Celebrity
Kristen Stewart Reveals a Spirit of Princess Diana Still Haunts Her After Portraying the Royal
Kristen Stewart says she is still “haunted” by princess Diana years after Spencer
Kristen Stewart confesses that the memory of Princess Diana has lingered with her almost unwillingly ever since she portrayed Diana in the film Spencer (2021). According to the Academy Award nominee’s interview with The Telegraph released 5 Feb, the feeling of being “haunted” by the late Princess during filming has never really left her.
“I can’t just drive around the city of London,” the actress explained referring to London, “and of course Paris as well, without thinking about her. The love that this woman gave so freely… I might cry over her whenever I want.”
Stewart who became widely known due to her role in the Twilight saga, admitted that Diana’s trials under heavy media exposure and public infatuation really struck a chord with her. “She was literally plucked, plucked to death by the paparazzi,” remarked Stewart. “And the way her defiant traits were seen as so desperate, so young and so vulnerable, that is what I understood about her.”
Kristen Stewart Says Playing Princess Diana Took a Toll on her Emotional State
Kristen Stewart says taking the role of Princess Diana was emotionally draining and she still feels the effects of it today.
The actress, who really understands the painfulness of being under intense scrutiny that it becomes “a kind of soul suck,” revealed that by the time they wrapped filming of Spencer, she was emotionally depleted.
Stewart elaborated, “I remember thinking, ‘I am a bit like a shell,’ and I think it was the same for her. That was the point.”
Although it was a role that would bring her one of her most acclaimed performances, the 35-year-old confessed she was not eager to do it at first. According to Stewart, director Pablo Larraín had to persuade her to take the role.
“I told Pablo he was wild and that he should probably find someone else, but he wouldn’t take that answer,” she said. She also laughed about their disagreement, pointing out that Diana had “very famously blue eyes” and she herself had green eyes, adding with a smirk, “Should we make the engagement ring green, then?”
Kristen Stewart Reveals How Dressing Up for the Role of Princess Diana Helped Her Connect with the Character
Kristen Stewart revealed that she was initially unsure about portraying Princess Diana but her fears got immediately resolved by the film director Pablo Larraín who was the one that truly inspired her to not base the character on the physical similarities with Diana but rather to focus on the emotional truth.
“Pablo was like no, you really shouldn’t get attached to all these things—it’s about spirit,” Stewart said.
When she was again at the location and saw the costume, Kristen was really able to identify with Diana and her aura. “The wardrobe was definitely one of the strongest layers of the armor,” she said. “It gave me the opportunity to get into her character and picture her in that situation of being locked up in a gloomy castle and at the same time dressed up like a queen in spectacular clothes. That alone is a kind of poem.”
As much as Stewart—who is getting ready to shoot her second feature film K-12 and whose directorial debut The Chronology of Water was out in December—is advocating the cause of female filmmakers, Diana had already transformed the British royal family in a positive way.
