Josh O'Connor blasts British minister over The Crown's fiction disclaimer demand

Josh O'Connor, who plays Prince Charles in Netflix drama The Crown, has come forth slamming British culture minister Olivier Dowden's 'unnecessary' demand of labeling the show as pure fiction.

According to Josh, it's simply outrageous.

"We were slightly let down by our culture secretary, whose job it is to encourage culture," the British actor said during an interview for The Envelope: The Podcast.

"In my opinion, it's pretty outrageous that he came out and said what he said. Particularly, in this time when he knows that the arts are struggling and they're on their knees, I think it's a bit of a low blow," Josh shared with the Los Angeles Times.

He continued, "My personal view is that audiences understand. You have to show them the respect and understand that they're intelligent enough to see it for what it is, which is pure fiction."

Last month, the makers of The Crown came under fire after British culture Oliver Dowden called for Netflix to put a disclaimer stating the show is a work of fiction.

"As with other TV productions, Netflix should be very clear at the beginning it is just that," he shared. "Without this, I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact."