Kristen Stewart, 31, went to great lengths to portray the late Princess Diana in her critically acclaimed film Spencer. The Oscar nominee revealed in Vanity Fair‘s 2022 Hollywood Issue, published on February 17, that she tried purging to prepare for a scene involving Diana’s difficult battle with bulimia. “I wanted to make sure that was not glossed over,” Kristen told the outlet.
The actress explained she’d “do f***ing anything” to nail the emotional scene, which was filmed by director Pablo Larraín and features Diana having a nightmare that she’s choking on her own necklace during a royal dinner. “I couldn’t throw up on this movie, even when I really should have,” Kristen explained. “I felt like absolute shit and I could not get it up, and I know it was because my body was just like…the idea of that was so untouchable.”
Diana had confirmed her bulimia struggles in her infamous 1995 interview with British journalist Martin Bashir. “I had bulimia for a number of years, and that’s like a secret disease,” the princess said then, according to Vogue. “You inflict it upon yourself because your self-esteem is at a low ebb, and you don’t think you’re worthy or valuable.” Diana, who died in Paris two years after that interview, also revealed that she hadn’t told friends or family about her eating disorder.
Kristen’s received praise for her performance in Spencer. She even received a Best Actress nomination for the 2022 Oscars. The Twilight alum previously revealed that she started working on her British accent months before shooting the film. “The accent is intimidating as all hell because people know that voice, and it’s so, so distinct and particular,” she said in an October 2020 interview with InStyle. “I’m working on it now and already have my dialect coach.”
Spencer is inspired by three days in the princess’s life, as she navigated the difficult decision of divorcing Prince Charles, who is played by Jack Farthing.