Kristen Stewart’s Oscar-worthy Turn as Diana in ‘Spencer’
Spencer is the much-anticipated biographical drama starring Kristen Stewart, which arrives at cinemas on 16 December just in time for Christmas.
Directed by Pablo Larraín and written by Steven Knight (Locke, Peaky Blinders), the film centres around Princess Diana amid rumours of affairs and a divorce from Prince Charles. Having grown cold, the royal couple join the indulgent Christmas festivities at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate. This imagining chronicles what might have happened over those fateful days…
Much like Gus van Sant’s Last Days, which created a fictionalised account of alternative music and pop culture icon Kurt Cobain’s final days and hours, Pablo Larraín offers audiences a similar window of time into a turning point in Diana Spencer’s world. As Larraín suggests, this is “an upside-down fairytale” about a woman who would be Queen but chose to build her own identity. Having directed Natalie Portman to Oscar recognition for her astounding turn in Jackie, it seems as though Larraín has done it again with Kristen Stewart’s portrayal of Lady Di, who many are tipping to be a favourite ahead of the 2022 Academy Awards.
Larraín praises Stewart for her ability to be “very mysterious, very fragile and ultimately very strong” and a “force of nature”, qualities the director was looking for and cherished in his leading lady. When questioned about the casting process, Stewart recalls how confident Pablo was, saying “without even having a conversation with me or making me read anything, he knew I could do it”. Through her meticulous research, Stewart delved into “Diana’s soul” and developed a love for Diana discovering commonalities in periods of her life where she felt out of control and under the watchful eye of the public.
Fascinated with discovering and revealing Jackie Kennedy’s personality and influence, who like Diana built her own identity, “both understood how to use the media of their times to convey certain versions of themselves to the outside world”. In Spencer, the drama concerns itself with Diana’s process as she wrestles between doubt and determination in making the decision to finally leave Charles, family to escape the burden of Royal life, the media and the eyes of the nation. While a snapshot of a few critical days, Spencer serves as a reflection of her life.
This isn’t a docudrama but a work of fiction siphoning real elements, infusing them with imagination and unfurling them using “the tools of cinema”. Wanting to reflect Spencer’s inner life, the concept of mystery and fragility become very important with Stewart capturing a great deal through her eyes, especially in the more surreal moments. Stewart also mastered Spencer’s English accent with the help of her seasoned dialect coach, honing her “casual but incredibly intense way of speaking that was so disarming and really attractive”.
Stewart is in good company in Spencer, ably supported by Oscar-nominated actor Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) and BAFTA-winning actor Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner), as well as Sean Harris and Poldark’s Jack Farthing as Prince Charles.
