“The Crown's” Dominic West Reveals What He Liked Best About Playing King Charles: 'Everyone Bows to You' (Exclusive)

The actor is on PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive issue, on stands Friday

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Nov 14, 2024 - 10:53

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“The Crown's” Dominic West Reveals What He Liked Best About Playing King Charles: 'Everyone Bows to You' (Exclusive)

The actor is on PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive issue, on stands Friday

The best part about playing the Prince of Wales in The Crown’s final two seasons? “The fact that everyone bows to you,” says Dominic West, 55, who scored an Emmy nod for his performance as the future King Charles. “I can’t overestimate how much that cheers you up.”

He gets recognition of an entirely different sort for the other role that made him famous: playing the roguish detective Jimmy McNulty on The Wire for five years. “A couple of days ago someone came up to me and said [McNulty’s catchphrase], ‘What the f--- did I do?’ ” the father of five says with a laugh. “I get asked [to say that] quite a bit.”

He sat down with PEOPLE in September to chat about what he considers sexy, hanging with Idris Elba and why he and his wife Catherine are in bed by 8:00 p.m. most nights.

What was the best part about playing the role of Charles on The Crown?
The fact that everyone bows to you and I can't overestimate how much that cheers you up. I tried to get my children to do it after I'd come home from work, and they wouldn't obviously. It's amazing when everyone who came in the room would have to bow to me. And I think if you have that in your life, like Charles does, it must make you feel very different.

What would you say your favorite Crown memory is now that the show is over?
The last week was amazing, because they blew quite a big budget on the last episode, which Stephen Daldry directed. So, I got married to Olivia Williams who plays Camilla in this amazing church in York in England, called York Minster, which is this amazing Gothic cathedral. We had a full church choir, a full orchestra, and I think about 40 cherry trees, and then 400 extras all bowing to us as we walked down the aisle. That was pretty special. That was really special, with the choir going and the organ and the orchestra, and that was amazing. I thought, "Wow, this is an expensive show."

If you were an actual royal, what perk, besides the bowing, would you say that you would enjoy the most?
God, there's so many. I mean, what I couldn't believe was how many houses they've got and how much jewelry they've got. The Queen's jewelry collection is astonishing. We were in all these very, very beautiful houses around the south of England and in Scotland as well. So, I think the houses have to be a pretty nice perk. The cars are good. I had a Aston Martin DB5, which Charles owns. It's the Bond car. I always wanted to drive one, and I didn't realize how actually uncomfortable they are and how difficult they are to get in and out of. And I finally got to drive this DB5 in Scotland where we were shooting, and we were shooting in August, I think, or September when the little midges are biting. I finally got to drive this thing, and I was being eaten alive by midges at the time. So, it slightly took away from the pleasure of it.

Did you see Idris Elba at the Emmys?
Yes, I did, thank goodness. I bumped into him at the last party he went to at the end of the night. It was about midnight, so we hung out a bit there. It was great to see him.

You were on The Wire together. Would you ever imagine that both of you are where you are now?
It was quite poignant last night that we were nominated in the same category, and we'd been nominated before for a Golden Globe, I think. And he always wins. And neither of us won last night, but it was quite poignant thinking back. It was over 20 years ago now. I first met him on the set of The Wire, and I was thinking a lot about The Wire because The Wire never got any nominations for anything.

So, time has passed and a few people have passed on, great people who we worked with passed on, and it was an amazing cast on The Wire. It was over 100 people over the years, and giving their talents for something that people still come up to me in the street and say, "We love The Wire."

And more than anything else I've done, it seems to have stood the test of time. So, it was very poignant seeing him again—I haven't seen him for a year or two—and thinking about when we met and that show that we did.

Is there a line or something that fans of The Wire quote to you when they see you?
Well, his catchphrase is, "What the f--- did I do?" And yes, I hadn't had it for a while, but I got it yesterday. As you know, it was a couple of days ago, someone came up to me and went, "What the f--- did I do? Please, will you say it on camera. Please, please." And I learned that it's easier just to do it and get it over with. Yeah, I get asked that a bit. But generally, people who were fans of The Wire are really interesting, nice people. So, I love it when people come up.

If you weren't an actor, what do you think you'd be doing?
I live in the country in England and outside Bath, and I keep pigs and chickens and I live next to a farm, and I'm very good friends with a farmer. I sort of thought I wouldn't mind being a farmer. And I think I met a farmer who farms on a farm that's actually owned by, or was owned by Prince Charles, because as the Prince of Wales, he has this portfolio of farms. And she said that she thinks if he wasn't king, that's what he'd like to be, more than anything as a farmer. And I think I'm probably the same.

What's a typical day for you when you're not working?
I'd take my 11-year-old girl to school at 7:00 with the dog, and then I walk in a park next to the school. I walk the dog for about 45 minutes, and then come home. I've just built this amazing swimming pond, so I usually jump in there and have a quick swim.

Usually, it's just me and my wife at home. She's usually working on a garden that she might be designing. I feed the pigs. I tend a little bit of woodland that we've got. I'm planting a lot of trees, so I tried to keep trees alive with mulching and watering and stuff. Then we have a bit of lunch, and then I pick up my daughter from school, which is just down the road in the village, and try and cook her something, or Catherine's cooked her something. This is such a boring day.

Then, we might start arguing about what we're going to watch on television. And that argument finishes about 7:00 and I agree to watch something that my wife wants to watch. And then at about 7:15, she falls asleep and I watch what I wanted to watch till about 8:00. And then, we all go to bed.

What do you cook? Do you have any specialties?
I don't, but that's all changing now because I've just been on a cookery course. I was telling that amazing actress from The Bear yesterday that I've just been on a cookery course, so if there's any availability for me in the cast of The Bear... But I do roasts. I've got a smoker. I've started smoking some beef, and we eat our own pork from the pigs, so I've started smoking that. So, I'm quite good at roasts. I do also vegetarian option, which is a lentil stew, which is quite good. I do basics like breakfasts really. But my cooking's pretty poor, or it was until last week. And now, my wife is very much looking forward to the fruits of that week, which was going to kick off with a pear tart.

Was it Ayo Edibiri from The Bear that you were talking to? Because I know she had to do some training to do that role.
Yeah, she said she's a lousy cook, but she's got a lot better now.

What do you consider sexy?
I always think people are sexy when they're not dressed up or manicured. I think that's the only thing I can think of as a constant. I think when people are doing something that they are really good at or love doing, and are unconscious of themselves and very informal and barefoot perhaps, and in their own skin.

What's your perfect date night with your wife?
I'm trying to think the last time we had a date. I think both of our preference would be to be outside, somewhere beautiful with a moon, under the moon would be, I think, preferable to being anywhere else really. Somewhere remote and beautiful outside.

Do you have anything on your bucket list?
I took up sailing the other day. I told my kids my memoirs are going to be called Fads I've Had, and my latest fad is sailing. So, I'd love to sail a boat across the Atlantic — I'd love to get into that. I think with a small crew. And where where my wife is from in the west of Ireland, there's pretty punchy sailing around there. They have races and stuff in the Atlantic. It's pretty wild, and I'd love to be able to join. I'd love to be of use to some of those guys, because I know them and they're great guys. So, yeah, the bucket list would be racing with them in the west of Ireland or even crossing the Atlantic.

What makes you most happy?
It is the obvious answer, but being with my kids really, especially my youngest 11-year-old daughter. Doing anything with her is deep, deep pleasure. And when we're home, me and the children and Catherine, it's about as good as it gets really.

Describe what you hope your life will look like in 10 years.
Well, to be honest, I've been very lucky in my life. And at every stage, it's got better. I thought that when my children were young, I wanted them to stay young because it was so enjoyable. We went on trips all around the west of America and did lots of RV and camping and stuff.

But at every stage as they get older, it just gets better. Now, they're teenagers, I can share much more with them and hang out with them and share music and stuff with him. So really, I just like it to stay...not stay the same, but to develop along the lines it's got, which is that they're all healthy and happy and that I have regular contact with them, and that me and Catherine can manage to juggle our various commitments in Ireland and with my work and her work.

[And] I'd like to be winning an Emmy, finally.

I can't believe The Wire never got any nominations.
I think they got maybe one, but it certainly never won anything. Actually, it did get one, and [creator] David Simon was livid because the sound department got a nomination. He went, "F--. You bastards. We had a clean sweep, and now you have to get f------ nominated." But they didn't win!