Kristen Stewart has been giving memorable movie performances since she was just a kid, from playing Jodie Foster's daughter in the David Fincher thriller "Panic Room," to her César Award-winning turn in the Olivier Assayas-directed drama "Clouds of Sils Maria" to, of course, leading the pop-culture phenomenon known as "The Twilight Saga" as vamp-loving heroine Bella Swan.
After decades of solid work in the film industry, however, the 34-year-old actress gave the performance of her career in the 2021 biographical drama "Spencer," which saw the American star take on the daunting task of portraying the late, great Lady Diana, the Princess of Wales, who captured hearts the world over with her humanity and humor before tragically dying in a car accident in August 1997 at age 36.
Most recently seen in 2024 titles like the romantic thriller "Love Lies Bleeding" and the road comedy "Sacramento," Stewart received much critical acclaim and award recognition for her take on the iconic royal. You can experience it for yourself by streaming "Spencer" on Hulu but make haste — it will leave that streaming service on Friday, Feb. 7.
Why you should stream 'Spencer' before it leaves Hulu
Stewart was nominated for a Golden Globe, a Critics' Choice Award and the Academy Award for Best Actress for her uncanny performance as Princess Diana in "Spencer," which is director Pablo Larraín's second film in his trilogy of iconic 20th-century women, succeeding Natalie Portman in 2016's "Jackie" and preceding Angelina Jolie in 2024's "Maria."
"Spencer" is hauntingly set during Christmas 1991, as the People's Princess considers divorcing Prince Charles and leaving the British royal family. The film's official synopsis reads: "The marriage of Princess Diana and Prince Charles has long since grown cold. Though rumors of 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 profoundly different."
Out of every performer who has attempted playing Diana onscreen — including Elizabeth Debicki and Emma Corrin in Netflix's "The Crown" and Naomi Watts in the 2013 film "Diana" — Stewart's portrayal was hailed as exceptionally accurate by those who personally knew the late princess. Ken Wharfe, Diana's former bodyguard, told People magazine: "Out of all the people who have played Diana over the past 10 years, she's the closest to her. She managed to perfect her mannerisms."
Similarly, The Daily Telegraph's Robbie Collin wrote that Stewart should be "instantly and justifiably awards-tipped" for her acting in the psychological drama, which she navigated "with total mastery, getting the voice and mannerisms just right but vamping everything up just a notch, in order to better lean into the film's melodramatic, paranoiac and absurdist swerves."
You can catch Kristen Stewart in her Oscar-nominated performance in "Spencer" on Hulu through Feb. 7; after that, you can rent or buy the title on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play or YouTube.
