On ‘The Knock Knock Show’ hosted by Mohib Mirza, Humayun Saeed shared his experience of auditioning for the role of Dr. Hasnat Khan in ‘The Crown.’
Despite his fame, Saeed went through the entire audition process for the character in the popular series.
Saeed expressed his interest in ‘The Crown’ and his disbelief at landing a role in such a hit series. He mentioned that since Dr. Hasnat Khan is a Pakistani character, it never crossed his mind that someone from Pakistan could be considered for the role. When he was approached for the part, he was thrilled but surprised to learn that he had to audition.
He humorously questioned whether they couldn’t judge his suitability from his face or previous work. However, he acknowledged that the team must have watched some of his other projects. Saeed was informed that he was shortlisted along with four others from the eight actors auditioning from India and Pakistan.
During the audition process, Saeed, who was dealing with a bout of Covid, performed a scene. Despite thinking that he had lost hope, he believes his appearance during the illness may have contributed to him landing the role. The shortlisted actors then did another scene, and Saeed, along with one other actor, was selected for a final scene rehearsal with lead actor Elizabeth Debicki via Zoom.
After nearly 20 days of uncertainty, Saeed received the congratulatory call, confirming his role as Dr. Hasnat Ahmed Khan in the fifth season of Netflix’s ‘The Crown.’ In the show, he portrayed the British-Pakistani heart surgeon and close friend of Princess Diana of Wales, played by Debicki, in the final two seasons of the series.