Spencer: Kristen Stewart opens up about playing Princess Diana – ‘I could relate to those feelings of being trapped and not knowing how to escape’

Nov 6 , 2021

Kristen Stewart is already attracting awards buzz for her role as Princess Diana in Spencer.
Photo: AP — Kristen Stewart is already attracting awards buzz for her role as Princess Diana in Spencer. Photo: AP

Stewart found parallels between her own struggles with identity and the British royal’s life with her ‘crowded marriage’, divorce from Prince Charles and ultimate tragic death

The former Twilight star and LGBT icon is already an early tip for best actress Oscar for her role in Pablo Larrain’s dramatic portrait of a princess in distress

In recent years Kristen Stewart has gained a profound sense of self-renewal and empowerment – she’s even recently announced that she’s engaged to her girlfriend of two years, Dylan Meyer. Her new fearless self (“I feel ready for it all!”) is undoubtedly what led her to take on the challenge of playing one of the most celebrated and beloved women of the last half-century – Princess Diana, whose tragic death at age 36 forever enshrined her in the public imagination. The result is Spencer, director Pablo Larrain’s inspired attempt at capturing the heart and mind of the late British royal.

Stewart says she accepted the role without hesitation in a display of bravado that still gives her the shivers.

“Pablo called me. I hadn’t read the script yet, and he proposed this idea and said he was doing a sort of weird tone poem about Diana, and asked whether I would be interested in tackling the subject at all, before he sent the script … And without thinking, very irresponsibly, I said, ‘Yes, absolutely’,” remembers the American actress.

US actress Kristen Stewart attends the headline gala of Spencer during the BFI London Film Festival at the Royal Festival Hall in London, on October 7. Photo: EPA-EFE

“Usually when you want to be part of a movie, you need to say, ‘Trust me. I know I can do this. Give me the job.’ And I didn’t have that kind of confidence for this project. I could have totally f***** it up. But in the moment, I was like, ‘Who are you if you don’t say yes?’”

Stewart’s gamble in taking on the role has paid off handsomely – her performance garnered rave reviews following the film’s world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in early September. She’s even considered one of the early front runners in the race for a best actress Oscar.

Arriving at Venice’s fabled Lido red carpet in a stunning Chanel mini dress and sporting strawberry blonde hair, the 31-year-old looked more comfortable than ever in the spotlight, confident she had lived up to her own high standards when it came to playing the late royal.

“I was really young when she died,” Stewart says. “I always knew she was different. My initial feeling about her was that she was incredibly attractive and cool. She seemed like a lovely person. I know that sounds basic. To me, she feels like such an odd mixture of things that don’t go together. I think that’s why it made for such a compelling story not just in the movie, but in life.”

Kristen Stewart, right, and Pablo Larrain pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film Spencer during the 78th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy on September 3. Photo: Invision/AP

Spencer abandons the traditional biopic formula by narrowly focusing on Diana during a three-day Christmas weekend at the royal family’s Sandringham country estate while rumours of a possible divorce from Prince Charles swirl. Stewart displays an uncanny ability to capture Diana’s angry and melancholic state of mind amid her crumbling marriage and need to distance herself from “The Firm”.

“Diana was born with an undeniable gift, a penetrating energy,” Stewart says. “Everyone feels like they know her because she was so accessible – and that was her unique talent, it’s very rare. But ironically she was the most unknowable person and she felt so isolated and so alone. I was fascinated by her fragility.