Spencer actress Kristen Stewart feels “haunted” by the late Princess Diana, who she portrayed in the 2021 psychological drama film, so much so she breaks down in tears “at any moment” when thinking about the royal.
Kristen Stewart feels “haunted” by Princess Diana, and the mere thought of the late royal leaves her in tears “at any moment”.
The 35-year-old actress and director portrayed the late Princess of Wales – who died in a car accident in Paris in 1997, aged 36 – in 2021 psychological drama film Spencer, and now whenever Kristen thinks about Diana she becomes emotional.
Kristen also told how she cannot drive around London or Paris without thoughts of Diana invading her mind.
Speaking about being “haunted” by Diana, she told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: “I still am.
“I can’t drive round this city, and Paris for that matter, without thinking about her. All the love that poured out of this woman… I can cry about her at any moment.”
The 5ft 5in American star thought Spencer director Pablo Larra?n was “insane” for casting her as the British royal, and he pleaded with the filmmaker to cast someone else – but he refused.
She added: “I told Pablo he was insane and he should probably hire someone else, but he refused to accept that.
“There were some massive distinctions between her and me.
“It was the statuesque thing It was the eye colour – I have green eyes; she has very famously blue eyes that match her ring.
“So I was like, ‘Should we make the engagement ring green, then?
“[They] were pulling me under and Pablo was like, ‘You really must detach from those things – this is about spirit.’ ”
But one of the reasons director Pablo, 49, persevered with Kristen as Diana was because he could see “a little bit of overlap in terms of [their] experience”.
Like Diana, Kristen was photographed a lot when she rose to global stardom in the Twilight film franchise in the 2000s and 2010s, and the star has recalled the late princess being “so young and so vulnerable” during the height of her fame in the Royal Family.
She added: “And there was something about my energy. She was plucked, plucked to death [by paparazzi].
“And her rebellious qualities felt so desperate, and so young and so vulnerable.
“It does kind of soul suck.”
Kristen felt like “a shell” towards the end of filming Spencer, which focused on a three-day period over the 1991 festive season when Diana was staying at the Sandringham estate amid tension in her marriage to then-Prince Charles.
She said: “I did feel a bit like a shell, and I think she did too. That was the point.
“The clothes were part of the armour.
“They allowed me to step into her physical space and create images of her in this prison of a castle yet wearing lavish, stunning pieces of clothing. That is a poem in itself.”
In 2021, Kristen told how she believes Diana’s spirit gave her a “sign-off” for her performance in Spencer, and she often “forgot” the princess had passed away while filming scenes.
Asked whether she had ever had a paranormal encounter, she told the Los Angeles Times newspaper: “No. But I felt some spooky, spiritual feelings making this movie.
“Even if I was just fantasising. I felt like there were moments where I kind of got the sign-off.
“[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.
“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 break through.
“It was weird. And amazing. I’ve never felt anything like it in my life.”
Kristen Stewart is ‘HAUNTED’ by Princess Diana and any thought of late royal leaves actress in tears
