Weekly correspondent Jenny Forsyth reports from the film’s London premiere.
Just as the People’s Princess she portrays in the new film Diana might have done, Naomi Watts chose to ignore the waiting press and first answer the calls of adoring fans waiting at the side of the red carpet.
At the London premiere at Leicester Square, Naomi headed straight for the band of autograph hunters gathered to see her and other stars, such as Lost actor Naveen Andrews and Juliet Stevenson. The British-born, Australian-raised actress was dazzling with her brilliant Chopard diamond earrings and a tight-fitting, thigh-high split in simple white – a monochrome style Diana herself once favoured.
Perhaps the 44-year-old star was channelling the spirit of the late princess, whose love affair with surgeon Hasnat Khan in the last two years of her life is depicted in the film. Or, more likely, she was keeping questioning to a minimum after searching interviews, including one with a radio DJ, where she had simply walked out.
Diana, directed by German Oliver Hirschbiegel and based on the book Diana: Her Last Love by Kate Snell, has proved controversial for its attempt to cover the secret love affair that began in 1996 and petered out before Diana’s last ill-fated holiday with Dodi Al-Fayed in 1997. The film follows the theory that the affair with Al-Fayed was a ploy to make Khan jealous.
Khan himself has, after watching the trailer, called it “completely wrong” and says he will not watch the whole film. And of course it is hard to know what Diana’s sons, Princes William and Harry, would make of it.
Speaking at the premiere, at the Odeon Theatre in Leicester Square, Naomi Watts said she considered the princes’ reaction early on.
“Yes, I was very aware of the sensitivities involved. That’s why I turned the role down twice… But, ultimately, I felt I had to rise to the challenge.
“I struggled with the idea for some time,” she said. “Everyone feels they know her, so I questioned whether I could ever claim her as being my own character.
“I do care about how they [the princes] feel about it. They’re men now and they understand that their mother was the most famous woman of our time, so there will always be an obvious interest in her.”
The actress confessed she shed “loads of tears” as she grappled to take on the persona of the People’s Princess.
“I’m not a lookalike at all,” said Naomi, who is considerably smaller than Diana was.
“It’s just an interpretation.
“It was difficult because usually in a film the appearance and the voice come last. But in this case they had to come first.”
Her preparation involved six weeks of daily voice coaching, plus more advice on set.
“Diana’s voice was something we all remember very well. She was aristocracy but it wasn’t that old-fashioned stiff upper lip,” explained Naomi, in production notes for the movie.
“It was warm and modern and there was a breathiness to it, which makes it sound more attractive. There was a lot to get right. Even my mother said to me, ‘Oh God. I don’t know if you’ll be able to get that voice, Naomi!’”
The Panorama interview between Diana and journalist Martin Bashir was Naomi’s greatest resource.
“I watched it over and over again and listened to the audio on a daily basis during the weeks leading up to the shoot and during filming,” she said.
As well as the voice, Watts said she studied Diana’s hair, eyes and mannerisms, such as the way the princess moved her face.
“My face tends to go to the right but Diana’s goes to the left and that’s the side I had to learn to use. It was actually quite difficult to train my face to working the opposite way.”
New Zealand-based Noriko Watanabe was responsible for hair and make-up, including an array of four wigs and a prosthetic on the bridge of the nose.
“We had four wigs because there were different lengths and colours between 1995 and 1997. This was quite tough during filming, as there were often four changes in a day,” said the actress.
And it was all in the eyes for that doe-like, uplifted expression in the Panorama interview.
Naomi wore extra-heavy eyeliner and shaved her eyebrows to be more like Diana.
“The make-up was actually very simple, but there was always something incredible about her eyes. They could change from being very shy and vulnerable to a powerful eye contact that was almost confronting. Because of her eyes, the story could often be told just with one look,” said Naomi.
Costumes, designed by Julian Day, focused on simple colour blocks of classic navy, black, beige and cream. Although many outfits were not exact copies, some – including the famous blue gown Diana wore to the Victor Change event in Sydney – were borrowed and created in Watts’ size.
It’s this attention to detail that has won Naomi Watts plaudits, even though critics have already panned the movie.
England’s Telegraph newspaper called it “tasteless in every sense”, but described Watts as “a swan in a turkey”.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail described the film as “slow and terribly, terribly dull” but added that Naomi Watts is “the sixth and easily the best actress to play Princess Diana”.
“I might go into hiding,” Naomi said in a recent interview, adding that she “might want to leave the country” if the reaction to the film was not good.
Which begs the question of how the actress will react now – and where she will go – after the film’s very lukewarm reception.
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