INTERVIEW

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Hannah George | 27/12/2024
Far from the contained and stiff upper-lipped princess Anne, Erin Doherty tells me about how she remains rooted to the aspects of creativity that are free and playful, proclaiming that it is the valid key to ‘not giving a fuck!’
Doherty reflects on her journey into acting, sharing that it wasn’t just about embracing creativity and finding stability during her childhood. ‘My mum and dad split up when my sister and I were quite young, and to keep things smooth, they put us into a weekend drama club. I had been going since I was four, so it was part of my world. And I think genuinely, I could never imagine my life without that, and knowing that that was something you could do with your time just kind of blew my mind.’
Doherty has always used acting as an emotional tool, explaining: "I used acting to express emotions that I didn’t like. Being given that opportunity to be angry at someone for like five minutes in this scene with no dangerous repercussions, being allowed to express myself whilst having the safety net beneath me, just really did something for me."
She continues to harness acting as a form of emotional release and curiosity into others' emotional states: "My job is there for me to explore, be curious, play and be safe, and I just would not be who I am without it."
Whilst Doherty stresses the role acting has played in her life from an emotional standpoint, she doesn’t fail to highlight the importance of viewership. "We need to tell stories; we need to express ourselves. But also, on the flip side, we need to watch stories and have things reflected on us; sometimes it takes for it to be in front of your eyes, in the format of a TV show or whatever, for you to really kind of process something that you didn’t realise was still undigested."
Delivering these stories in a way that resonates with viewers is crucial for Doherty. ‘For me, there is this real need to try and reach someone who may need to see or hear this. It is what keeps me excited.’
Speaking at greater length about audience reception, I asked how she felt about portraying such a well-known character as Princess Anne and the aftermath of such a high-profile, acclaimed role.
"I think I retreated massively because I’m a home bird, like, I just love that people can’t come near me. I love being at home. I have always been a small-circle social kind of gal. My family is everything, and my sister is my best friend."
Doherty adds to this, addressing the challenges of social media: "I think social media has something to say for that, like, and not in a bad way, but you, you’re suddenly aware that you have woken up, and you’ve got 10,000 more followers than you used to. So, you’re suddenly like, What the hell do I do with this? My instinct was to retreat as animal instincts go. I will just give me some space, and then I’ll figure out how I want to move forward."
"I had to learn to slowly take the steps that I wanted to in terms of I was so proud to be a part of this thing, so I was thrilled to go on this show and talk about this but then decided to pull back here. So, it’s just learning how to flow with it, but that’s an ongoing process."
Amid the increasing press and social media presence about Film and TV outreach and advertising, I asked Doherty about her experience setting boundaries for self-care.
"I don’t know whether it’s because we grew up and weren’t offered those things (like learning boundaries) through no fault of our parents, but not having those resources and being able to say no, we didn’t get that. So, we have to learn as we go. Maybe it’s a female thing needing to present."
"I overcame it by holding my hands up and telling people when I have no idea what I’m doing. That and learning to be vulnerable has been a game changer."
Chloe and The Crown consist of differing narratives, and the characters Doherty plays come with varying obstacles. Considering the difference in pressures of public perception and societal expectations, Doherty details how she tackles this.



"I’ve got that lens of how people will respond to these characters before judging them. I think there’s a positive in that. I’ve learned to love them all, and it will only be later that I’m like, oh god, yeah, this person does some questionable things because I go in open-minded, in that sense. I think playing someone honest that other people know is 10 times harder. It’s different because the character I play in this TV show did exist, but no one knew about her. So that was creatively stimulating because there was enough information out there to borrow me into, but at the same time, no one had an opinion, so I got to play. It’s striking that balance of feeling creatively inspired but also feeling like you can throw caution to the wind and be like, well, this is what I’ve made."
When choosing scripts, Doherty is curious, preferring to be surprised by the roles that come her way. "People often ask, ‘What’s your dream role?’ but I never have an answer," she shares. "I love the surprise of what lands on your doorstep. It’s exciting to play someone you never imagined you’d get to portray." She believes that characters come into your life when you’re ready for them, seeing it as a natural progression. "I love the idea that roles come to you at the right time when you’re ready to explore them."
Her passion for acting stems from a deep curiosity about human nature. ‘I just love people. I find us fascinating,’ she says, adding that this curiosity draws her to various characters and stories. Additionally, Doherty unveils the fascinations she was initially drawn to with Mary from A Thousand Blows.
"I found her inspiring because her gender never came into her philosophy of life and how she chose to move through it, she never once questioned - will people take me seriously? She was like we are going to create a gang, and we’re going to be the best. It wasn’t about gender. It never came into it. She had enough belief in herself and these other women to be like, Yeah, we’re going to be the best, and people will fear us. She knew she needed to approach it from that lens to succeed."
Doherty finalises, "Something was inspiring about that tenacity of spirit that she had, and I hope it rubs off on me enough to fake it."
Erin wears Gobi Cashmere
Words Hannah George
Photography Max Giorgeschi
Styling Beatriz Franciz
HMUA Rebecca Hampson
Agency The B Agency