Emma Corrin's parents wouldn't let her quit school to become an actress.
Emma Corrin as Princess Diana
The 'Crown' star has revealed that her family were keen for her to get a "degree under her belt" before she fully focused on her acting, even though she wanted to leave when she was 16.
Speaking about her first experience with acting, she said: "I don’t remember the decision to be an actor. It was just … a very stark interest. I wrote a lot as a child. I had an insane imagination. I spent a lot of time outside, creating worlds; I put on a lot of plays.
"But I was 16 before I started thinking about it seriously. I had to say to my family: this is what I want to do. I wanted to quit school, and get an agent. My parents wouldn’t let me. They wanted me to have another option, to get a degree under my belt."
And Emma admits she was rejected from drama school twice so she did end up studying in Cambridge to get a degree, which she described as "the best three years of her life".
Speaking to The Observer New Review, she shared: "I remember sitting on the bed, having got the letter from Rada. There was a voice in my head that said: right, how badly do I want this? I can’t let this affect me. I need to find a way.
"I'd heard an interview in which someone said: there’s no one way of doing it; determination and harnessing your creativity are the most important things. So I ended up going to Cambridge – I studied education – and they were the best three years of my life."