She portrays the late royal in the upcoming biography Spencer.
And Kristen Stewart has revealed that she fell asleep to videos and interviews of Princess Diana in order to prepare for her role as the royal, 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.
Preparation: Kristen Stewart has revealed that she fell asleep to videos and interviews of Princess Diana in order to prepare for her role as the royal, admitting she’s spent so much time studying her that she ‘can’t stop thinking about her’
Admit her portrayal of Diana – who died in a car accident in 1997 – Kristen spent hours analysing Diana’s accent and studying every part of her life, leading her gain a deep admiration and respect for the People’s Princess.
She 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.’
Connection: 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
And it was through her extensive research that Kristen 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 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.
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.
Role: ‘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’
Admiration: Kristen spent hours analysing Diana’s accent and studying every part of her life, leading her gain a deep admiration and respect for the People’s Princess
Dedication: ‘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’
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’.
Similarities: ‘It was through her extensive research that Kristen learned that she shares some of the same vulnerabilities as Diana amid the huge levels of fame they both experienced’
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.’
Thumbs up: It comes after Kristen said she believes the spirit of Princess Diana gave her a ‘sign-off’ for her performance in Spencer
And Kristen admitted there were times when she ‘forgot’ Diana was dead and it ‘destroyed’ her every time she remembered the princess was no longer alive.
She told the LA Times: ‘[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.’
Feelings: ‘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’