Dominic West and Lily James made headlines back in 2020 for their PDA scandal during his marriage with aristocrat, Catherine FitzGerald. While their affair rumors caught extreme media attention, the actor makes a rare statement, claiming that the scandal helped him in portraying the now United Kingdom King, Charles III in The Crown show.
The historical drama show consists of six seasons, which primarily focus on the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II. While the former plays Prince Charles III in the series, he was spotted in Rome with his The Pursuit of Love costar, sparkling attention among the media. However, that incident helped him in his work.
Dominic West Shares His Affair Scandal With Lily James Helped Him Relate to Charles III in The Crown
The Wire actor has been married to Irish aristocrat, Catherine FitzGerald since 2010 with the pair sharing four children: Dora, Senan, Francis, and Christabel.
While their happy family would have faced their ups and downs, their marriage was questioned when Dominic West made headlines after being spotted cozying up with his The Pursuit of Love costar, Lily James, in Rome back in 2020.
The 300 actor, in an interview with The Times, reflects on that time, sharing how it helped him in portraying Charles III in The Crown show. He shared,
“I’d had a very acute understanding of what it’s like to feel the horror of your name or your photograph coming up in the newspapers. There is that dreadful freezing moment when something is being revealed about you.”
He continued,
“I think anyone can understand how that feels. But I’d been through it a couple of years previously and it must have informed how I approached it. That gut feeling of horror isn’t something you get inured to.”
During his then Prince of Wales’ portrayal, he covered significant moments of his life, including Charles III’s divorce from Princess Diana, her death, and his relationship with now Queen, Camilla Parker Bowles. Given that the royal family garnered intense media attention at the time, West found himself in the same situation back then.
Dominic West Addressed ‘Show of Unity’ Headlines After PDA Scandal With Lily James
After he was photographed kissing the Baby Driver star back in 2020, reports about his marriage with FitzGerald began to surface.
Around the time he was spotted with James, riding the Eternal City on an electric scooter, he was not wearing his wedding ring, leading to speculations about troubles in his marriage. He told the outlet in the same interview,
“I hesitate to speak on my wife’s behalf because it was obviously horrible, particularly for her. But we do joke about it sometimes. Because whenever we went out together, the papers would always say we were ‘putting on a show of unity.’”
Talking about the scandal, he stated,
“It was an absurd situation. It was deeply stressful for my wife and my kids, but there were lighter moments. That was the best that came out of it, really.”
The scandal happened around the time when he was working with James on The Pursuit of Love. As far as his marriage was concerned, the couple addressed the reports, sharing that their marriage has been going strong.
