Kristen Stewart is having a moment.
Nearly a decade after bidding farewell to her role as Twilight protagonist Bella Swan, the actor is back in the spotlight in a big way.
Early on November 2, news broke that Stewart is engaged to her girlfriend, screenwriter Dylan Meyer.
"I wanted to be proposed to, so I think I very distinctly carved out what I wanted and she nailed it," she announced on The Howard Stern Show. "We're marrying, it's happening."
The news comes days before the release of Spencer, Pablo Larráin's hotly anticipated Princess Diana biopic starring Stewart as the late royal.
Princess Di (born Diana Spencer) was the subject of relentless public scrutiny, and remained so even after her death. The ceaseless interest in Spencer's private life is a phenomenon apparent in Stewart's story, too.
In the wake of her breakout role in Twilight, Stewart fielded seemingly endless criticism regarding her appearance. In reaction to her typically unsmiling expression, critics quickly labeled her a "bitch."
Stewart's affair with director Rupert Sanders ignited even more vitriol from the public. Stewart, 22 at the time, was slammed by the media (as well as die-hard Twilight fans) as a home-wrecker, while Sanders, 41, avoided the brunt of the backlash.
Stewart made it clear that her situation is incomparable to the pressure Princess Diana faced, but the throughline between the two celebrities' lives makes for an intriguing movie — especially as we collectively reconsider the way the media treated female stars (i.e. Megan Fox and Britney Spears) in the early to late-2000s.
Aside from Spencer and the engagement, Stewart has enjoyed more major wins in 2021.
A longtime Chanel muse, Stewart was the face of the house's 2021 Métiers d'Art collection, photographed by Juergen Teller.
Thanks to the partnership, Stewart's red carpet style this year has been particularly headline-worthy. At the Venice Film Festival, for example, she wore an ultra-mini Chanel romper, followed by a silky, pajama-line ensemble that was unexpectedly chic.
Last week, Stewart announced that she's begun casting for her directorial debut, The Chronology of Water.
As the release of Spencer looms, word on the street is that Stewart might snag her first Oscar nomination for her performance in the film.
Princess Diana is far from Stewart's first impressive performance, to be fair. But instead of speculating on the reason her roles in Clouds of Sils Maria and Personal Shopper were overlooked, I'll revel in the fact that finally, she's getting the flowers she deserves.
