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Shooting the Moon: The Allure of Twilight

By: Bret Love

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The stars of the Twilight series discuss the ups and downs of life as a worldwide obsession.

Bella Notte: Kristen Stewart on the Beauty of Twilight
Though her brooding Twilight co-star (and boyfriend, if the tabloid rumours are to be believed) Robert Pattinson may have been plucked from relative obscurity and thrust into the spotlight, L.A. native Kristen Stewart has already been acting professionally for nearly a decade now, appearing in hits such as Panic Room, Into the Wild and Jumper. Perhaps that explains why she seems so remarkably self-assured in the midst of the media maelstrom surrounding this November’s Twilight saga sequel, New Moon. In an interview at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, the confident 19-year-old (who also starred in this summer’s highly underrated Adventureland) discussed her thoughts on Bella’s relationship with Edward, the pressures of trying to please the books’ rabidly devoted following and what fans can expect from New Moon.

You’d already done quite a few films before Twilight came along. What attracted you to the role of Bella?
It wasn’t so much the character. Bella’s not very distinct, and there aren’t many qualities about her that differ from mine. You really project yourself onto her when you read the book, because you experience the whole story through her eyes. I read a synopsis of the story before I read the script or the book, and it was something that everybody was freaking out over. It was like, ‘Everybody wants this role, Kristen. You have to read this!’ But I didn’t want to be a part of something that presents a completely ideological idea of love to young girls and puts their female heroine in a position where [Edward Cullen] is all-powerful, all holy, smart and confident, and she’s just happy with that. It was very shallow. When you try to sum up Twilight in a couple of sentences, it sounds very trite and superficial.

What changed your mind about doing the film?
I read the script, and it was just the opposite. There was this great power balance between these two characters. Apart from just wanting to portray such an epic love story, it was the idea that she really wears the pants in this relationship. Here you have this guy who is 108 years old and hates himself. He’s afraid of himself, afraid of her and afraid of his whole situation. He’s extremely neurotic! Then you have this girl who is totally naive, yet she’s willing to submerse herself wholeheartedly. I think a lot of people are like, ‘She’s a weak character.’ But she wants it, and it’s something she’s willing to overcome. My favourite thing about Bella is that she trusts herself and puts a lot of stock in her feelings. I admire that.

How does it feel to be working on such a popular film with such a devoted fan base?
It feels good. It’s funny because everyone feels like we’re nervous about the pressure and getting [Twilight fans’] approval, but this art form is so subjective anyway. The fans are obsessed with the books and I love them too, and there’s nothing better than sharing a passion. This is all so far out of the scope of what’s going on in our heads when we’re shooting a movie like New Moon. It was strange having the fans so close while we were filming, but, as [director] Chris Weisz said, it’s like doing theatre. They stand up and clap after every take, but sit there very quietly, organized in little rows and try not to disturb us while we’re all in character. It’s a bit more pressure, but at the same time it was highly motivating.

How has your life changed since Twilight came out?
My life hasn’t changed. Most circumstances I find myself in are different than they were a year ago, but I myself haven’t changed, other than the ways a normal 19-year-old girl would change in a year. I would act in these movies for free every day, [even] if nobody saw it. I cannot describe how good it feels to actually have something that is truly in your heart and soul actually affecting people. That’s amazing, and that’s the biggest change.

What do you think the fans are going to enjoy the most about New Moon?
It’s not an easy story. Twilight was about two people who were conflicted internally throwing themselves against each other mindlessly. It was very impulsive. In this film we had to think a lot more about what we were doing because it wasn’t instinctual, like a chemistry/love thing. Everything in this movie is heightened: If you get sad, you don’t just get sad, it’s like you’d rather just be dead. So it was just harder from an acting standpoint.

Do you enjoy the opportunity to work on different films, like next year’s Runaways biopic?
Yeah. If it was Twilight all the time and I did nothing in between, I’d go a little batty. It definitely alleviates pressure. The Runaways is going really [well]. It’s hard to talk about now because I still have four days of shooting left. But I feel like what The Runaways did was really important, so trying to convey that is daunting, to say the least.

When the Twilight saga is finished, how will you feel about getting your normal life back?
When I initially start a movie, I’m dying to get it done. It’s like I’m thinking about something all the time and I want to go through the experience: I want to do the scenes and I want to make sure that we do them right. In the case of Twilight, I have so much ahead of me that it’s like…. Usually I work about six weeks on a film, and at the end of the six weeks we will have made our product. But in this case I have to wait literally years. So I’m waiting to get it done. I want it to be done. I can’t wait to be finished! (Laughs.)

The Reluctant Idol: Robert Pattinson on Kristen, Crazed Fans and Vampire Culture
With his role as Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter films Goblet of Fire and The Order of the Phoenix, Robert Pattinson certainly had brushes with a bona fide pop culture phenomenon before he beat out 3,000 other actors to earn the role of brooding vampire Edward Cullen in Twilight. But director Catherine Hardwick’s adaptation of author Stephenie Meyer’s beloved novel, which grossed nearly $200 million in the United States alone, launched the 23-year-old Brit into an entirely different stratosphere of fame. Truth be told, the Jack Nicholson acolyte isn’t exactly comfortable with all the attention — whether it’s screaming fans or tabloids digging for dirt on his personal life. We sat down with the actor just as the hype for The Twilight Saga: New Moon was beginning to reach a fevered pitch to find out how he’s coping in the harsh glare of stardom’s spotlight.

How prepared were you for the frenzy that’s surrounded you since you landed the role of Edward?
I don’t know why, but it still shocks me. We went to different cities all around the world [to promote the first film], only to find these planned mobbings where everybody just screamed and screamed. Every single time I got so nervous, with cold sweats and everything. I started crying in Italy, like completely involuntarily. Do you know how it is when you have the wrong reaction to something? It was really embarrassing. So I don’t know that I was ready.

Did anyone give you any advice on dealing with newfound fame, like perhaps your friends from the Harry Potter cast?
No one’s ever really given me any advice, but then again I don’t ask for it. I guess it was cool just seeing how the Harry Potter people have dealt with it, and how they’re all still very normal and sane. I think it’s because they ignored the surreal nature of their lives from an outside perspective and just lived their lives normally. They didn’t treat anyone else differently and didn’t treat themselves differently, and they ended up completely fine. I think the only reason to change if you want to be an actor is if you’re completely insane and you don’t want anyone to find out. If you’re a normal person, you can pretty much do whatever you want.

Did you pay any attention to the complaints that you weren’t the right actor for the part?
I did at the beginning. I was expecting it, because I kind of agree with them. I didn’t even want to go in for the part initially, because it’s really putting yourself out there. You say, ‘Oh yeah, I can play this part of the perfect guy. The best-looking guy in the world.’ I felt like a bit of an idiot just going into the audition. I felt pre-judged by anyone who turned up to the casting session, like even having the gall to go in means you’re a bit of an arrogant jerk. I was quite happy when they all said, ‘He’s not good-looking enough.’ I’m like, ‘Thank you!’

What was it about the role that eventually helped you overcome those initial misgivings?
Just going to the audition. I went in having no idea how to play the part and thinking there was no chance I’d get it. Catherine Hardwick literally didn’t say anything during the whole audition. She just filmed. But Kristen did it so differently from how I was expecting Bella to be played, it shocked a performance out of me. It was the first time in a long time that I’d had an organic experience in an audition.

Did you feel the chemistry with Kristen right from the beginning?
Yeah, I definitely felt like there was some kind of connection. I definitely had a reaction to her, which I really wasn’t expecting.

What makes her a good co-star?
She doesn’t back down to people. It was quite good working with her because I don’t like backing down to people either, but it’s quite difficult when you’re the only person. If you’re fighting with producers, or when you want to do things a certain way, it’s good if you have two leads that will just back each other up.

Did you fight with the producers of Twilight?
It wasn’t really fighting; we just didn’t want to make a teen-y movie. So Kristen being in it was like my insurance, because she was on a good roll of classy jobs. When I found out she was doing it, I was like, ‘Well, at least this isn’t gonna be a silly movie.’

Are you looking forward to the next two movies?
Yeah, because the trilogy has such an intimate storyline. Even in the Harry Potter series, the entire universe it’s based in changes with every movie. But Twilight is basically a character study for the whole trilogy, which is very strange. I can’t think of another movie that does that, where the story has so little change of scenery. It’s set in a very small town, so it’s all very claustrophobic. So yeah, even before we finished Twilight I’d begun planning the character’s arc for the other two.

Why do you think vampire culture is so enduringly fascinating?
They’re the most go-to stock character when you need someone mysterious. Dracula could come out in the daytime, but the basic template of a vampire — being immortal, only coming out at night, literally having a dark secret that’s lethal — really intrigues people. Just saying the word ‘vampire’ promotes so many ideas of mystery in people, and [there are] also all the sexual connotations of biting people’s necks and stuff. In other paranormal stories you might have a zombie, which isn’t that interesting, or some sort of monster, which is ugly. But the thing about vampires is that they can be really good-looking and also extremely dangerous. It’s one of the few characters that can pull that off.


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