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Kristen Stewart has showcased her striking resemblance to Princess Diana in the first image from her starring role in the upcoming film Spencer.
It was revealed in June last year that the Twilight actress, 30, would depict the late royal in a film which dramatises a ‘critical’ weekend in the early 1990s, when Diana decided that her marriage to Prince Charles wasn’t working.
While the announcement was met with a mixed response, including fury over failure to cast a British actress, the image is no doubt set to blow away critics thanks to the incredible resemblance from the Los Angeles-born star.
Kristen looked incredible in the moody snap, as she gazed out a window and wore a replica of Diana’s red coat and black veiled black hat.
Incredible: Kristen Stewart has showcased her striking resemblance to Princess Diana in the first image from her starring role in the upcoming film Spencer
The script written by English screenwriter Steven Knight, who has also written Peaky Blinders, follows the moments in which the Princess of Wales realised she ‘needed to veer from a path that put her in line to one day be queen.
The story is said to take place over three days during one of Diana’s final Christmases at the House of Windsor in their Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England.
Pablo explained that the film will not delve into Diana’s tragic death, but instead focus on her marriage to Charles and the love she had for children Prince William and Prince Harry.
‘We decided to get into a story about identity, and around how a woman decides somehow, not to be the queen…
Way back when: It was revealed in June last year that the Twilight actress, 30, would depict the late royal in a film which dramatises a ‘critical’ weekend in the early 1990s, when Diana decided that her marriage to Prince Charles wasn’t working
A vision: Diana is pictured at Sandringham on Christmas Day in 1993, in the weekend the movie centres around, while Kristen is seen in a near-identical ensemble in the promo shot
‘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 said.
When the news was first announced, Twitter was swarmed with questions and comments, with users writing: ‘What could possibly go wrong?…
‘Couldn’t you have found a British actress?”Plenty of British actresses who would have been better for this role, Princess Diana was classy, Kristen is not.’
Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín defended his decision to cast the American actress in the role, telling Deadline: ‘Kristin is one of the greatest actors around today.’
Who’s that girl? Her usual grunge look (pictured in November) was nowhere to be seen in the stunning shot
Depiction: The troubled marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana will be the subject of the new film (Pictured above in Sicily British royal tour of Italy in 1985)
Pablo directed Natalie Portman in the 2016 Jackie Kennedy biopic Jackie, which earned the star a Best Actress Oscar nomination.
He added: ‘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.’
‘The combination of those elements made me think of her. The way she responded to the script and how she is approaching the character, it’s very beautiful to see. I think she’s going to do something stunning and intriguing at the same time.’
Princess: Kristen, 30, has signed on to the movie Spencer, that will dramatize a ‘critical’ weekend in the early 1990s
In October, Kristen admitted she’s nervous about taking on the role in new movie Spencer, especially the task of mastering the late princess’ accent.
Kristen, 30, will star in Spencer, which will dramatise a ‘critical’ weekend in the early 1990s, when Diana decided that her marriage to Prince Charles wasn’t working.
In a new interview with InStyle, the actress gushed that she hasn’t been ‘this excited about playing a part, by the way, in so long.’
Royal role: When the news was first announced, Twitter was swarmed with questions and comments, with users writing: ‘What could possibly go wrong?’
Kristen added though that there is one thing characteristic she’s desperate to master, admitting: ‘The accent is intimidating as all hell because people know that voice, and it’s so, so distinct and particular’.
‘I’m working on it now and already have my dialect coach.’
Kristen also revealed that she’s been working hard on her research before filming starts this year, saying: ‘In terms of research, I’ve gotten through two and a half biographies, and I’m finishing all the material before I actually go make the movie…
‘It’s one of the saddest stories to exist ever, and I don’t want to just play Diana – I want to know her implicitly.’
Actresses that have played Princess Diana
Naomi Watts as Princess Diana in the 2013 movie Diana
Naomi Watts in Diana (2013)
British-Australian actress Naomi Watts famously played the Princess of Wales in the 2013 movie Diana which was derided by critics at the time. ‘Diana might have been flawed and scheming and love-starved, but this film doesn’t help explain that. Nor does it illuminate the common touch and humanitarian side that endeared her to a global audience,’ film critic Suzanne S. Brown wrote. Even Naomi herself would later admit that the film was a ‘sinking ship’.
Emma Corrin in The Crown (2020)
Newcomer Emma Corrin was cast as Princess Diana in the fourth season of The Crown in 2019. Fans have yet to see the actress in the role though, as streaming giant Netflix has not released the next season of the show. However, the actress was pictured filming on location in Manchester in February earlier this year.
Newcomer: Emma Corrin was cast as Princess Diana in the fourth season of The Crown in 2019
Lesley Harcourt in William & Catherine (2011)
Scottish actress Lesley Harcourt – who has had roles in British crime drama Taggart – played Diana in this cheesy Hallmark movie in 2011. The TV drama was described as ‘superficial fun’ by critics and not taken very seriously.
Genevieve O’Reilly in Diana: Last Days Of A Princess (2007)
This Channel 5 docu-drama starred Irish actress Genevieve O’Reilly, who is perhaps best known for her work in the Star Wars franchise as Mon Mothma. It certainly fared better than other projects, with a review in The New York Times praising it: ‘It portrays her as needy but manipulative, loving but flawed — in other words, as a human being. Blending documentary techniques and scripted drama, it gives a surprisingly credible picture of the princess’s last summer.’
Made-for-TV: Irish actress Genevieve O’Reilly played Diana in 2007’s Diana: Last Days Of A Princess
Serena Scott Thomas in Diana: Her True Story (1993)
Based on the publication of the same name by Andrew Morton, British actress and model Serena Scott Thomas also found some praise for her portrayal in this made-for-TV movie. Entertainment Weekly said Serena showed ‘great charm’ in the role, but said she ‘more closely resembles a softer version of Murphy Brown‘s Faith Ford than she does the angular princess.’ Interestingly, Serena later played Carole Middleton in the 2011 TV movie William & Kate, depicting the courtship between the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Amy Seccombe in Diana: A Tribute To The People’s Princess (1998)
This ill-advised Princess Diana tribute was released just a year after her death, and starred little known actress Amy Seccombe for the part. The project was largely ignored upon release and thought to be distasteful. Seccombe’s only other role after the TV movie was playing a medic on the TV show Operation Good Guys.
Cheesy: Amy Seccombe and George Jackos play Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed in the TV movie The People’s Princess
Julie Cox in Princess In Love (1996)
Based on James Hewitt’s book, this American TV movie follows the relationship that blossomed himself between Diana. The role went to British actress Julie Cox who was recently seen in the crime drama Broadchurch. The title failed to have much impact upon its release.
Caroline Bliss in Charles And Diana: A Royal Love Story (1982)
This 1982 American made-for-television biographical drama starred Catherine Oxenberg as Diana, Christopher Baines as Prince Charles, and Hollywood royalty Olivia de Havilland as Queen Elizabeth. It originally aired September 20, 1982 on CBS. One damning review from The Washington Post called it a piece of ‘slack-jawed heraldic voyeurism incapable of, and apparently uninterested in, transforming remote news figures into believable mortals.’
US versions: (L-R) Caroline Bliss IN Charles And Diana: A Royal Love Story (1982), AND Julie Cox in Princess In Love (1996)
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