Kristen Stewart Shared What Made Her Most Nervous About Playing Princess Diana

We’re just days away from the release of the historical drama Spencer, and Kristen Stewart just revealed what made her most nervous about playing Princess Diana. The historical drama, out Nov. 5, follows Diana’s decision to end her marriage to Prince Charles and leave the British royal family. But it wasn’t Diana’s relationship with Charles that Stewart was worried about misrepresenting; it was the relationship with her kids.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the 31-year-old actor was asked what part of the role made her most apprehensive. “Probably in the area that requires zero preparation and complete trust and like soul, which is the relationship that she has with her children,” she responded. And even though Stewart spent a lot of time with the actors who play Prince William and Prince Harry, she felt pressure to get the special relationship between Diana and the young princes exactly right.

"You know, obviously, we like hung out and tried to get [close] before we actually did the thing and did the scenes, but the whole thing about watching her within that space, when her children are close to her, they are ... it’s a nucleus, it’s a three-headed animal, sort of unstoppable beast thing,” Stewart explained. In real life, William and Harry have been very vocal about their love for their mother, so it’s not entirely surprising that Stewart wanted to do their relationship justice.

“I feel, like, a reverence for that image that is not like ... you know, it’s a pretty universal image,” Stewart continued. “You don’t wanna mess with moms. You just don’t do that, and I just... I think she feels so embodied in herself when she’s with her kids in all of the research, that I was like, ‘man, you know, that’s what we’re protecting here.’”

this isn’t the first time that Stewart has opened up about the pressure associated with portraying Princess Diana. Last month, the Twilight star told Entertainment Weekly that she knew she was going to accept the role before she even read the script. “I was like, ‘You’re not going to say no to this, because who would you be in that case?’ I absolutely would have felt like such a coward.”

Stewart knew that playing such a beloved figure would be a challenge, but she also felt that she could bring something fresh to the role. “I’m not from the U.K., I don’t have any particular investment in the royal family,” she added. “So I was kind of this really clean slate, and then could absorb her in a way that actually felt very instinctive, you know? ... If people have a lot to say about it not being a perfect impression, that’s so okay with me.”

Stewart, a self-identified “control freak,” was anxious about trying to fill such big shoes, especially since the royal family was never a part of her life. “I was like, ‘I need to know what I’m doing. I want to be prepared for what I’m doing’” she revealed. “But I came down these stairs, and I know it sounds so silly and esoteric, but it felt so f*cking spiritual and so spooky, and I was so overwhelmed by the feeling of her. And I don’t mean like ghosty stuff. I just mean everything she’s made me think and feel, and it all just kind of happened in a moment.”