Warning! SPOILERS ahead for Last Night in Soho.
Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho opens with a dedication that simply reads "For Diana," but why is that? Now in theaters, Last Night in Soho is a psychological thriller that's set both in the present day and in 1960s London. While not a conventional time travel story, the film sees a character from the present day enter the past in her dreams, experiencing the life of another young woman trying to make it as a singer in Soho.
Last Night in Soho stars Thomasin McKenzie as Ellie, a young fashion student who is obsessed with the 1960s and has a strong connection with spirits and the supernatural. Anya Taylor-Joy plays Sandie, the singer whose life Ellie is inhabiting through her dreams, while Matt Smith plays Jack, Sandie's manager and lover who promises to make her a star. Rounding out the cast are Terrence Stamp, Rita Tushingham, Michael Ajao, and Dame Diana Rigg.
At the very beginning of Last Night in Soho there's a title card that reads: For Diana. This is a tribute to Diana Rigg, who plays Ms. Collins in the film, the landlady from who Ellie rents a room in Soho. Last Night in Soho is dedicated to her because this was her final acting role before Rigg ed away shortly after filming was completed in 2020.
Rigg is herself a film and television icon of the 1960s, having starred as super-spy Emma Peel in The Avengers and as Tracy in On Her Majesty's Secret Service where she famously marries George Lazenby's James Bond. More recently, Rigg reaffirmed her icon status with her fan-favorite performance as the Queen of Thorns, Lady Olenna Tyrell on Game of Thrones. In Last Night in Soho, Rigg's involvement helps to create a real connection to era the movie is paying homage to, but she's also in a surprisingly crucial role that works as well as it does in large part thanks to her casting.
In Last Night in Soho's final act twist, it's revealed that Rigg's Ms. Collins is the same woman as Taylor-Joy's Sandie, now some 50 years older. The reveal also comes with the knowledge that Alexandra "Sandie" Collins is the murderer, having killed all the men, including Jack, who had abused her. For Ellie and the audience, it's shocking to learn that the stern but kind Ms. Collins is not only Sandie but also a ruthless killer. However, having Rigg in the role helps it all make sense given her own 1960s stardom and the impressive career she built since then. Merely being Ellie's landlady is too small a part for an actress of Rigg's stature, and she plays the reveal with all the class and wit we've come to expect of her. As her final film, Last Night in Soho provides Rigg with an excellent parting role and it's only fitting the movie would be dedicated to her.
