Kristen Stewart, Spencer, & The Fuss About Casting

The online ruckus to Kristen Stewart’s casting as Princess Diana in Pablo Larraín’s Spencer is very much like the feedback I received recently on my new haircut. Opinions offered ranged from factual statements like “you got a new haircut!”, to extensive opinions on why the long hair I had for years just doesn’t suit me. I never asked for these opinions, but they were bestowed anyway. But that is social media and the internet, no?

We love telling people what we think, this incessant need to scream dissent, and feel absolutely satisfied when others toss out similar sentiments. Compromise is a dirty word, and opposing viewpoints, however valid, are casually dismissed, as we spin contently in the echo chamber of our thoughts.

When news hit about Stewart’s casting as Diana, I was surprised. She’s not a British actress, so I did wonder why they went with an American for a woman so synonymous with British royalty. In the later part of 2020, Season 4 of The Crown was released. Emma Corrin did such a stellar job as young Lady Diana, and I knew this didn’t bode well for Stewart, whose turn as Diana would now be heavily scrutinized and compared to Corrin’s efforts.

This year, some images of Stewart as Diana were released, and while many found the resemblance to be uncanny, others were quick to remind everyone of Stewart’s dismal acting chops. Despite how extensive Stewart’s filmography has been over the years, the default reference is still the Twilight movies.

Were the Twilight movies bad? Sure. They were still an entertaining watch, though. As someone who has read all four books, Stewart is pretty spot-on in her characterisation of Bella. It didn’t help that Charlie’s Angels, another project that Stewart was a part of, flopped pretty badly at the box office, and received middling praise from the critics. Stewart was constantly cited as one of the best parts of the film, but it didn’t matter — just another reason as to why she’s a mediocre actress.

Stewart, much like any actress, can be good when the project allows her to flaunt her skills. She was great in Personal Shopper, Still Alice, Clouds of Sils Maria (she won a César Award for her performance here), even Underwater, which didn’t fare so well with the critics, had many praising Stewart’s performance and once again, she was one of the best things about the film. We have to admit there is a certain mutability here, where actors can win Oscars, then turn around and give off-putting performances, like Jared Leto and Suicide Squad, or win an Oscar and a Razzie in the same year, à la Sandra Bullock.

This ruckus has been a pattern over the years, where actors were cast in certain roles and the public just didn’t agree. This happened to Stewart’s Twilight counterpart Robert Pattinson for Batman, as well as Heath Ledger for the joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Once again, despite Pattinson’s diverse filmography over the years, all he is to some people is a glittery vampire.

But as we saw from Ledger’s performance, which might be some of the best acting I’ve ever seen on the big screen, everyone who bemoaned the casting was subsequently forced to eat their words. We need to trust that the folks in casting and the directors know what they’re doing. After all, it’s their film and their vision, and they wouldn’t set out to make a dumpster fire.

Also, casting the grain is certainly intentional, as it’s a great way to get people talking about the film before it’s even released. Every single piece of media released about Spencer so far has been heavily evaluated – the visuals, the acting, all of us just waiting to get a little dose of Stewart’s accent so we can judge it and find it wanting.

I think the teaser for Spencer looked great, as did Stewart, who does a credible job of capturing Diana’s body language and inner ennui. Acting is more than merely mimicking; the actor has to bring more to the role and oftentimes, this means deviating from the scripted viewpoint that everyone has about this real life person. But that’s not what the public wants.

We just need to look to Rami Malek’s Oscar win for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody to see what people believe is good acting. If you compare – frame by frame – Malek’s acting for the Live Aid concert set against Freddie’s, it is remarkably identical. But why would I want to watch a film version of that when I could just watch the actual version on YouTube? Like I said, making art is more than just painting by numbers, but for many, competency isn’t nuanced – it’s either good or bad. It operates on the level of logical fallacy, where Stewart won’t do a good job in Spencer because she was bad in Twilight, or she’s a bad actress because she looks moody all the time.

The reality is not as absolute. The truth is, I don’t know if Stewart will do a good job. But will I hurl vitriol at her performance if she flubs her accent in parts? No. Will I be studying her performance and then comparing it to interviews of Diana, only to find her incompetent? No. What I will be looking at is the film, the cinematography, all the performances, the soundscape, the script – if the film succeeds as a work of art, and whether Stewart does her job as the film’s centrepiece.

Just like how I would never hold Dev Patel accountable for his role in the travesty that is The Last Airbender, I feel it’s only fair that I extend the same courtesy to Stewart. However, I feel my opinion won’t matter to those who will staunchly hold their ground – haters will continue to hate, but maybe the rest of us can work towards the middle ground of compromise.

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