Dominic West talks about the “horror” of being in the spotlight. Dominic West has said that his involvement in a Lily James controversy in 2020 greatly impacted how he portrayed Prince Charles in The Crown.
The actor gained worldwide recognition in October 2020 after he and co-star Lily James were captured on camera spending what appeared to be a private weekend in Rome. West and his spouse, Catherine FitzGerald, released a joint statement after the images went viral, reiterating their public commitment to one another and stressing that they were “very much still together.”
His personal life became publically turbulent due to the aftermath of those images, which were taken during a break in the pandemic.
“I’d had a very acute understanding of what it’s like to feel the horror of your name or your photo in the newspapers,” the actor said in a recent interview with The Sunday Times Culture Magazine, reflecting on the experience.
He went on, “There’s that horrible instant of freeze when something about you comes to light. I believe that anybody may relate to that feeling.
West discussed the effects of a 2020 paparazzi incident on his family, describing it as “deeply stressful” for his wife and their four kids.
During the incident, West, 54, and his co-star Lily James, 35, were seen getting along well in photos taken in Rome. Later, they were seen eating lunch together after riding scooters together.