January 29, 2021
Watch: First Image Released of Kristen Stewart in Princess Diana Biopic
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Though the film "Spencer" isn't expected to be out until next year, the first image from the Princess Diana biopic has already landed - and, thanks to its glamor and mystique, has made quite a splash.
In the photo, star Kristen Stewart - who plays Diana - is seen in a red jacket and black hat, looking startlingly like the real deal. CNN pronounced the similarity to be "uncanny" in a video segment that offered a side-by-side comparison of the film's subject and its star.
Variety reported on the biopic's storyline, taking note of the script's high-caliber provenance: "Written by 'Peaky Blinders' creator Steven Knight, the film focuses on one weekend in the life of Princess Diana, as she spends the Christmas holiday with the Royal Family at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, and decides to leave her marriage to Prince Charles."
Director Pablo Larra�n explained to IndieWire how Stewart's casting is a perfect fit for the picture, which is currently lensing in Germany.
"To do this well, you need something very important in film, which is mystery," Larra�n said. "Kristen can be many things, and she can be very mysterious and very fragile an ultimately very strong as well, which is what we need."
Stewart thrilled audiences at home recently with her starring role in Hulu's LGBTQ-themed holiday movie "Happiest Season," which she called "a gay Christmas movie." In that film, Stewart plays Abby opposite MacKenzie Davis' character, Harper. When the two visit Harper's conservative family for the holidays, tensions rise due to Harper never having come out to her family.
Commenting on the Princess Diana film and her role, Stewart reflected that, " 'Spencer' is a dive inside an emotional imagining of who Diana was at a pivotal turning point in her life."
Stewart went on to add, "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."
The starry cast also includes Timothy Spall ("Mr. Turner") and Sally Hawkins ("The Shape of Water"), Variety reported.
To see the CNN video, click here.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
