On the sidelines of her first Oscar nomination for best actress, Kristen Stewart is gearing up for her directorial debut with The Waterline. The artist, who was a media figure for the youth phenomenon Twilight and her relationship and subsequent separation from Robert Pattinson, has devoted herself to independent cinema in recent years and is now emerging as a favorite to win the golden statuette for playing Princess Diana in Spencer , directed by the Chilean Pablo Larraín.
In an interview given to Who, Stewart told how she reacted when she was offered to be Lady Di in a film that would address Diana’s “battles”. “I told him are you crazy? Pablo (Larraín) felt a security that was contagious. I didn’t have a very definite opinion about her before making the movie, other than thinking that she was great, beautiful, and I remember that the loss of her was a great shock to the world, so much so that I felt it as a child. I remember all the flowers, the faces with tears. I thought what is this? At that time I became obsessed with ‘The Crown’ (the series). It’s impossible to know these people, technically. They live such unique things that we cannot relate to. We see everything from another perspective. I think the fervor of wanting to know and wanting to get close to them is something that he defined for her because maybe she was the most normal of everyone there. Ironically, though, she managed to make people feel supported and empowered. But, in reality, she was the most lonely and isolated person you could imagine at certain points in her life. So taking all these ideas, these are just the tip of the iceberg, basically I had to agree because I couldn’t say no. He had to try and give it a try. It was too bright to pass up, I was drawn to this,” said the actress.
After films like Adventureland (2009), alongside Jesse Eisenberg, or The Runaways (2010) with Dakota Fanning, he acted in Trip to Sils Maria (2014) with Juliette Binoche. The film catapulted her as one of the best actresses of her generation after winning the critics’ award and becoming the first American to win the César Award for best actress.
Despite having been on covers since her twenties and starring in arguments with the paparazzi, the 31-year-old actress who has announced her marriage to screenwriter Dylan Meyer told Who that putting herself in Diana’s shoes was difficult. “It was exhausting pretending to be her, but it also brought me more happiness than any role I’ve ever played in another movie. And we show three days that are not especially fun for her. We imagine ourselves on a cliff and if she doesn’t make a risky decision soon, she will be lost. There’s a lot about her that doesn’t make sense and that’s why I think all she wanted was to be normal and to be known. But I think it was only in her last years of life that she came to the point of knowing herself. I think all the edges of her seem desperate”.
Stewart said that she would have reacted the same as Diana in certain interviews. “If I was backed into a corner and felt like… I’d show my teeth too. She was also vulnerable to the point that she couldn’t hide anything. Yeah, I don’t think there’s a way to concisely summarize her because she’s gotten to a point where she’s really come into her own and gained acceptance, both from herself and from the audience, who accepted that she was unique and not an animated character.”
The actress recently told Vanity Fair how she sought to portray Diana’s emotional state. “I wanted to make sure her eating disorder was not overlooked. She was willing to do anything.” And about the Oscar campaign, she doesn’t take away her dreams of winning the statuette or doing well with the members of the Academy. “I don’t give a f… The Oscars are such a funny thing. There are so many amazing movies and performances that are barely seen.”