Terence Stamp Spent His Final Months Filming Bernadette For The “Priscilla” Sequel
Terence Stamp used the last months of his life to return to Bernadette, the transgender woman he made iconic in The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert. Director and writer Stephan Elliott says Stamp completed his performance for the planned sequel before he died in August, aged 87.
We’re saddened to hear of the passing of Terence Stamp, aged 87. Well known for playing General Zod in the Superman films, Stamp was nominated for two BAFTAs in 1963 and 1995 for his work in Billy Budd and The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert. pic.twitter.com/ALZaFfF4Ua
— BAFTA (@BAFTA) August 17, 2025
He did it to avoid a digital clone.
As studios debated using AI to recreate late stars, Stamp pushed to perform himself. “He didn’t want a digital clone of himself playing Bernadette… ‘just in case I don’t make the start line,’” Elliott recalls.
Elliott pre-shot Bernadette’s scenes over several sessions in full make-up and costume. The plan is to composite Stamp’s captured performance onto another body in post using CGI. The approach echoes techniques used to bring Carrie Fisher back in Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker.
EXCLUSIVE: Filmmaker Stephan Elliot reveals to Deadline that Terence Stamp, the magnetic British star who died aged 87 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 'The… pic.twitter.com/sQNvIbCrBV
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) September 29, 2025
A final curtain, not a funeral.
Elliott says he is grieving and has paused work, but hopes to honour Stamp’s wish for “a final curtain.” He admits he asked himself if audiences will still want the film, then adds that time will tell.
Who returns next.
Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving have both signalled interest in coming back, with Elliott steering the project. Negotiations and schedules still matter, but the creative core is aligned.
Stamp’s death in August was marked across the industry, but his choice to perform Bernadette again gives this sequel a rare weight. It is a send-off built on his own voice, captured on set, with technology serving the performance rather than replacing it.
