KRISTEN STEWART talks about overprotective brothers, screaming fans, and Twilight Queen Bee, Stephenie Meyer.
MMM: How difficult was it to maintain the emotional intensity between yours and Robert’s characters, given that you spend so much time apart in this film?
Stewart: Well, it was easier to play Bella in New Moon because I got to go through the experience of Twilight. As for how we maintained intensity… the descriptions in the book are so visceral and sensory. It’s a first-person narrative so you know exactly what she’s feeling all the time.
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson get up-close and personal
MMM: Do you ever find yourself making choices for Bella that don’t accord with what the author Stephenie Meyer wrote?
Stewart: No. Everyone knew what they were getting themselves into initially, even though we weren’t aware of the massive attention it would get. The books were written and we’re all still doing the movie for the same reason that we started doing it. All we want to do is tell the story. All we want to do is do the books justice. And that’s what the fans want too.
MMM: Do you talk to Stephenie about your character?
Stewart: I did a lot on Eclipse for the first time actually. And I think that’s just because she was on set more. She paid us visits occasionally but it was always so quick you never had any time to get into anything.
We didn’t have deep discussions about the character but she was on set watching a lot of scenes, and I really loved going and asking about details, like if there was anything I wasn’t doing that she’d imagined, or if there was a little tic that was happening that bothered her. I was really into that. It was really cool. I was always so intimidated by her… I was always like: ‘Oh my gosh!’ It’s a similar relationship to what you have with the fans except that she’s the Queen Bee.
MMM: How do you cope with your fans’ screaming and adoration?
Stewart: There’s really not any preparation. When you have that amount of human energy thrust at you, it doesn’t matter how much you think about how cool it is, or the fact that it happens all the time. I think it’s an undeniable life force. And that’s why I get so nervous because I can feel so much energy.
Kristen Stewart in Twilight: New Moon
MMM: How’s your family reacted to your fame?
Stewart: My family is embarrassingly proud of me. My brothers get a little protective, overtly protective. I’ve made rules now like ‘You can’t go outside and scream at people if they have cameras!’
MMM: If you could go back and audition again, would you? And whose role would you like to play other than your own?
Stewart: Well, if I had to choose I would choose Bella. Otherwise, I would love to play Alice. She has my favourite back-story of all the Cullens, and I would love to play around with her power. I’d love to have visions – I think it would be really interesting.
By film journalist Jan Gilbert
