FULL Spencer trailer released! ‘Will they kill me, do you think?’ Kristen Stewart portrays tortured Princess Diana as she contends with a frosty Queen Elizabeth, navigates a terse marriage to Prince Charles, and gives a glimpse of THE wedding dress
- SPENCER will be released in UK & Irish cinemas on 5 November 2021 following its premiere in October
- Stewart has won widespread critical acclaim for her role as Diana following preview screenings of late
- For her portrayal of Diana – who died in a car accident in 1997 – Stewart spent hours analysing her accent and studying every part of her life, leading her to gain a deep admiration and respect for the People’s Princess
- The movie follows Diana’s decision to end her marriage to Charles, Prince of Wales, who is portrayed by Jack Farthing, and exit the British Royal family
- The film co-stars Timothy Spall, Sean Harris, Stella Gonet, Sally Hawkins and Richard Sammel
The eagerly-anticipated full-length trailer for Spencer has been released, with Kristen Stewart depicting a tortured Princess Diana as she battles life behind-the-scenes with the Royals.
The film sees the dark turn in Diana and Prince Charles’ marriage and follows infamous moments from her life as princess, such as the reportedly frosty Christmas festivities at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate, her relationship with her beloved sons, the way she navigated the press and a constant battle with her in-laws.
Last month, a brief teaser was released in which viewers heard just one line of Stewart’s take on Diana’s accent; however the new full trailer – released on Thursday – shows her flawless take on the Royal.
THE dress! A full trailer for upcoming film Spencer has been released – and sees Kristen Stewart in the role of Princess Diana as she contends with a frosty Queen Elizabeth, navigates a terse marriage to Prince Charles and has desperate chats with her sons. There’s even a glimpse of her wedding dress [pictured]
Opening with an already frosty turn, the Queen is heard asking an aide: ‘Is she here yet?’
‘Not yet, ma’am, no!’ he replies. ‘Then she’s late’, the Queen replies, curtly.
A speeding car is driven by Diana along a country road. She seems exasperated, anticipating the pending fireworks she’ll face with the Royal Family.
On arriving at Sandringham, she greets her sons, Princes William and Harry, before disappearing to the powder room.
Bracing herself for the holiday, Diana talks to herself in a mirror: ‘Three days. That’s it!’
She is then told by a lady in waiting, ‘They’re getting quite serious about you,’ before heading into a room filled with the Royals. She is ordered by her aide: ‘Stand very still and smile a lot! They know everything about you!’ To which Diana replies: ‘They don’t!’
Frosty: The film sees the dark turn in Diana and Prince Charles ‘ marriage and follows infamous moments from her life as a princess, such as the battle with her in-laws [pictured Stella Gonet as Queen Elizabeth II]
Spitting image: Stewart [L] is taking on the role of Princess Diana [R, 1989] in the new biopic
Glimpse: A brief teaser was released last month in which viewers heard just one line of Stewart’s take on Diana’s accent; however the new full trailer – released on Thursday – shows her flawless take on the Royal
Speaking to the young William, he asks: ‘Mummy what happened to make you so sad?’
She answers her son: ‘Here in this house, there is no future. The past and the present are the same thing!’
‘Do you want to be the Queen?’, Harry asks. She replies: ‘I’ll be your mum…’
She is told, ‘Diana, they can’t change, you have to change!’ as she storms through the palace in a sweeping fishtail gown.
Charles then instructs her across a billiard table: ‘You have to be able to do things you hate. There has to be two of you, the real one and the one they take pictures of. Diana – For the good of the country.’
(Un)happy holidays! The film sees Diana’s infamously terse Christmas festivities play out at the Sandringham Estate with the rest of the family
Pained: The eagerly-anticipated trailer sees Diana and her tortured battles behind-the-scenes with the Royals
A sequence of Diana’s anguish then plays out, and she is heard saying: ‘I like things that are simple, ordinary. Things that are real. There’s no hope for me. Not with them!’
Her aide tells her: ‘Fight them! You’re your own weapon!’
Diana is seen running through an avenue of trees in her wedding dress, before she rips a necklace of pearls from her throat.
‘Will they kill me, do you think?’ she replies, simply, as the trailer draws to a close.
Plot: Set in 1991 and set for release on November 5, the trailer sees the Twilight star roaming the grounds of the Sandringham Estate at Christmastime as her marriage to Prince Charles breaks down in the wake of divorce and infidelity rumours
Gearing up: Diana is seen zooming along a country road ahead of reaching Sandringham for the tense Christmas
Earlier this month, Stewart revealed that she fell asleep to videos and interviews of Princess Diana in order to prepare for her role, admitting she’s spent so much time studying her that she ‘can’t stop thinking about her’.
The actress, 31, also told how she can relate to some of Diana’s vulnerabilities including the downsides of fame and the struggle with other people’s perceptions, noting that she had ‘tasted’ a ‘high level’ of what she went through.
For her portrayal of Diana – who died in a car accident in 1997 – the actress spent hours analysing her accent and studying every part of her life, leading her gain a deep admiration and respect for the People’s Princess.
Stern: Opening with an already frosty turn, the Queen is heard asking an aide, ‘Is she here yet?’ ‘Not yet, ma’am, no!’ he replies. ‘Then she’s late’, the Queen replies, curtly
Feelings: Her intensity has won widespread praise and played out vividly in the trailer
Bracing herself for the holiday, Diana talks to herself in a mirror: ‘Three days. That’s it!’
Stewart told The Sun: ‘She means a lot to me, but it’s all relatively new because I’m from LA and didn’t grow up in England. Before this, she was not something that was at the forefront of my mind, because I lived so far away from it all. Now I can’t stop thinking about her.
‘I often wonder what she’d think about what’s going on in the world right now. To be honest, I’ve now consumed pretty much all there is to consume in terms of videos and interviews. I’ve watched everything that you could hear or see. I even go to sleep with it on.’
And it was through her extensive research that she learned that she shares some of the same vulnerabilities as Diana amid the huge levels of fame they both experienced.
Noting that Diana was one of the most famous women in the world, Kristen, who at one point was the highest-paid actress in the world, admitted she has merely ‘tasted’ a ‘high level’ of what the Princess experienced.
The Twilight star added however that it was ‘nowhere near’ the ‘monumental representation’ of an entire group of people that Diana was.
Biopic: She is then told by a lady in waiting, ‘They’re getting quite serious about you,’ before heading into a room filled with the Royals
Changing history? ‘Diana knows the game. But this year, things will be profoundly different. Spencer is an imagining of what might have happened during those few fateful days,’ the film’s logline reads
Reflecting on what she saw of Diana’s life, Kristen observed that Diana ‘wanted to control’ what other people had though about her ‘but couldn’t’, adding that this was something that ‘everyone’ experiences.
Kristen then recalled occasions were she believed she had made connections but unwittingly left a bad impression leaving her desperate to amend things as she ‘didn’t say the right thing’.
She empathised with Diana, adding: ‘Imagine what that was like for her. Imagine feeling backed into a corner to that extent. She was desperate for a connection with people and made people feel so good while she was feeling so bad on the inside herself.
The Charlie’s Angels star went on to described Diana as one of the ‘biggest energies’ in history, noting that it was the ‘coolest thing’ that she wore her ‘heart on her sleeve’.
Pain: Diana’s turmoil plays out on screen in the trailer in scenes with William and Harry
The whole family: Tension is rife throughout the trailer among the Royals
Coming soon: SPENCER will be released in UK & Irish cinemas on 5 November 2021 following its UK Premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on 7 October 2021
In the interview, Kristen also suggested that the similarities to Diana’s personality helped her pull off a convincing performance, with Kristen remarking that she ‘can’t fake it’ as she it was coming from a ‘real place’.
It comes after Kristen said she believes the spirit of Princess Diana gave her a ‘sign-off’ for her performance in Spencer.
The actress admitted she experienced some ‘spooky, spiritual feelings’ while shooting the film, which focuses on a three-day period over the 1991 festive season when Diana was staying at the Sandringham estate.
Asked whether she had ever had a paranormal encounter, she said: ‘No. But I felt some spooky, spiritual feelings making this movie. Even if I was just fantasizing. I felt like there were moments where I kind of got the sign-off.’
SPENCER will be released in UK & Irish cinemas on 5 November 2021 following its UK Premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on 7 October 2021
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, and earned critical acclaim for her portrayal of the charming but troubled young princess.
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 and James Hewitt. 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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