{"id":91164,"date":"2025-09-28T17:50:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T17:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/91164\/"},"modified":"2025-09-28T17:50:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T17:50:10","slug":"terence-stamp-pre-shot-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert-2-before-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/91164\/","title":{"rendered":"Terence Stamp Pre-Shot ‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desert 2’ Before Death"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tEXCLUSIVE:<\/strong> Filmmaker Stephan Elliot reveals to Deadline that Terence Stamp<\/a>, the magnetic British star who died aged 87<\/a> in August, spent the final months of his life reprising his role as Bernadette, a transgender nightclub artist, for the sequel to beloved 1994 movie\u00a0The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe actor, who starred in\u00a0Billy Budd, Far From the Madding Crowd, two\u00a0Superman movies,\u00a0Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, and\u00a0The Hit, had initially been hesitant about agreeing to a sequel, but says Elliott, the actor was persuaded by a promise that\u00a0Priscilla Queen of the Desert 2<\/a>, its working title, would not just be a repeat of the original.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSo I came forward with something that is pretty special and unique,\u201d Elliott tells us. \u201cAnd that\u2019s when I got him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe first movie, about a transgender woman and two drag queens, played by Stamp, Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving, respectively, who set off from Sydney in an old-school bus they dubbed Priscilla to perform to disco golden oldies and ABBA hits in the desert plains of southern Australia, was an enormous hit when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.<\/p>\n

\n\tElliott believes that his cast dressing to the nines in outrageously glamorous frocks and bejeweled Carmen Miranda-style headgear atop their wigs, helped pave the way for the likes of\u00a0RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u00a0to enter the mainstream.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Terence<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tTerence Stamp, Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving in \u2018The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert\u2019 (1994)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGramercy Pictures\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\n\tElliott explains that \u201cwe had all agreed on a\u00a0Priscilla\u2026\u00a0sequel just before COVID because it took me decades to find a plot and I found it. But then COVID came along, and of course, we all lost ground, but it did give us the time to get the script underway. And as well you know, we have very big heels to fill, and we\u2019ve been pretty much at it ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAt the same time, he adds, \u201cTerence wasn\u2019t getting any younger, and that\u2019s a fact he loved to shove down our throats almost every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWe spoke to Elliott back in April 2024, and Deadline broke the news that a sequel was in the works<\/a> to\u00a0The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, but he says now that he did not disclose \u201cthat we had been in pre-pre-makeup, hair and concept designs for a very long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThose discussions, Elliott notes, revolved around \u201cwhat Terence\u2019s character Bernadette was going to look like at 88, it took a lot of trial and error. So the clock clicked on, and then when the AI wars broke out, Terence was indignant that he didn\u2019t want a digital clone of himself playing Bernadette. He wanted the chance to put the character down himself. And I will quote him in this case. He said: \u2018Just in case I don\u2019t make the start line.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tElliott declares\u00a0that with Stamp pressing the case \u201cand with the blessing of him and his family, Guy, Hugo and the financiers, I decided to pre-shoot all the Bernadette scenes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tStephan Elliott<\/a> looks on as Sarah Jane Wai O\u2019Flynn fixes Terence Stamp\u2019s hair for \u2018Priscilla Queen of the Desert 2\u2019 (Photo copyright of Amie Stoppard)<\/p>\n

\n\tAustralian-born Elliott says of Stamp: \u201cHe was 87, turning 88\u2026 And I put him through a multi-cam shoot, spread over several grueling sessions. All I can say is, that the old trouper gave it everything he had. He hated putting the wig on again. But at the same time, my God, you could have bottled that smile. I mean, it was brilliant fun, and he really did have the time of his life. But calling \u2018that\u2019s a wrap\u2019 on Terence Stamp\u2026 are going to be words that will haunt me to the day I die.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tElliott reveals that he shot scenes with Stamp \u201cin character in a nine camera array of the entire script.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFollowing Stamp\u2019s passing,\u00a0Elliott says that he\u2019s \u201cpretty devastated\u201d and \u201cI\u2019m still teary most days, but at the moment, I just need to down tools for a bit and mourn. I mean, he was such a unique human. He didn\u2019t have a lot of close friends, and I\u2019m still pretty chuffed that he counted me as one of them. We had 32 brilliant years together, and I never missed a chance to hang out and chew the fat. And my God, the stories he told me that I can never put down. I mean, what a life!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHe was an absolute sweetheart, but he had an aura about himself, and he kept it that way. I mean, he knew I loved him to death\u2026 I mean, look at his resume, look at who he worked with. And I look at myself on this list of Fellini and Pasolini, and then I see my name there, and I just go: \u2018What is my name doing there?’\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tElliott adds that \u201cright now, I\u2019ve just had to tell everybody to down tools, I really need time to mourn. I need time to work this out. What happens next? Does anybody want to see the film now that he\u2019s passed? I mean, I just don\u2019t know. But I guess with a bit of time, we\u2019re going to find out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe shot the Stamp sequences over three studios starting at Pinewood.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tGuy Pearce, Terence Stamp and Hugo Weaving in \u2018The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert\u2019 (1994)<\/p>\n

\n\tElliott says that it\u2019s not the first time \u201cin film history\u201d that technology has enabled actors performances to be introduced into a film after they\u2019ve died, to live on. \u201cI mean, look at Ollie Reed. Ollie Reed died in the middle of shooting\u00a0Gladiator,\u201d he notes, referring to how Ridley Scott and his creatives enabled Oliver Reed to appear, as it were, in\u00a0Gladiator, following the actor\u2019s death from a heart attack\u00a0in 1999. \u201cThere\u2019s a weird history. I mean, even if you look at Carrie Fisher, who basically was put into\u00a0Star Wars [The Rise of Skywalker], but they were kind of all after the fact. This is a really weird one in that it\u2019s before the fact.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe adds: \u201cThey call it CGI\u00a0face replacement. It\u2019s a tech that\u2019s been around for years, but basically we\u2019re going to have to, I don\u2019t know. I\u2019m still trying to work it out, but the tech is there. We basically, we\u2019d have to get a stand-in actor and Terence would be put onto that actor. Sci-fi films have been doing it for years, but in this instance, I\u2019m going to have to have an actor playing Terence Stamp.\u00a0I mean, it is scary. We\u2019re all scared, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe script is very unusual, Elliott suggests. \u201cNot what people expect\u2026 I\u2019ve made a very, very unusual film, and it is about old age. It\u2019s very touching. I wrote a lot of what I went through with Terence over the last couple of years. I wrote into the script of what it\u2019s like to get old and to be either gay, trans\u2014I mean, it\u2019s a subject that\u2019s never been explored.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tElliott says that for over a decade, Weaving and Pearce had been making jokes about wanting to do a sequel, however, Stamp hadn\u2019t wanted to be part of it. \u201cHe just absolutely refused,\u201d the director recalls.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tTerence Stamp with Stephan Elliott on pre-shoot set of \u2018Priscilla Queen of the Desert 2\u2019 (Photo copyright of Amie Stoppard)<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI had to come to him with a plot that is a really good one. And when I came to [Stamp], he looked at me and said, \u2018Okay, I didn\u2019t see that one coming.\u2019 So I brought him something. I brought him a complete original. And at that point, he said, \u2018Right, that\u2019s the promise. I\u2019ll do this because you\u2019re going in a different direction. But at the same time, I will never let you just repeat yourself.\u2019 None of us want that. And Guy doesn\u2019t want that either, and Hugo either. So I came forward with something that is pretty special and unique,\u201d Elliott explains. \u201cAnd that\u2019s when I got him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe conversation begged all manner of questions. I ask Elliott if Stamp was in full hair and make-up and costumed as Bernadette?<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cYes, he was in full costume as Bernadette,\u201d Elliott confirms.<\/p>\n

\n\tElliott says that Stamp \u201cjoked all the time, \u2018You\u2019re running out of time, kids. You\u2019re running out of time.\u2019 And so he threw himself into it. I mean, he absolutely gave it his all.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt was tough dialogue for him, but he gave it everything,\u201d Elliott explains during the call Sunday from his home in Portugal.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s a game changer. It\u2019s kind of weird. So we\u2019re facing a whole brand new world here. Terence said, \u2018I want a chance to do this myself.\u2019 So we gave him the chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tElliott and his collaborators, as noted earlier, are taking a break to enable them to think through how to proceed. I peppered him with questions about how the Stamp footage could be introduced into the sequel.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cLook, I think the easiest way is for all of us, which is what it is. We\u2019ve got Terence in the can as Bernadette. It\u2019s what we do technically with this point, as I said from this point about how we make it work. But we\u2019re not the first film in history to go through this.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAnd I\u2019ve just said to financiers, everybody right now, and I said, \u2018I just need some air. We\u2019ll figure it out.\u2019 So basically, he exists as Bernadette, and we\u2019ve\u00a0just got to work out how to make it work. And the question is, as I said earlier, does anyone want to see this film? And part of me thinks that they would. Now that he\u2019s put the effort in, and basically he gave the last months of his life to this. I think people want to see it. It\u2019s a tough one\u2026 It\u2019s a real tough one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tElliott says that both Weaving and Pearce gave their blessing ahead of discussions between the filmmaker and Stamp. \u201cI said, \u2018Guys, I can\u2019t do this because it\u2019s going to cost a fortune, and I can\u2019t do this without your blessing, without your support.\u2019 And both of them did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCostume designer Tim Chappel (Miss Congeniality), who shared the 1995 Oscar for Best Costume Design with Lizzy Gardiner (Hacksaw Ridge), created new costumes for Stamp. Elliott signed up makeup designer Rick Findlater (Lord of the Rings, King Kong, The Hobbit) to create Stamp\u2019s Bernadette. Makeup artist Sarah Jane Wai O\u2019Flynn worked alongside Findlater.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile acknowledging that\u00a0Priscilla Queen of the Desert 2 will travel further afield than Australia and venture overseas, Elliott refuses to reveal more. \u201cI can\u2019t tell you, Baz. I mean, on top of that one, even the boys were saying, \u2018Do you want to release some of the footage?\u2019 And I said, \u2018Of Terence\u2019s stuff?\u2019 And I said, \u2018It\u2019s the plot. We\u2019ll just give the whole plot away.\u2019 I mean, the beauty of what we\u2019re trying to do is outdo ourselves on the first film, and I just can\u2019t give the plug away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tI ask him to clarify when principal photography might start. \u201cWhen I can work out the mechanics of how this is going to work,\u201d he responds.<\/p>\n

\n\tBy Elliott\u2019s reckoning, the hope is that filming could start next year. \u201cThe boys have got their own schedules. They want to do it. We\u2019re going to have to reconfigure some of it because we have to deal with the simple fact that we\u2019ve lost him. So we\u2019re going to have to do some reconfiguring and it\u2019s just going to take us a little bit of time to work it out. But I think we can get underway next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe work with Stamp on\u00a0Priscilla Queen of the Desert 2\u00a0started, Elliott tells us, in 2024, \u201cand we stretched into this year for the big shoot and the dialogue,\u201d essentially shooting on and off over several months.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSo. it\u2019ll be technical, but on top of that one. it will be him. He\u2019s in the film. It is him. He\u2019s in costume. He\u2019s doing his own dialogue,\u201d Elliott confirms.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tTerence Stamp having a Bernadette wig applied for \u2018Priscilla Queen of the Desert 2\u2019 (Photo copyright of Amie Stoppard)<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cCome on,\u201d Elliott argues. \u201cYou look at all the sci-fi epics you ever see, all those people have basically ended up acting on green screens, talking to tennis balls, we\u2019re not doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOur conversation, as we recall our interactions with Stamp over the years, is a heartbreaking one, but then we\u2019re also excited in a strange way at the possibility of seeing Terence Stamp\u00a0up there on a big screen one more time.<\/p>\n

\n\tElliott nods. \u201cNow, he didn\u2019t want a funeral, there\u2019s\u00a0been a lot of talk recently about funerals, and he didn\u2019t want a funeral. He wanted a final curtain.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSo we did everything in our power to make it happen\u2026 And by God, we\u2019re giving it to him.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: Filmmaker Stephan Elliot reveals to Deadline that Terence Stamp, the magnetic British star who died aged 87…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":91165,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[268],"tags":[34619,434,18,117,19,17,59297,59298,5616,59299],"class_list":{"0":"post-91164","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-breaking-baz","9":"tag-celebrities","10":"tag-eire","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-ireland","14":"tag-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert-2","15":"tag-stephan-elliott","16":"tag-terence-stamp","17":"tag-the-adventures-of-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91164\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}