'Spencer' Production Notes + director Pablo Larrain talks about Kristen

SHORT SYNOPSIS 

The marriage of Princess Diana and Prince Charles has long since grown cold. Though rumoursof affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate. There's eating  and  drinking,shooting and hunting. Diana knows the game. But this year, things will be a whole lot different.SPENCER is an imagining of what might have happened during those few fateful days.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT 

We  all  grew  up  understanding  what  a  fairytale  is,  but  Diana  Spencer  changed  the  paradigm,  and  the idealised icons that pop culture creates, forever. This is the story of a Princess who decided not to become a Queen, but chose to build her identity by herself. It’s an upside-down fairytale. I’ve always been very surprised by her decision and thought it must have been very hard. That is the heart of the movie. I wanted to explore Diana’s process, as she oscillates between doubt and determination, finally making a bid for freedom, not just for herself but for her children too. It was a decision that would define her legacy: one of honesty and humanity that remains unparalleled.

Making Jackie (2016)  has  made  me  even  more  interested  in  discovering  and  revealing the  intimate personalities of women who changed the face of the 20th century. Both Diana and Jackie built their identities by themselves, not necessarily connected with the men they were married to. Both understood how to use the media of their times to convey certain versions of themselves to the outside world, though they did so in very different ways.

When Diana decides to leave Charles, the family, and the life that comes with it, it is a decision she takes for herself, realizing that her own identity matters more to her than that of the Royal family or the nation. But there is no idleness about that –she does it because she needs to. She is living in an environment that is crushing her,  diminishing  her,  so  she must protect  herself  and  her children.  Diana’s  process,  between  doubt  and determination, over the very condensed time of the Christmas holidays in Sandringham may just be a small glimpse at her life, yet it can say so much more than that. It is a life reflected in a few days.

A lot has been written about Diana, in newspapers, books and magazines. The stories are endless –some can be  proven,  some  cannot.  We did extensive  research  aboutDiana, Royal  Christmas  traditions,  and  the anecdotes  of  ghosts  at  Sandringham  House.  Yet the Royal  family  is  notoriously  discrete.  They  may  appear publicly on some occasions, but at some point, the doors close, and once they are, you don’t know what is happening behind them. That gives a lot to fiction; that was our work. We didn’t aim to make a docudrama,we wanted to create something by taking elements of the real,and then using imagination,to tell the life of a woman with the tools of cinema. That is why cinema is so fantastic:there is always space for imagination.

Of  course,  for  a  character-driven  film  like  this,  actors  are  of  the  utmost  importance.  A  good relationship between  the  main  actress,  the  camera,  and  myself was key  to  build a character everybody  thinks  they already know.

Kristen Stewart is one of the great actors around today. She is where she is now because she has something very important in film, which is mystery. Kristen can be many things; she can be very mysterious, very fragile,and ultimately very strong as well,which is what we needed. The combination of those elements made me think of her. The way she responded to the script and how she approached the character is very beautiful to see. She has created something stunning and intriguing at the same time. As a filmmaker, when you have someone who can hold such a dramatic and narrative weight just with her eyes, then you have the strong lead who can deliver what we were hoping for. She isaforce of nature.

Building the character of Diana,we didn’t just want to create a replicated image of her, but use cinema and its tools, like time, space, and silence, to create an internal world that struck the right balance between the mystery  and  fragility  of  her  character.  Both  these  sides of  her are very  visible  in  the scenes that  have supernatural elements. My idea was not to drift towards the paranormal or absurd, but rather reflect an inner life. Everything Diana sees is are flection of her memories, her fears and desires, and maybe even her illusions. These elements take something that is happening inside her and show a vulnerability that is very beautiful.-Pablo Larraín

Kristen Stewart | ‘Princess Diana’

Kristen Stewart is one of the most accomplished, talented and in-demand young actresses in Hollywood.  In 2015, she became the first American actress to be awarded a Cesar Award in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role in Olivier Assayas’ Clouds of Sils Maria, in which she starred alongside Juliette Binoche.  She received several other accolades for Clouds of Sils Maria including the Best Supporting Actress prize for: NYFCC, BSFC, BOFCA, and NSFC. In January 2017, Kristen made her directorial debut with Come Swim which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.    

Coming up, Kristen will  begin  production for David  Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future opposite Viggo Mortensen  and  Léa  Seydoux. Most  recently, Kristen can be seen as the title character,  Jean Seberg, in Amazon Studios Seberg and starred in Hulu’s romantic comedy Happiest  Season. Other  recent  projects include Sony’s Charlie’s Angels and Twentieth Century Fox’s Underwater. 

Kristen was introduced to worldwide audiences in 2002 with her gripping performance alongside Jodie Foster in Panic Room. Her star took a huge rise when she starred as Bella Swan in the hit franchise The Twilight Saga. The series has  grossed  over  $3.3 billion in worldwide receipts and consists of five motion pictures. She also starred in Universal’s box office winner Snow White and The Huntsman; and in Walter Salles’ screen adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road.

Kristen’s career has  displayed a challenging assortment of characters in additional films including: Adventureland, Into the Wild directed by Sean Penn, The Runaways, Welcome to the Rileys, The Cake Eaters, The  Yellow Handkerchief, What Just Happened, In The Land of Women, The Messengers,  Zathura, Speak, Fierce People, Catch That Kid, Undertow, Cold Creek Manor, The Safety of Objects, Camp X-Ray, Still Alice, Anesthesia, American Ultra, Equals, Ang Lee’s War/Drama, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, and Lizzie. Notable more recent credits include Olivier Assayas’ Personal Shopper, Woody Allen’s Café Society, Kelly Reichardt’s Certain Women, and JT Leroy.

Download the the production notes pdf here.

Source: Elevation Pictures