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\'s stars that\'s almost palpable. From the moment the actors sit down for our interview, Claire Foy (of

fame) and Matt Smith (perhaps best known as the Eleventh Doctor in the British series

) are laughing and finishing each others sentences, with a distinct air of casualness about their relationship. It\'s a rapport that carries over into their on-screen portrayals of a young Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, adding vibrancy to a duo known for their stiff upper lips.

But stepping into royal shoes, of course, is no small feat. Here, the stars share the pressures and challenges of the series.

Why do you think Americans have such a fascination with the British royal family?

Matt Smith: I think it\'s something to do with the historical influence. There\'s something interesting about the depth of history that\'s involved and the fact that it is so different culturally and aesthetically [from America]. The truth is, I\'m just making up an answer because you asked me, I don\'t know.

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Claire Foy: They\'re an interesting bunch, physically and mentally.

CF: They\'re a diverse group of characters. Some of them are quite out there. And if you just take Princess Margaret for example, she was one of the most beautiful women of that era; she was like a movie star in lots of ways. She was very like Elizabeth Taylor. She lived an incredibly exciting life. I think that was because her sister was obviously doing the harder graft, but especially at that time they were glamorous and exciting and beautiful, and the younger generation now are no different I suppose. They represent continuity and a way of life.

Will the reception of the series will be vastly different in the U.K. than it will be in the U.S.?

CF: I think generally British people are more culturally cynical about the things that involve our own country. Especially the royals. And in any country, if you\'re close to something, you view it differently, but it will be interesting to see.

Do you feel like there\'s still a reason for the British monarchy in 2016?

MS: Absolutely. I think the are as pertinent and present now, as ever. Go look at any American newsstand, and I guarantee one of the covers will have something on William and Kate or George and Charlotte or Harry or something. There\'s a sense of interest and intrigue that still exists, which is amazing, really, considering that they\'ve been around for so long.

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Did playing these roles change your perception of these iconic figures who you\'ve known since you were little?

MS: They\'re ingrained in you culturally in England. You\'re born being aware of the royal family.

CF: I wouldn\'t say it changed, but it definitely deepened it, and gave it a human slant that I\'d never considered before. I thought she was just the Queen and he was Prince Philip, and that was just who they were, without thinking about them as a mother or a father or daughter. So, it\'s been really interesting to try and understand them as human beings. And when you see what they\'ve been through, it\'s relatively easy, to be honest. I have a huge amount of respect and understanding for them.

MS: There\'s always pressure playing someone who is alive because you want to honor them and capture energy that is truthful of them, and not, for want of a better word, bastardize them. [This show] presents a great opportunity because they

still alive. There\'s something terribly engaging about playing people of such notoriety and particularly who are such an important part of our culture.

CF: There is a pressure to get it right because people are going to watch it expecting to see a version of the Queen that they recognize. But you can\'t let that stop you from being bold or from taking risks. I think you\'ve still got to try and make the best program that you can, and that\'s what we\'ve done. I don\'t think we\'ve tried to do an impersonation or to be too...

CF: Yes, reverential because then no one would watch that; it wouldn\'t be very interesting.

CF: Very thorough. We had lots of people helping us, as well. It wasn\'t just me and Matt doing it on our own. I don\'t think we would have got very far. There was a team of researchers and...

MS: A lot of books, and we sourced as much audio and visual footage as we could find and really immersed ourselves in both the royal family and their emotional journey and the events that happened in their life, but also the cultural and political context of the \'40s and the \'50s.

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Some of my favorite scenes are in the second episode, in Kenya. What was filming that like?

MS: It adds great scale to the program, and it adds a romance to it that I think it needs. You need to really invest in their romantic journey, and I think Stephen Daldry shot that episode in a very romantic way.

CF: There\'s a lot of humor in that episode, the cultural thing, them abroad, and them seeing the world for the first time as a married couple. There\'s something really lovely and naive about it, I suppose.

MS: Which is romantic, isn\'t it? That naivety is sort of romantic.

] But then they sense something is changing, and then it does.

Much has has been written about how expensive this series is. Do you feel that the story needed to have a grand telling?

CF: You couldn\'t have done it otherwise. It needed that majesty. Otherwise, you wouldn\'t believe it.

MS: You wouldn\'t believe it unless there were 100 extras when there needed to be 100 extras or there was this amazing investment in costume. It needs the glamour of the era, and that costs money.

CF: For example, there\'s a scene when we go to the theater, and in reality, when [the royals] go to the theater, there are hundreds of people lining the streets, photographers. To hire out an entire theater in London\'s West End costs a lot of money, and you

have done it somewhere else, but you need that sense of London. The city is almost another character in a way.

CF: Nine is my favorite. There\'s a lot of Churchill and [Graham] Sutherland,who is played by Stephen Dillane, a really brilliant actor. And I think it\'s where their relationship changes—Elizabeth and Churchill. The statesman becomes the subject. But it\'s also my favorite episode for Philip and Elizabeth\'s relationship. I think it\'s the hardest one, but I think it\'s really true, and brilliantly directed. I really found it very touching that episode; I loved it.

MS: I love all the stuff that I get to do with Claire that feels domestic. When we\'re getting ready to go out or getting ready for bed or any of that stuff, I think it\'s always quite enjoyable to shoot. And it was a reshoot, but I loved driving down the Mall in the last episode in my car. There was no one there—they closed down the whole of Pall Mall for us, and it was totally surreal.

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What was the most challenging part of portraying these characters?

MS: Finding the balance between their truth and your truth and making it dramatic but respectful—not respectful—that\'s the wrong word. Making them live in reality. But the thing is we don\'t know how they really were. That was the challenge.

CF: I think it\'s about having all the elements, but not getting overwhelmed by the size of the part: how much you have to change yourself, how much you have to alter. Because it was a big job. And some of the scenes were looming. In the beginning, you\'d think, \'Oh my god, we\'re never going to get to a point where that makes sense.\' But then suddenly you\'re doing it, and it does make perfect sense. It is that thing of not end-gaming, I suppose.

Is there anything different about working with Netflix? Are you thinking about how people might watch the series all in one go?

MS: I have to say, I\'m really sort of anti the not-in-one-go thing now—isn\'t that weird? When it\'s week after week I think, "Ugh, a wait." You\'ve got an hour, and then you want another one. So, I think the model is really interesting, and I think the money they commit and the way they produce is the future. I really do. It feels good to be part of a company that\'s dynamic and setting a different tone.

You\'re already working on Season 2. Is there anything you can tease?

CF: Well, it goes up to 1964. Peter\'s got so much to go on. Margaret at that point finds a husband and gets married. He\'s got a wealth of things to choose from. So, just wait and see where Peter Morgan decides the show\'s going to go.

This interview has been edited for both length and clarity.

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