The Crown's New Prince Philip Is 'Outlander's Tobias Menzies
Netflix's The Crown is casting Outlander's Tobias Menzies as the new Prince Philip for the next two seasons of the hit series.
The Crown Season 1 and 2 had Matt Smith as the younger Prince Philip, and now, Menzies will get to take on the older role of the same royal. The critically acclaimed show tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II from her younger years to present times. Of course, it has long been announced that Claire Foy, who played the young queen, was set to be replaced by Olivia Colman.
Painstaking Process
Menzies's joining the cast for the third season came after Paul Bettany declined the offer of Prince Philip, citing the time needed in production of The Crown in the United Kingdom. The re-casting is a painstaking process and required a significant amount of time, Nina Gold, the casting director, revealed in February.
"Not only are we casting real-life characters, but as we get closer to the present day, many of these people are very much alive," Gold explained.
Indeed, the actors are playing the honorable royal family, and needless to say, The Crown needs to give justice on who will play the parts. That said, it also goes in the cast's physique and their appearance.
As for Menzies's taking on the Prince Philip role, his hair is obviously shorter than his predecessor, Smith, though the Game of Thrones actor is of the same height as the royal. He might have to dye his hair though, as his mane is darker than the prince.
Or he could follow Smith, who wore a blonde wig. However, it should be noted that The Crown Season 3 will pick up 10 years after what happened in Season 2, so Menzies can just retain his hair length and just have it lighten.
Wage Gap
Recently, The Crown came under fire after it was revealed that Foy, who played the lead role in the show, got lower salary than her on-screen partner, Smith. Many lambasted the show for the wage gap, an appalling and neglected problem in the industry.
It was obvious where people were coming from, as the narration focuses on Queen Elizabeth and not on Prince Philip, though nobody is questioning the latter's huge role on the life of the former. Producers Andy Harries and Suzanne Mackie revealed mid-March that this was because Smith had the Doctor Who credit, though the duo said it would amend this in the future. So for Menzies, aka the new prince, shouldn't expect a higher pay than Colman.
