The Crown’s Josh O’Connor says ‘thank god’ he didn’t pin back his ears before landing Prince Charles role

Actor Josh O'Connor has opened up about the insecurity he used to feel about his ears, stating that when he was younger he "wanted to pin them back".

O'Connor, who stars as Prince Charles in the upcoming third season of Netflix's The Crown, has previously said that his ears helped him land the role of the Prince of Wales.

However, while growing up, the 29-year-old considered undergoing a cosmetic procedure to alter their appearance.

"When I was at school I was embarrassed by them and I wanted to pin them back and now it's like, 'Thank god I didn't'," O'Connor told Press Association.

The actor added that he hopes he would have been considered for the role of Prince Charles "regardless", joking that he saved The Crown's production team money that may have otherwise been spent on prosthetics.

The pinning back of the ears is a cosmetic procedure known as an otoplasty or pinnaplasty, the NHS states.

The NHS explains that the procedure is usually carried out on children or young teenagers, with the price for the surgery costing approximately £2,500 to £3,500.

According to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), an otoplasty or a pinnaplasty involves altering the shape of the cartilage within the ear in order to make ears stick out from the head to a lesser degree.

"People with prominent ears are sometimes teased, particularly during their school years, and this can lead to a loss of self confidence," BAAPS states.

Earlier this year, Bodyguard star Richard Madden spoke openly about the body image issues male actors face, emphasising that it "doesn't just happen to women".

The actor told British Vogue that he often feels to ensure his body looks toned when preparing for nude scenes, stating: "We're projecting a very unrealistic body image."

In his interview with Press Association, O'Connor also spoke about the importance of encouraging men to not hold back from expressing their emotions.

The actor touched on the topic while discussing his latest role, the "emotionally articulate" Jake in drama Only You.

"At the moment masculinity seems to be a huge theme for me, partly because for men it's a huge challenge right now in society," O'Connor said.

"Our leaders are archaic masculine figures in so far as they are aggressively old-fashioned in their masculinity, people like Trump, potentially Boris Johnson."

O'Connor states that he doesn't know "what masculinity means", which is why he's keen to explore the subject in his work.

Earlier this year, a campaign was launched as part of Mental Health Awareness Week to encourage better representation of male body image in the media.

Created for men's health and wellbeing platform Manual, the campaign featured eight men, including transgender activist Kenny Ethan-Jones; Bashir Aziz, a model who has vitiligo; and Ben Whittaker, the UK's first plus-size male model.

“In a world where opening up about mental and physical wellbeing is arguably more crucial than ever before, it’s vital that we all work together to de-stigmatise men’s wellness and improve the health and happiness of men everywhere," said George Pallis, co-founder of Manual.