Kristen Stewart will soon take on one of her most challenging roles to date, portraying Princess Diana in a new film titled Spencer.
On Tuesday, news broke that the Twilight star had been cast as the late royal in the project, which will be directed by Pablo Larraín.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the former ELLE cover star will ‘portray Diana as she decides, during her Christmas holidays with the royal family at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, to leave her marriage to Prince Charles’.
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However, it seems that some Twitter users are less than impressed with the filmmakers’ casting of Stewart.
Of course, not all the reactions were negative. The actress’ new role did receive some praise from her loyal fans, with several noting her success in films such as Seberg (2019) and Personal Shopper (2018).
The backlash is similar to the criticism Stewart’s ex boyfriend and former Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson recently received after he was cast as the new Batman.
In response to some fans' indignation, Pattison told Time Out in January: ‘I'm only worried about if people like it when it's done. Right now, people can think what they want.’
Stewart follows in the footsteps of Naomi Watts who also played Princess Diana in the film Diana in 2013.
In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar in 2014, Watts opened up about her reasons for taking up the role and the critical acclaim it failed to receive (it has an eight per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes...).
‘I got seduced by the fantastic character,’ Watts told the publication. ‘Diana did a lot of things that had positive and negative results. She was multifaceted. [...] But ultimately there were problems [with the film] and it ended up taking a direction that was not the one I was hoping for.
‘With risk there is every chance it’s going to fail. If you have to go down with that sinking ship, so be it.’
Princess Diana lost her life following a horrific car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997. She left behind two sons: Prince Harry and Prince William.
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Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
