‘The Crown’ Creator Peter Morgan Hopes Emmy Noms Will Help Soften England’s World Cup Exit Blow

The Crown creator Peter Morgan hopes that the show’s 13 Emmy nominations, including nods for Claire Foy and Matt Smith as well as the lead drama category, will help soften the blow of England’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Croatia.

He told Deadline, “We’re beyond thrilled to have been honoured with these nominations by the Academy, and especially delighted that Claire, Matt, Vanessa and Matthew have been recognized for their extraordinary performances. We’re all still in mourning after last night’s World Cup defeat, but I know this news will go some way to restoring our spirits.”

Netflix and Left Bank Pictures will be hoping that the team behind the first two seasons is acknowledged as they head into a new era.

The royal thriller was nominated in the Best Drama Series category, Foy was given a nod for Lead Actress in a Drama, Smith for Supporting Actor, Vanessa Kirby for Supporting Actress, Stephen Daldry for Directing and creator Peter Morgan for Outstanding Writing as well as a slew of other cast noms.

Foy added, “I am so grateful for and honoured by the Emmys continued support for The Crown. I am so proud to have been part of such an extraordinary cast, crew and production team and I share this nomination with them. I am also thrilled to see my good friends, Matt Smith, Vanessa Kirby and Matthew Goode recognized, and to be nominated alongside such incredible actresses is a true honour. Thank you Emmys….see you in September.”

The show’s 13 nominations was in line with last year’s nods, which saw John Lithgow win for Outstanding Supporting Actor in his role as Winston Churchill. However, Foy, who was nominated for Lead Actress for her role as Queen Elizabeth II lost out to The Handmaid Tale’s Elisabeth Moss, and the show was also beaten by the Hulu drama in the Drama category.

Given that season two is the last time that viewers will see Foy and Smith, as well as Matthew Goode, who was nominated this year for Guest Star, on screen, it’d be apt if they took home trophies in September.

It’s been a strange year for Foy and her co-stars after it emerged that she was paid less than Smith for her star turn in the drama and they said goodbye to the show, replaced by the likes of Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies, who will play Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip respectively in seasons three and four. The Exorcist star Ben Daniels will play Antony Armstrong-Jones, starring alongside Helena Bonham Carter’s Princess Margaret, in the two seasons, which will launch in 2019 and will begin in 1963 and will cover events such as the rise of the Beatles and England winning the soccer World Cup in 1966. Characters such as Camilla Parker Bowles will also start to emerge in the next season.

Elsewhere, the show picked up a nom for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role for the team lead by VFX Supervisor Ben Turner, who said, “It’s very exciting to be nominated again, especially alongside our wonderful Crown family. The scale and ambition on this show are parallel to none and we are humbled and honoured that our hard work has been celebrated and recognised by the Academy.”

Cinematographer Adriano Goldman scored a nom for Outstanding Cinematography For A Single Camera Series and added, “I couldn’t be more thrilled and humbled for this recognition by the Academy for my work on this very special project. I am so proud to be part of such an incredible team. It truly is a joy, especially receiving the news on set while we are already busy shooting Season three.”

Martin Childs and his team were nominated in Outstanding Art Direction For A Period Series Miniseries Or A Movie Single Camera. “It’s a delight to be nominated, especially for the episode that had me break open the colour swatch and send the Royal Family somewhere more bohemian. It launched a new era for The Crown, a new direction and it’s great to see it so appreciated,” he said.

Nina Gold and Robert Sterne were nominated for Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series, while it also picked up nods for Outstanding Hairstyling For A Single Camera Series and Outstanding Costumes For A Period Fantasy Series Limited Series Or Movie.