and is unlikely to set a Hollywood career alight," the source continued to explain. However, the insider noted that the role "might work for a real scene-stealer character artist."
In response to the reports, the production denied them in a statement. A spokeswoman insisted to the outlet, "There is absolutely no struggle to cast any role for season 5 of 'The Crown'." The spokewoman also added, "It is normal practice for productions to advertise in Spotlight."
Season 5 of award-winning "The Crown" will be set in the years 1991 to 1997. It will tackle the tumultuous years that saw the very public breakdown of Prince Charles and Diana's marriage. In the previous season 4, up and coming actor Tom Byrne took the role of Prince Andrew.
In an interview with Newsnight, the 26-year-old infamously tried to distance himself from the prince and his scandal as he was accused of sex trafficking then 17-year-old Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a young woman who was a victim of Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking ring. "I thought the best thing I can do is to switch that part of my brain off," Tom said. "It just wasn't useful to me to engage with that stuff - particularly as I was only playing him as a 20-year-old."
