‘Spencer’ vs. ‘The Crown’: First Looks of Elizabeth Debicki and Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana
Princess Diana was the people’s princess, an icon who will be remembered for generations. She was sadly taken from us too soon, and for some, it’s hard coming to terms with that. Her intriguing life has never been as popular as it is today, mainly because her sons Prince William and Prince Harry have families of their own. People want to know more about her.
In Hollywood, she’s become one of the most portrayed historical figures. Filmmakers keep going back to her story, documenting her life on the big and small-screen. Now, within the next couple of years, three actors will have played Diana. Emma Corrin is finished playing a younger Diana in The Crown, Elizabeth Debicki is set to play an older Diana in the last two seasons of The Crown, and Kristen Stewart will play her in the film Spencer. But which Diana looks better to fans, Debicki’s or Stewart’s?
Fans reactions to Kristen Stewart’s Princess Diana was mixed
Fans got to see the first photo of Stewart as Princess Diana in Pablo Larraín’s Spencer in January 2021. She’s wearing a hat with mesh covering her face, but it looks like she’s got the look right. She has the blonde Diana hair and that sultry look down. The only thing that Stewart said she was struggling with was the accent but told InStyle she was working with her dialect coach around the clock.
“I don’t want to just play Diana — I want to know her implicitly,” Kristen said. “I haven’t been this excited about playing a part, by the way, in so long.”
Spencer will take place over a weekend during one of her last Christmas holidays at the royal residence Sandringham before her split from Prince Charles. “We decided to get into a story about identity, and around how a woman decides somehow, not to be the queen. She’s a woman who, in the journey of the movie, decides and realizes that she wants to be the woman she was before she met Charles,” Larraín explained.
Casting Stewart seems to be a controversial topic for some. According to Yahoo!, her first look was met with mixed reactions, but there was an overall shock. Many people on Twitter expressed their negative views of Stewart playing Diana. Some want Diana to be left alone, and others are objecting to an American playing her. But there have been some Stewart supporters who’ve called her first look “uncanny.”
Fans reaction to Elizabeth Debicki’s Princess Diana was good overall
When The Crown Season 5 premieres, Debicki’s Diana will start around the same age as Stewart’s Diana in Spencer. We’ll get to see her divorce from Prince Charles and her life as an ex-royal. It’s still unclear whether we’ll see her life until she died in 1997.
“Princess Diana’s spirit, her words, and her actions live in the hearts of so many,” Debicki said in her statement announcing her casting per Vogue. “It is my true privilege and honour to be joining this masterful series, which has had me absolutely hooked from episode one.”
Unlike Stewart, fans met Debicki’s first look with overall positive views. Debicki is shown looking sultry on a couch, and her hair and makeup are even more spot on. Many people praised the casting director for their choice.
“The casting director of The Crown needs a raise,” one fan wrote on Twitter, while another wrote, “I can smell the awards coming.”
Who will be a better Princess Diana?
While Debicki seems to have gotten a more positive reaction to her first look than Stewart, only time will tell which one will do Diana more justice. They both might. Just because some people are against Stewart playing Diana doesn’t mean she’ll do a bad job. Just because Debicki has been approved by many doesn’t mean she’ll do a great job either.
One thing is for sure; it’s an exciting time for royal fans because there are so many projects coming out. By the time The Crown Season 5 and Spencer premiere, we might be sick of the royals, but we can’t see that happening.
