Actor Emma Corrin believes the backlash they have faced for identifying as non-binary comes down to the fact that “people always want answers”.
The 30-year-old rose to global fame in 2020 for playing Lady Diana Spencer in the historical drama The Crown, a role that earned them awards at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards.
After appearing in the hit Netflix series, Corrin came out as non-binary on social media in 2021, meaning they do not identify with the male or female gender.
Backlash and guardedness
Corrin has since spoken openly about their identity, including the severe online abuse they faced after coming out, previously calling it a “reality check” and describing it as worse than they had anticipated.
Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar UK, the star said: “I think people always want answers because they feel there is security in certainty.
“So they want to put you in a box. But I think we all do that to some extent.”
The actor, also known for their role in Deadpool & Wolverine, added that they have become “more guarded as I’ve got older” and “more introverted”, choosing to reveal less to the public.
Asked about discussing their private life, Corrin said: “If you talk about it, people have a right to ask questions.”
Finding certainty in their thirties
Corrin also said they feel more certain about their identity since turning 30 last December, adding: “I think you’re figuring out who you are in your twenties.
“You’re charging through and making mistakes, but you’re up for the chaos and the ride of it.
“Now I’ve landed in my thirties, I feel much more certain about who I want to be, who I am.
“Well, not that it’s done… I think it’s lovely to be always questioning.”
Upcoming Pride and Prejudice role
The actor stars as Elizabeth Bennet alongside Jack Lowden as Mr Darcy in an upcoming TV adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice, due for release later this year.
Corrin said their character is misunderstood and reflected on the role of femininity in society during the Regency period of the early 1800s, when the novel is set.
“If you don’t marry, you lose everything. It’s a question of life or death,” they said.
“I think Mrs Bennet is the real heroine of the series, because she fights against the restrictions of the time that she is living in.
“That’s incredibly noble and brave.”
On Austen’s writing, the actor added: “I hear so much politics in what she writes… But it’s smoke and mirrors.
“Sometimes you have to be quiet to be the loudest.”
The full interview appears in the November issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK, on sale from October 8.
