Erin Doherty says it was hard to play Princess Anne in 'The Crown' as 'she lacked purpose'

Erin Doherty, who features in the fourth season of The Crown, articulated her thoughts on the challenges of playing Princess Anne.

While talking to Grazia magazine on Tuesday, Doherty revealed, "It's not part of my life any more... It's the biggest shock."

"I said it out loud for the first time only a few weeks ago. I had the breakthrough of my body and brain connecting that I'm not going to play this woman any longer. I realised I had to let go of her. It's a sad thing," she added.

The starlet said her mental health tanked because she felt Princess Anne lacked purpose in her life.

"We'd just finished filming the fourth season the week before everything shut down [due to the pandemic]," the breakout star said.

"The brakes got put on everything, and my mental health did dip. As an actor, I didn't have a purpose. I'd gone from zero to 200 miles per hour and then back to zero," Doherty shared.

She added, "I glimpsed red carpet life, and then it was gone again. To sit in my own thoughts was a difficult process at first, because you tune in with where your body and your mind and your soul and your spirit are."