Pakistani superstar Humayun Saeed just dropped some behind-the-scenes gossip about his role in Netflix’s global hit The Crown—and it involves a kissing scene that nearly didn’t happen!
Humayun played Dr Hasnat Khan, the real-life British-Pakistani heart surgeon who had a secret romance with Princess Diana. His appearance marked a historic first—no Pakistani mainstream actor had ever made it to The Crown before.
But while fans celebrated, Humayun was sweating it out on set.
“I was literally burning up—**102 fever, COVID positive—but I still sent in my audition tape from bed,” he laughed. “Twenty days later, boom! I got the call—Congratulations, you’re Dr Hasnat Khan!”
The real drama started when it came to filming the intimate scenes.
“I told them straight up—this doesn’t happen in our culture! Even husband and wife actors in Pakistan don’t get this close on screen. We act from across the room!”
The Crown team immediately hit pause. “They got worried,” Humayun said. But co-star Elizabeth Debicki (Princess Diana) stepped in to make him feel comfortable.
“She was super supportive and kept praising me. They waited until I was totally okay with it.”
Humayun admitted this was the first time in his entire career he filmed such a scene, calling it a huge emotional and cultural leap.
For context, the man he played—Dr Hasnat Khan—was reportedly Diana’s ‘Mr Wonderful’. She visited his family in Lahore in 1996, and friends claim he was the love of her life.
As for Humayun? He might’ve made history with this role, but he’s also made it clear:
“Kissing scenes? Boss, that’s not our department!”