Why Kristen Stewart Was ‘Viciously Protective’ of Princess Diana

“Extra’s” Jenn Lahmers spoke with Kristen Stewart and director Pablo Larraín about their new movie, “Spencer.”

Stewart opened up about how she prepped to play Princess Diana in the film, which chronicles Christmas 1991, when she decided to leave Prince Charles.

Of her process, Kristen shared, “I did all the reading and watching that was kind of available in terms of research. I had a brilliant acting coach. I’ve never worked with an acting coach. I’ve worked with dialect coaches over the years but never so intensely and intimately.”

She continued, “I think more than trying to do a perfect impression of her, it was about reading everyone’s perspectives... every memoir... people loved her so much. It was really important to bury emotional triggers in regards to her life that maybe we weren’t articulating in the movie, because it is poetic and it doesn’t profess to present any new information. It doesn’t tell you the whole story, because we already know the whole story. So you get to kind of dream in between these moments that you already know about and bring those experiences to the movie.”

While researching the role, Kristen said she grew attached to Princess Diana. She explained, “The whole research period was literally just sort of falling in love with her, just feeling protective of her in a genuine sense, so when we were there, it wasn’t a stretch to imagine feeling sorry for somebody in a scenario like that. I was so kind of viciously protective of her.”

As to whether Kristen felt any pressure in playing the Princess of Wales, she admitted, “Yeah, of course. It’s funny, I had to trust Pablo immediately and not think too much about it because it’s a mountainous range of daunting thought to consider her whole life, and luckily I didn’t have to. The script was so beautifully written and concise and daring and imaginative and not something that felt... it didn’t feel shakeable to me.”

She added, “I don’t have a developed relationship with the royal family as an idea. I’m from L.A. I was very young when Princess Diana passed away, but I just felt like this was something that lived in its own desires and curiosities. I wanted to work with Pablo. As soon as I heard his voice on the phone saying, ‘I just think you should do this thing,’ I’m not gonna say no to you, but this is wild.”

Pablo also revealed why he felt Kristen was perfect for the role. He said, “I always saw that it was just so obvious in my perspective, because Diana was a person that there’s a lot around her, a lot of things that we know, but in reality, we know nothing about her. Probably the most mysterious person as well as the most known person of the 20th century. And I think that mystery is something she carries as well, Kristen has.”

Stressing that the makeup, hair, and mannerisms aren’t enough to play the role, he continued, “What we think we have with Kristen is someone that can manage that mystery and create a beautiful emotional bridge with the audience, and that’s what cinema should try to do, I think.”

Explaining why he decided to focus on that moment in time in Diana’s life, Pablo pointed out, “Compressing the days of her life to just a few days, it just lets you feel and see little things everyone feels when we are in a crisis. We probably expose ourselves better than in regular times. I think we just chose a big crisis for her, which is the moment that she left the family and decided not to be married anymore with Charles. In just those days, maybe something so relevant for her life came out, which is her identity.”

He argued, “I personally don’t think biopics can portray someone’s life. So assuming that you always fail to do that, it’s just better to go away and try to have one little moment of someone’s life that could maybe help us understand her a little more.”