Kristen Stewart arguably looks a lot like the late Princess Diana in the new Pablo Larrain film Spencer . The film’s production company released a new photo where the actress — best known for her role as Bella Swan in the Twilight series — appeared in costume for the shoot’s principal photography.
In the snap, Kristen wore a stunning quilted red jacket over a black dress with a large, loosely-tied bow at the neckline. This style was reminiscent of the early 1990s — the time period when the film takes place. She wore a black hat with a dotted Swiss veil that covered most of her face. Kristen appeared to have perfected Diana’s head tilt as she looked away from the camera in the photograph.
Spencer tells Diana’s story during a pivotal period in her life when she decided to leave her unhappy marriage to Prince Charles. The timeline of the movie is over a Christmas holiday she spent with the royal family at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
Kristen Stewart is Diana, Princess of Wales, in Pablo Larraín’s SPENCER. pic.twitter.com/ldpNLOGhOt
— NEON (@neonrated) January 27, 2021
The actress spoke about taking on the role in a November 2020 interview with Jimmy Kimmel for his late-night talk show, as seen here . Jimmy told Kristen that there has to be a challenge to carry the weight of such an iconic person and spoke of her as a beloved figure in history.
Kristen echoed his sentiments, saying she felt the same way about the royal. While she did not grow up with Diana the same way as he did — as she was very young when Diana died in a car accident in Paris, France — she retained a vivid memory of her passing. The actress remembered the enormous sea of flowers that were placed outside of Buckingham Palace in memory of the late Princess of Wales after her death in August 1997.
“It’s hard not feel protective of her,” she admitted of taking on the challenge of portraying the people’s princess. “She was so young. Everyone’s perspective is different so there will not be one interpretation. The movie takes place over three days, and it’s this really poetic, internal imagining of what that might have felt like, rather than giving new information.”
She also shared that all involved with the project have a great love for Diana.
To prepare for the role, which includes getting Diana’s speech inflections correct, Kristen revealed that she falls asleep while listening to Diana’s voice.
Larrain said in a statement printed by Town & Country that his version of Diana’s story is about identity and how a woman decides somehow not to be queen.
“She’s a woman who, in the journey of the movie, decides and realizes that she wants to be the woman she was before she met Charles,” the director related.
Variety reported that filming for Spencer will take place in Germany and the U.K. ahead of its late 2021 release.