Vanessa Kirby Was the Best Part of Netflix’s The Crown With 81% on Rotten Tomatoes

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Netflix’s The Crown consistently featured strong acting from its entire cast, which is remarkable considering the show spans many years and regularly introduces new actors to play the same characters. The first season proved that a historical drama about Queen Elizabeth could be genuinely captivating, though it initially sparked debate among viewers. Vanessa Kirby’s performance as Princess Margaret especially captured the sense of isolation and resentment that often came with royal life.

Naomi Kirby has become increasingly well-known recently, and for good reason. Although she had a solid background in acting, her acclaimed performance in The Crown is what truly launched her to international stardom. Kirby powerfully portrayed Princess Margaret’s difficulties with feeling overlooked within the royal family, a woman who never faced the pressures of being first in line but was still bound by royal expectations and family dynamics.

Vanessa Kirby’s Portrayal of Margaret Highlighted the Princess’ Struggles

It’s remarkable how much Margaret changed over the first two seasons of the show. Considering she was only twenty-two years old and had just lost her father when the series began, her development feels particularly striking.

The event caused Margaret a great deal of personal pain, while unexpectedly thrusting her sister into the spotlight as Queen. This change forced Margaret into an unfamiliar and uncomfortable role. What should have been a distant future suddenly arrived, and Kirby had to navigate Margaret’s reactions to the new situation, supporting both her successes and her struggles.

Anyone familiar with the show will remember that Margaret often faced unfair treatment from her family. She had a somewhat scandalous past, specifically her relationship with Peter Townsend. While rumors suggest she was interested in him from a young age—around 13—their romantic relationship didn’t begin until she was an adult.

Although there was a 15-year difference in their ages, it was clear Margaret and Townsend were truly in love. However, Townsend wasn’t from a wealthy or aristocratic family, and being divorced presented another problem. At the time, the Church of England made it hard for divorced men to be accepted into high society.

Their dream of marrying each other seemed impossible, and eventually they publicly ended their relationship to escape the pressure from Margaret’s family and the government. This heartbreak deeply shaped Margaret’s personality and became a defining regret for her.

It quickly became apparent that Margaret, despite being highly unlikely to ever become queen, would still have to let her older sister control very personal aspects of her life – things that seemed far too private for anyone, even the government, to dictate. This meant her sister would decide who she spent time with, how much money she could spend, and even how she behaved in public.

Margaret followed tradition in her personal life due to her strong family values and faith. The show, however, explored the life of a princess who always lived in the shadow of her sister. While Margaret wasn’t burdened with the responsibilities of being queen, the weight of her royal position still affected her.

Kirby’s Portrayal Felt Incredibly Grounded and Realistic

Vanessa Kirby played the role with remarkable naturalness. Even in a short amount of screen time, viewers could see the carefree, joyful person Margaret once was, and how she was starting to change. A series of painful losses began to affect her deeply, as she realized she would never fully control her own destiny. Being a member of the royal family meant she couldn’t have the life she truly desired.

What really struck me about Naomi Kirby’s performance as Margaret was how wonderfully complex she made the character. You could feel she truly believed Margaret thought she’d have been the better queen if she’d been born the heir, not the spare. But the thing is, the movie repeatedly shows us that Margaret wouldn’t have thrived under the pressure of the crown. If she struggled so much being second in line, I honestly can’t imagine her handling the actual responsibility of being queen.

What made Kirby’s acting so compelling was how Margaret seemed to understand her own unhappiness. While she didn’t say it directly, it was obvious she’d likely be happier with a simpler life – one without the constant attention, strict rules, and growing sense of being unimportant that came with being a princess.

Margaret also genuinely enjoyed her privileged life – the excitement, the respect, and the power it gave her. Giving all that up, even for someone she loved, would have been a huge sacrifice, because it was the only way of life she’d ever known. While she felt a sense of duty, the story also showed that Margaret was afraid of stepping outside her comfortable world.

Margaret’s behavior in the second season revealed a certain self-centeredness. Her whirlwind romance with Antony Armstrong-Jones felt predictable for her character, as she consistently rejected traditional paths. Ultimately, her choices seemed driven by the deep unhappiness stemming from being unable to marry Peter Townsend.

The series depicted Margaret’s marriage to Antony as a hasty reaction to learning about Townsend’s upcoming wedding, driven by her desire to avoid embarrassment. However, as the show revealed later on, this decision ultimately caused Margaret a great deal of pain.

Vanessa Kirby’s Award-Winning Performance Led to More Amazing Roles

As a movie and TV fanatic, I was completely blown away by Kirby’s range over those two seasons. It’s no surprise she started getting noticed right away! She could portray so many different emotions – pain, bitterness, even vanity and genuine love – and she did it all in relatively small roles, often when she wasn’t the focus of the episode. Her portrayal of Margaret was truly something special, earning her a Glamour Award and, even better, a Best Supporting Actress award from the British Academy Television Awards. Seriously, a fantastic performance.

After that, Kirby’s career soared. Many people will recognize her from films like The Fantastic Four: First Steps and other recent action movies. It makes sense – after playing such a complex and realistic character like Margaret, switching to roles where she could simply fight bad guys was probably a welcome change.

For me, Vanessa Kirby absolutely stole the show in The Crown. While Claire Foy was fantastic as Elizabeth, her role really demanded a certain restraint. The Queen always had to appear dignified, which meant Foy couldn’t fully explore a huge range of emotions – it just wouldn’t have fit the story. But honestly, even with that limitation, she brought so much subtle depth to the character.

Elizabeth often kept her problems hidden, so you had to read between the lines to understand what she was going through. Margaret, on the other hand, was much more open, which made her fascinating to watch. She created a lot of the show’s initial tension by showing that even royal families deal with personal conflicts and disagreements.

Kirby brilliantly portrayed a young woman feeling stifled by her place – or lack of it – within her family. She injected a welcome energy into the narrative. While Foy’s character showed a dignified, quiet battle against the weight of responsibility, Kirby’s performance revealed the breaking point that pressure can create. This all adds up to one of…

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2026-03-28 22:43