Kristen Stewart Says She Felt Princess Diana Gave Her 'Sign off' for 'Spencer' Role

By Stephen Andrew

Kristen Stewart stars as Princess Diana in the upcoming Spencer biopic, and the actress now says that she felt like the late Royal gave her "sign off" on the role. Speaking to The Los Angeles Times, following the film's North American premiere at Telluride, Stewart shared that she felt some "spooky, spiritual feelings making this movie." The actress added, "Even if I was just fantasizing. I felt like there were moments where I kind of got the sign-off."

Spencer tells a dramatized version of a Christmas holiday that Diana spent with the Royal Family at the Sandringham House in Norfolk, England. This was when the former Princess of Wales decided to end her marriage with Prince Charles, the Duke of Edinburgh. The title of the film is in reference to Diana's birthname, Diana Frances Spencer. Spencer is written by Steven Knight (The Girl in the Spider's Web) and directed by Pablo Larraín (Jackie). Filming began in January and, the film is currently set to open theatrically on Nov. 5.

"[Diana] felt so alive to me when I was making this movie, even if it's all between the ears and it was just a fantasy of mine. But there were moments where my body and mind would forget she was dead," Stewart told the L.A. Times. "It was ... a fight to keep her alive every day, and so remembering that she was dead was just absolutely lacerating. It just destroyed me constantly. And that itself felt spiritual ... there were times where I was like, 'Oh, God,' almost like she was, you know, trying to breakthrough. It was weird. And amazing. I've never felt anything like it in my life."

In addition to Stewart, actor Jack Farthing stars as well, playing Prince Charles in the film. Farthing is most well-known for his role in the BBC One historical drama Poldark. Netflix fans might recognize him, however, from the rom-com Love Wedding Repeat, which he starred in opposite Sam Claflin and Olivia Munn. Other Spencer cast members include, Timothy Spall (the Harry Potter franchise), Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), and Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation).

In a previous interview with InStyle, Stewart revealed that one of the hardest parts of portraying Diana was getting her accent correct. "We don't start shooting until mid-January. The accent is intimidating as all hell because people know that voice, and it's so, so distinct and particular," she said at the time. "I'm working on it now and already have my dialect coach."

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