Kristen Stewart’s role as Princess Diana in the new film Spencer has been resulting not only in Oscars buzz around its lead actress but in the reframing of Stewart as a Hollywood heavyweight.
Since she burst onto the scene in the Twilight franchise, Stewart has been a controversial figure—either loved or hated by audiences and critics alike. But in Spencer, Stewart leaves no question of her acting ability, managing to embody Princess Diana in a way that not many have successfully done on-screen before her (bar Emma Corrin in the recent season of The Crown, of course).
But despite the changing narrative around her, Stewart isn’t changing herself, nor her IDGAF attitude towards fame and the industry surrounding her. In fact, when the topic of a potential Oscar nomination came up during an interview on Variety’s Award Circuit podcast, the 31-year-old made it abundantly clear she could not care less about whether her performance in Spencer or the movie itself gets nominated at the upcoming Academy Awards.
“I don’t give a sh*t,” Stewart said with her usual candour. “The Oscars are such a funny thing. There are so many incredible movies and performances that barely get seen. It definitely says something about where we’re at as a cumulative presence, like, what we’re looking at [and] what we care about,” she continued.
Though Stewart didn’t mince words when speaking about the awards ceremony, which has been discussed recently as not being nearly as inclusive or diverse as it should be, Stewart did note she’s happy the film is resonating and that audiences enjoy it.
“I really appreciate that something that I was involved in, has ignited such a large conversation,” she explained. “We don’t make movies to not connect with each other. It absolutely speaks to her resonance. It just won’t stop reverberating.… It’s nice that people are talking about it to the extent that they are.”
Prior to Spencer’s release, Stewart spoke of Princess Diana saying the late royal is “such a strange combination of things that don’t seem to go together.” A description that’s since been used in reviews to describe Stewart herself.
“The power she pulls into every room is probably what was so upsetting for people who wanted a sort of demure and quiet figurehead,” Stewart continued to Entertainment Weekly. “She was just tactile and warm and kind of buzzing with fragility that needed to be pacified and salved.”
