The best part of Netflix's 'The Crown' is the insanely big size of John Lithgow as Churchill
Netflix's The Crown is exciting to watch for many reasons: the show's historical accuracy, its all-star cast and, of course, its very compelling script.
More than all of that, however, there exists an even more captivating aspect to the show. A subtle detail, just noticeable enough to keep me coming back for more after every hour-long episode.
I'm speaking, of course, about how insanely big John Lithgow's Winston Churchill is.
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Winston Churchill, the UK's popular prime minister at the start of The Crown, was 5 feet 6 inches tall in real life. John Lithgow is 6 feet 4 inches.
When I learned this fact, I screamed as loud as I could for a full hour.
Don't get me wrong: the two-time Academy Award nominee Lithgow gives a magnificent performance as Churchill. Lithgow seamlessly falls into Churchill's candor, posture and intimidating presence.
It's just -- he's so, so big. So much bigger than Churchill actually was. Very big.
It seems to me that the show's producers wanted Lithgow to capture Churchill's hefty proportions. In doing so, they turned the actor into a walking Batman villain.
I mean this literally: Lithgow is as big as a truck in this show. He looks like Killer Croc, if Killer Croc dressed up as the Monopoly Man.
To its credit, the show attempts to "cheat" Lithgow's size when possible. He's often framed alone, or placed in either the foreground or background to not invite direct comparisons.
But then, shots like these happen, and everything falls apart.
Lithgow's Churchill looks like he could swallow every item of furniture in this show whole.
Queen Elizabeth II is 5'4" tall, just two inches shorter than Churchill. In the show, however, Elizabeth is roughly two stories shorter than the prime minister.
If you aren't already watching The Crown, you really should start. If not for the royal family drama, do it for the adventures of giant Winston Churchill.
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Topics Netflix
Max Knoblauch is the Assistant Humor Editor in the NYC office. He is a journalist, comedian and illustrator. More humor and art by Max can be found on his website.Follow him @MaxKnoblauch
