Edgar Wright pays tribute to Diana Rigg ahead of Last Night in Soho premiere at Venice

Audiences will get to see one final performance from the late Diana Rigg when Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho finally hits theaters next month. Ahead of the film's world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on Saturday, the director again paid tribute to the Game of Thrones actress, who died in September 2020 at age 82.

"It's desperately sad that I won't get to have another gossipy brunch with Dame Diana Rigg, but the only thing I can take away from it is how lucky I was to work with her and know her," Wright told reporters at the festival. "I had a very beautiful experience of being with her, at her house, and having a laugh, with her on fine form, and those are the things I really cherish about it." Last Night in Soho is dedicated to the actress, according to the Associated Press.

Rigg was working on the psychological horror film "right up until the end," Wright added. "She's such a professional and really prided herself on that," he said. "When we were told she needed to finish her work on the movie very urgently, we knew what that meant without asking any more. We're all so incredibly fortunate to have known and worked with her."

In a previous tribute for The Guardian shortly after Rigg's passing, Wright recalled how, although her health issues prevented her from participating in additional photography for the film, the actress did record ADR at her daughter and son-in-law's house, where she was staying. Rigg recorded her last last word of dialog shortly before her death.

"That Friday night, a day before I expected the recording, I was in the office and got a call from Guy (the actress's son-in-law)," Wright wrote. "He said, 'We've recorded the final word, it all went great, I'm passing you over to Diana.' I asked, 'Is that Dame Diana Rigg, star of stage and screen?' She replied, 'The very same! Currently bedridden, but still working!' Diana said she admired my fastidiousness for getting one more word. We discussed the preview for the film and how well it had gone. She was happy to hear. I could tell she was tired, so I simply said, not wanting to say goodbye for good, I couldn't wait for her to see the finished film. She replied, 'I had such a lovely time making your film. I wish you all the luck in the world with it.'... It was indeed the last time we spoke."

Also starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Thomasin McKenzie, and Matt Smith, Last Night in Soho follows Eloise (McKenzie), a young aspiring fashion designer who is mysteriously transported back in time to the 1960s in the body of a singer named Sandie (Taylor-Joy). But the Swinging London of the '60s is not what it appears to be, and "time seems to fall apart with shady consequences," according to an official plot description.

At Venice, Wright said that "The point of the movie in a way is that it's dangerous to romanticize the past," calling it a "dark valentine to Soho." The film will premiere at the festival Saturday night, and is slated to hit theaters Oct. 29.

Related content:

• Director Edgar Wright pays tribute to 'formidable, wickedly funny' Diana Rigg
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• What happened Last Night in Soho? First trailer for Edgar Wright thriller teases a wild ride