Source: Variety
Wednesday, September 1, 2021
Details on the making of 'Spencer' and casting Kristen + NEW behind the scenes photo
Click on photo for full view.
Shooting an independent film about Princess Diana was never going to be easy. But add in Covid and Brexit, and UK producer Paul Webster faced “the hardest thing I’ve ever done” with Pablo Larrain’s Spencer.
At a breakfast at The Ivy Club in London in early 2018, Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain and his producer partner and brother Juan de Dios Larrain came together with UK producer Paul Webster and writer Steven Knight to talk about Pablo’s idea to make a film about Princess Diana. The group had been looking for a project to collaborate on for a while. “And Pablo said he couldn’t get Diana out of his mind,” Webster recalls.
Whether he came up with the idea on the spot or had been mulling it over Webster does not know, but he recalls that Knight pitched the idea of setting the film over one Christmas at that lively breakfast conversation. “Over the course of an hour, we developed the idea, and it is pretty much how the film is now in terms of the three-day structure and the idea that this woman arrives at what will be her last Christmas at Sandringham with the royal family in a state of some distress,” says Webster.
Such an upbeat and productive early morning meeting provided no dramatic foreshadowing for just how difficult the shoot for Spencer — which will premiere in Venice Competition — would turn out to be. “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” admits Webster.
He doesn’t say that lightly. Webster is one of the UK’s most experienced producers with credits that range from The Tall Guy (1989) and Romeo Is Bleeding (1993), through a stint as the head of Film4 to the founding of Shoebox Films with Guy Heeley and director Joe Wright in 2011, making features such as Knight’s Locke (2013) and, most recently, Marjane Satrapi’s Radioactive (2019).
“I said to Juan that we should try to make this movie the old-fashioned way,” Webster explains. “He agreed and suggested we bring on Jonas Dornbach of Germany’s Komplizen Film, with whom he and Pablo [through their production outfit Fabula] had worked on A Fantastic Woman. That gave us the potential to access soft money out of Germany.”
The Larrain duo, Dornbach and Webster decided to fund development themselves and then hire a sales agent to pre-sell the film internationally. Knight delivered his script in mid-2019. CAA Media Finance and Endeavor Content came on board to handle US rights, with FilmNation taking international. Kristen Stewart signed on to play Diana just before the pandemic-delayed Cannes virtual market of 2020, where the project sold out.
Next in line
Securing their lead actress had not been easy. “We had conversations with a couple of actresses who shall remain nameless, both of whom loved the script and Pablo,” says Webster. “Then they both passed. I think the reason was a fear of the potential controversy depicting this very visible woman. It’s very challenging for an actress to play somebody with such visibility. Diana is arguably the most famous woman of the 20th century.”
Pablo Larrain’s next suggestion was to approach a US actress, namely Kristen Stewart. “We all thought that was a very good idea,” says Webster. “[As an American] she would not have the baggage that others more intimately connected with the UK would have. It was about finding somebody who could free themselves of the shackles of the public persona. And Kristen is completely fearless.”
When it came to the traditional financing plan, the idea had originally been to match German soft money with similar financing from the UK via support from the BFI, BBC Film or Film4 that would allow the producers to retain control of the film. “We went to all three and they all loved the script — and none of them put any money in. It took the BFI eight months to say no,” says Webster.
“[BBC Film head] Rose Garnett was a big champion,” he continues. “She was enthusiastic about the notion but William and Harry are young in the film and, even though there is nothing particularly controversial about their portrayal, she needed [the] BBC compliance [department] to sign off on that. And they did not.
“In another world I would have been royally pissed off at that. But I wasn’t. Nor should we be. The BBC is under such pressure. They have had such a kicking over the years and they are one of the great media organisations in the world and we should be proud of them. So, fair enough, not this time.”
It was decided to shoot the majority of the film in Germany, mostly the interiors of Sandringham Palace. That meant the project could access support from various national and regional funds including the German Federal Film Fund (DFFF), Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, German Federal Film Board (FFA), Film- und Medienstiftung NRW and HessenFilm und Medien. Exteriors would be filmed for one week in Norfolk and London, making the project eligible for the UK tax relief.
“But, of course, Covid came along and made things awfully complicated,” says Webster drily. “We wanted to make the film right away because of Kristen’s availability and that meant we were going to try and make it during the pandemic.”
Funding challenges
The big challenge was finding a bank to cashflow the film. Paris-based Cofiloisirs came in but was nervous — nervous of Covid shutting down the shoot and nervous of traditional distributors buying the film on a territory-by-territory basis at a time when cinemas were closed all around the world. “Cofiloisirs brought in the insurance themselves and worked with Commerzbank in Germany to co-fund the film,” says Webster.
But another crisis loomed thanks to the fallout of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union on December 31, 2020. One of the bank’s own insurers pointed out the project was not presently qualifying as European under its own cultural test requirements. By a stroke of luck, it was discovered Jack Nielen, the young UK actor cast as Prince William, also held a Dutch passport. Crisis averted. (Webster is at pains to underline Nielen was Larrain’s first choice to play William: “He was the best kid we saw and he was our original choice.”)
But the challenges continued to come. Shooting during the pandemic for 32 days in January and February 2021 at a castle near Dortmund with Covid-safe health protocols was compounded by a travel ban on people moving in and out of Germany.
“The German authorities were very supportive but it meant all the actors had to stay the entire time. Even if they were only working for a week they had to stay and were not allowed to go back and forth,” says Webster. “That put a lot of pressure on the actors and our budget. It was an expensive way to make a movie — this is an independent movie, [budgeted at] less than $20m — and it proved incredibly difficult managing things. There were a lot of hidden costs that we couldn’t anticipate — due to Covid delays, due to the bureaucracy, things not arriving and all that kind of stuff.”
While not as much as 20% more, he describes the extra costs as “substantial”. The Brexit factor caused further headaches with delays in shipping materials and goods to Germany from the UK. Everything was held up at customs.
Webster did save on his expenses as he took the difficult decision not to travel to Germany as he was not yet fully vaccinated. It was the first time Webster had not been on the set of a film he has produced. He is sanguine now he is out the other side of it. “I have two good partners and it was a very well-run production,” he says. “And Pablo is an extremely responsible filmmaker. But it was difficult.”
Back at the 2020 virtual Cannes market, the film’s headline deals were a joint pick-up by Neon and Topic Studios for the US and STX’s acquisition of key territories including the UK, France, Italy and Benelux. DCM is releasing in Germany. The team had conversations with the streamers about fully funding the film but Webster is confident the right choice was made. “It was so difficult making this film, and I often think we should have taken one of the offers [from the streamers],” says Webster. “But our partners have been great and it’s worked out. But it was very, very risky.”
The Spencer team’s ambition was always to make a film for theatrical release. “I am a huge supporter of cinemagoing and it’s given me an amazing career,” says Webster. “I would like to give back and try and support it as much as I can. Pablo was also absolutely committed to making a film for the cinema. If we can retain the theatrical experience, everybody benefits — the audience, filmmakers and culture in general. It’s not an experience you can replicate, no matter how sophisticated your home entertainment system is.”
'Spencer' will screen at the Telluride Film Festival in September 2021
On Christmas weekend in 1991, the marriage between Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, nèe Diana Spencer, spirals apart. And we get to watch. Director Pablo Larraín and screenwriter Steven Knight ingeniously weave a narrative that stays scrupulously close to known historical fact with a dark, dream-like fairytale gone wrong, a mashup of the official history, SNOW WHITE and THE SHINING. The film’s power emerges directly from the fearless and deeply committed performance of Kristen Stewart, imagining Diana mercurial and haunted, while Sally Hawkins, Timothy Spall and Sean Harris play the royal staff torn between their obligation to help control Diana and their desire to support her. The score, from Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, ingeniously combines chamber music, jazz and pop. Following his films NO, NERUDA and JACKIE, Larraín continues an inspired string of alternative histories of essential moments. –LG (U.K./Germany/ Chile, 2021, 111m)
In person: Pablo Larraín, Kristen Stewart
Screenings: Saturday 4 September 1pm and 6.45pm. Sunday 5 September 10pm. Monday 6 September 9.15am with a post-screening Q&A (8.15am PT/ 11.15am ET).
Source: Telluride Film Festival
Thursday, August 26, 2021
Wednesday, August 25, 2021
First reactions to 'Spencer' and details of the footage and trailer shown at Cinema Con
EW The very first footage from Pablo Larraín's Princess Diana biopic Spencer debuted at CinemaCon on Wednesday and EW was there for the sneak peek. The film follows three days in the life of Diana (Kristen Stewart), as she spends Christmas with the royal family at Norfolk's Sandringham estate, and wrestles with the decision to end her marriage to Prince Charles (Jack Farthing) amid rumors of affairs.
In the footage, which has not been released publicly, a nearly unrecognizable Stewart and Farthing square off over a pool table in what is presumably a billiards room on the royal estate. The two, who are separated by the length of the table with a series of perfectly cued all-red balls between them, are immediately at odds and arguing about one of their sons shooting with the family. At one point, she barely contains her anger by banging on the pool table in rage. It's quickly clear that the real issue is not the shooting, but various untruths and resentments between the couple. Charles confronts her about everything from wandering the grounds alone, to how she opens curtains, and possible infidelities are implied. But, at the heart of his issues with her, is her apparent lack of desire to conform to royal standards.
"There's two of everyone," he tells her. "We are given tasks, you have to be able to make your body do things you hate."
"That you hate?" she repeats, nailing Diana's whispery tone of voice and accent.
"Yes, for the good of the country," he says. "For the people, because they don't want us to be people. That's how it is. I'm sorry I thought you knew." The confrontation ends with Charles flicking the eight ball to her, which she picks up and subsequently drops. The final shot is of the lonely eight ball on the floor.
NEON also screened a teaser trailer for the film. Underscored by a piano-based score overlaid with sounds of a children's choir, the trailer features shots of the opulent life surrounding Diana, from the decadent food, to the gorgeous clothes, to the royal family seated at a long dinner table. There are various shots of Diana, who doesn't utter but a few words in the trailer, looking miserable as she spins, dances, and runs from her troubles on the Sandringham estate.
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The Wrap On Wednesday, Neon debuted a teaser and first-look footage of “Spencer,” in which Kristen Stewart plays the late Princess Diana.
The first-look begins with a montage of elaborate outfits laid out for Princess Diana, and Diana cooped up in the bathroom, hiding out from everyone else who have sat down for what looks like a meal around Christmas time. The footage also shows Diana dancing through the palace, running through the fields, sauntering through the halls in a silver dress, and being hounded by the paparazzi. It’s clear from the teaser that Diana is at the end of her rope and wants to leave, but she needs to stay in line.
Neon then showed footage of a conversation between Diana and Prince Charles across a snooker table, creating a physical space between the couple that was known to be troubled. They discuss her private and public persona and the way she decides to dress, and they also argue about one of their sons taking up shooting. It’s intense and full of anxiety and ends with Charles rolling over a black ball that Diana catches.
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Deadline Early-risers at Neon’s CinemaCon presentation this morning got a first look at the trailer and an extended clip for Spencer, the biopic about Princess Diana that stars Kristen Stewart and which will world premiere at the Venice Film Festival next Friday, Sept. 3, then move on to TIFF.
There’s been a lot of attention on the prospect of Stewart’s portrayal of the iconic Lady Di (she was last in Venice playing another real-life woman in 2019’s Seberg). But her accent here is pitch-perfect as the Princess of Wales.
The trailer footage begins with the arrival at Sandringham for the Christmas weekend and takes us through preparations for dinner while Diana is clearly stressed in a bathroom as she’s called to the table. Other images show her strutting down a long hallway dressed to the nines in a silver gown, sitting for a family portrait, paparazzi snapping cameras, and Diana also in moments of letting loose dancing and running across the estate grounds.
In the extended footage, Diana and Charles discuss the scrutiny that’s placed on them by the media. She says, “If they’re circling, it seems they’re circling just me.” To which Charles retorts, “Perhaps that’s because I always take care to close my curtains.”
In the tense exchange, he adds, “There has to be two of you. There’s two of me… The real one and the one they take pictures of… We are given a task… But you have to be able to make your body do things you hate.” Diana: “That you hate?” Charles: “Yes… For the country, the people. They don’t want us to be people. That’s how it is. I’m sorry, I thought you knew.”
They have their tiff across a distanced snooker table and also nip about the son’s taking up shooting outside, and her wardrobe. The scene culminates in Stewart’s Diana having a measured display of irritation at her husband who is railing on her, but with such a placid tone.
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Insider has seen the first-ever footage of "Spencer" during the Neon presentation of its upcoming slate at CinemaCon, the annual movie-theater convention, on Wednesday.
The highly-anticipated movie from Pablo Larraín ("Jackie") stars Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana as she struggles with her marriage to Prince Charles.
The footage features Stewart being confronted by Charles over her not being the princess everyone wants her to be. We can see Stewart's Diana clearly frustrated over her role and feeling like a prisoner in her own home.
Along with the gripping scene that could garner Oscar attention for Stewart, and the amazing production design and costuming, there's also Stewart's English accent.
It is flawless.
Like Natalie Portman playing Jackie Kennedy in "Jackie," it's less about her physically looking like the icon and more about her voice and mannerisms.
Don't get me wrong, Stewart has the look with the costuming and wavy blonde hair. But her voice perfectly matches to that of Princess Diana.
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Joblo Kristen Stewart’s much-anticipated Princess Diana biopic, Spencer, was the movie everyone left the CinemaCon Neon presentation talking about. While definitely offering a lower-key slate than any of the studios, who are there presenting their tentpoles, Neon can boast a few pretty intriguing awards contenders, and indeed Spencer leads that pack.
While some might be rolling their eyes at the idea of another Princess Diana biopic, Pablo Larraín’s film seems unconventional and very much a companion piece to his own Jackie. Like that film, this seems to focus on the strain of being on display, and in the public eye, 24/7. However, taking place during the crumbling years of Diana and Prince Charles’ marriage (with Charles played by Jack Farthing), this is a lot different than The Crown on Netflix, as it seems more focused on the domestic aspect of being a royal rather than the pageantry. It’s shot in 1:33:1, with low-key cinematography, although the camera work is unique.
In the extended clip we saw, Diana and Charles stand on opposite ends of a billiards table. As they argue, the camera cuts back and forth between each side of the table, slowly pulling in as the argument escalates. They argue about their respective affairs in coded language, with Charles eventually telling Diana, “There has to be two of you. The real one, and the one they take pictures of…you have to be able to make your body do things that you hate… for the good of the country. For the people, because they don’t want us to be people. I’m sorry – I thought you knew”.
Stewart’s performance seems to be on point, with her accent convincing to my non-educated ears. She’s also wearing a prosthetic nose that makes her look quite a bit like Diana. I was impressed.
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JasonGuerrasio Just saw footage of SPENCER. Kristen Stewart is going all out for that Oscar glory. And her Princess Di accent is spot on! #CinemaCon
ScottDMenzel I just saw the teaser trailer for #Spencer & a 5 minute clip from the film. Based on the footage, it looks like Kristen Stewart will be getting an Oscar nomination for her performance as Diana. I’m feeling very confident that this is going to be #KristenStewart’s big moment.
_LaurenHuff My full write up of the #Spencer footage is coming momentarily but let me just say: WOW. Cannot wait to see the rest. Kristen Stewart nails it. (EW)
katiesmovies I really enjoyed the footage of #Spencer that @neonrated showed during their #CinemaCon presentation! I thought she did an excellent job and I look forward to seeing the rest.
Tuesday, August 24, 2021
'In Conversation With...Kristen Stewart' at the Toronto International Film Festival on 15 September 2021
In Conversation With... Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart is charting her own creative path in the film industry. Following her early work with the likes of David Fincher and David Gordon Green and her stratospheric rise to superstardom in the wake of the Twilight franchise, Stewart has collaborated with some of the most original filmmakers of our time, such as Walter Salles (On the Road), Olivier Assayas (Clouds of Sils Maria, Personal Shopper), and Kelly Reichardt (Certain Women). She has been vocal about LGBTQ+ representation behind and in front of the camera, while starring in Clea DuVall’s recent queer holiday hit Happiest Season.
As we celebrate the fifth anniversary of TIFF’s ongoing Share Her Journey initiative in support of women in the film industry, we proudly present a conversation with Stewart about her love for “soul-driven and explorative” cinema and her highly anticipated portrayal of Princess Diana in Pablo Larraín’s Spencer, a Special Event at this year’s Festival.
This live digital event is accessible to audiences worldwide on TIFF Bell Digital Talks for free. The event is part of TIFF’s Share Her Journey initiative, which prioritizes gender parity with a focus on mentorship, skills development, and other opportunities for emerging creators who are women. Pre-register for this exclusive event here.
Join Kristen's talk at TIFF on 15 September at 12.30pm ET.
(9.30am PT/ 5.30pm UK/ 6.30pm CET/ 16 Sept 2.30am AEST)
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
'Spencer' will have a special screening at the Toronto International Film Festival on 15 September 2021
The red carpet screening will be on 15 September at 6.00pm at the Princess of Wales theater.
Kristen Stewart stars in Pablo Larraín’s haunting chamber drama that imagines a tumultuous Christmas in the life of Diana, Princess of Wales.
A thematic companion to his TIFF ’16 Platform selection Jackie, the latest from Chilean director Pablo Larraín is, like its predecessor, a haunting chamber drama about a world-famous woman reaching a tumultuous turning point. Starring Kristen Stewart, Spencer follows the Princess of Wales as she navigates a precarious Christmas holiday with the Royal Family at their Sandringham estate in Norfolk — a moment that will set Diana on a path to independence, however tragically short-lived.
The Prince’s infidelities with Camilla Parker Bowles have become public knowledge. The fairy-tale façade of Charles and Diana’s marriage has crumbled. Arriving at Sandringham tardy and alone, Diana is expected to adhere to a series of soul-draining exercises in empty propriety, routinely changing outfits and posing for photos. She savours whatever hours she can secure with her sons, William and Harry, but her sole confidant is her personal attendant (Sally Hawkins). As Diana begins to disobey decorum, her every indulgence is tracked by a former Black Watch officer (Timothy Spall) newly employed by the Queen to keep paparazzi at bay — and the Princess on a tight leash.
Written by Oscar nominee Steven Knight (Locke), Spencer elegantly balances history and conjecture, while Larraín’s uniquely atmospheric, intimate approach — buoyed by an exquisitely unnerving score from Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood — slides seamlessly between internal strife and external strain. Stewart, meanwhile, is nothing less than a revelation, merging a meticulous evocation of a mercilessly scrutinized public figure with affecting hints of the vulnerable private woman gasping for breath beneath the mask of monarchy.
Source: TIFF
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