Terence Stamp spent final months having ‘time of his life’ on Priscilla, Queen of the Desert sequel

Terence Stamp, star of original cult hit The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, spent his ‘final months’ having the ‘time of his life’ on set of the film’s sequel, director Stephan Elliot has revealed.

Terence Stamp, the Oscar-nominated actor best known for roles in two Superman films, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and queer classic The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, died aged 87 in August.

Prisicilla director Stephan Elliot has revealed to Deadline that in the months before Stamp passed away, he was ‘having the time of his life’ on set of the film’s sequel, which was confirmed in 2024.

But it wasn’t easy to get Stamp on board; “So I came forward with something that is pretty special and unique,” Elliott said of trying to get the late star to reprise his role as transgender performer Bernadette Bassenger. “And that’s when I got him.”

Of the plot, Elliot kept tight-lipped, but shared: “We had all agreed on a Priscilla… sequel 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’ve been pretty much at it ever since.”

He added: “Terence wasn’t getting any younger, and that’s a fact he loved to shove down our throats almost every day.”

Discussions on set involved “what Terence’s 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’t 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: ‘Just in case I don’t make the start line.’”

Stamp filmed many of his scenes ahead of the rest of the Priscilla production, relaying that “with the blessing of him and his family, Guy [Pearce], Hugo [Weaving] and the financiers, I decided to pre-shoot all the Bernadette scenes.”

The original 1994 film followed Stamp, Pearce and Weaving as Bernadette, Adam Whitely / Felicia Jollygoodfellow and Anthony “Tick” Belrose / Mitzi Del Bra, three drag queens who set off from Sydney to perform across the desert plains of southern Australia.

Of the filming, Elliot said: “He was 87, turning 88… 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 ‘that’s a wrap’ on Terence Stamp… are going to be words that will haunt me to the day I die.”

Elliot added of the Priscilla sequel: “I wrote into the script of what it’s like to get old and to be either gay, trans—I mean, it’s a subject that’s never been explored,” and confirmed that there are scenes that Stamp will have to be CGI’d into.

Terence Stamp was remembered by many, including Priscilla co-star Guy Pearce in a moving statement on X after his paassing.

“Fairwell dear Tel,” Pearce wrote. “You were a true inspiration, both in & out of heels. We’ll always have Kings Canyon, Kings road & F’ing ABBA. Wishing you well on your way ‘Ralph’.”

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