Fans got a first look at Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana from her new film Spencer today (Jan. 27, 2021).
The film, directed by Pablo Larraín, focuses on the one weekend when Diana decided to leave her marriage to Prince Charles. Spencer was her maiden name before she wed the British royal.
While some feared that casting Kristen Stewart as the former Lady Diana Spencer in a biopic might spell disaster given the spotty track record of portrayals of the princess on the big screen, the actor looks positively royal in the first look at Pablo Larrain’s Spencer.
Stewart spoke about playing the iconic figure in a recent InStyle cover story, revealing she was nervous about nailing Diana’s posh accent. “The accent is intimidating as all hell because people know that voice, and it’s so, so distinct and particular,” Stewart said. “I’m working on it now and already have my dialect coach.”
The Twilight alum will star as the late princess in an upcoming biographical movie from the Jackie filmmaker that focuses on a “critical weekend” in the early 1990s, when she ultimately decides her marriage to Prince Charles is beyond repair.
Stewart also shared an official statement on Spencer and the story she and the rest of the cast will be bringing to life under Larraín’s direction.
Per Stewart, “Spencer is a dive inside an emotional imagining of who Diana was at a pivotal turning point in her life. It is a physical assertion of the sum of her parts, which starts with her given name: Spencer. It is a harrowing effort for her to return to herself, as Diana strives to hold onto what the name Spencer means to her.”
