Kristen
Stewart:
Not Just a Vampire's Paramour
by Lynn Barker
 Bella
Swan doesn't fall in love with overly-gorgeous guys across a crowded room.
"Totally wrong" you say? "Not according to the books"
you say? Talented 18-year-old actress Kristen Stewart who plays Bella
in the upcoming Twilight film based upon the mega-popular novels,
wasn't into vampires growing up and has never fallen for a guy immediately
just because he's beautiful.
Kristen is
strong, opinionated, sure of what she wants and is fast getting a rep
as one of Hollywood's most creative and capable young, hard-working actresses.
Even in a space adventure film like Zathura, she left an impression
as a fed-up older sis. She wasn't the typical screaming crazed killer-bait
in the frightening The Messengers or Cold Creek Manor
and isn't planning on letting her casting as the much-loved Bella, stop
her from taking on radically-different roles. She'll play a damaged, 16-year-old
exotic dancer in an upcoming film. What she does have that closely compares
to Bella is spunk. After meeting and talking with Kristen, I'm sure that
Hollywood will never crush her spirit or typecast her.
Picture the
beautiful, long-haired brunette in a casually-elegant outfit consisting
of brown pants and cropped jacket over white tee. Accessories were her
usual gathering of leather watch, metal bracelets and silver rings. A
delicate, long, crystal and gold necklace femmed-up her look. Her make-up
person should get an award for making her look breathtaking with very
little "goop" on her face.
We're in a
room at the Beverly Wilshire hotel right off Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.
We found Kristen's answers to our Q's to be less the media-trained spiel
many actors are trained to give and more her own well-thought-through
take on the film, guys, love at first sight, her reaction to fans and
her next projects. Pull up a chair...
Kristen:
We were just in Madrid and Rome and when I come in (to chat) it's very
quiet and you sit down and you start. You're more like "hey!"
AGW: Yep,
we're just the friendly gurl-chat type. We're gonna ask a question you
are sooo sick of answering. Had you read the books? Were you familiar
with the "Twilight" novels?
Kristen:
No. I wasn't. I was sent a synopsis of the story. I was working on another
project and I wasn't interested in looking at other things yet because
I was really close to the end. I was like just like 'give me two weeks
to finish my movie and I swear I'll read all the scripts that exist in
the world'. I read this thing that summed up the movie, and I was like,
'wow, that's not what I'm into doing. I don't want to be a part of something
that's presenting this ideological ideal of what love is to such young
girls'. I just didn't like that. It was very shallow and vain to me. So
she's in love with this guy because he's the hottest thing she's ever
seen? That's not what I'm into.
AGW: But,
at some point, you had to have changed your mind.
Kristen: Then
I read the script. (After that), I had no choice and I begged for the
audition. I didn't know about the books. I go to used bookstores.
AGW: What
did you see in the script you didn't see in the synopsis?
Kristen:
That Edward isn't perfect at all, which is always the perfect thing for
a girl to have because we're saviors, maternal beings. It was a really,
really unhealthy,  difficult,
impossible love that should be ignored if possible. But it can't be. I'm
interested in unhealthy, neurotic people. That's what I found in both
of the characters. The power balance between the two is interesting because
you have this one really perfect, competent guy but he's the one who's
really afraid and tortured and not confident. He really thinks he should
protect this girl and just go away, and she's the strong woman who at
the same time is willing to subject herself and give up power. That's
the most powerful, strong thing you can do is to relinquish that, and
I think it's an innately female quality is to say 'Okay, I don't need
this but you can have it big man'. (we laugh) So I just found it interesting.
AGW: Ever
have that moment where you looked across the room and saw a guy and went,
'whoa, I'd like to meet him'?
Kristen: I'm
just 18-years-old but I've never gone out with someone or been interested
in anybody I ever thought was attractive when I first looked at them,
not ever. It happens like a second later. Also, if they're not looking
at me, I'm like 'pshh (who needs 'um?)'. When somebody looks at you a
certain way, it's indescribable, especially if you're both doing it at
the same time. But, I've never been the type of girl who has looked for
this unattainable thing/guy who isn't aware of you. I've never been fixated
on anything that wasn't fixated on me! (we laugh)
AGW: Good
for you! There has to be a ton of fan pressure in playing this role. Have
you already experienced that?
Kristen: It's
really important to me. I don't want to upset people. People are so passionate
about the book. But, it's something that I've got to put down now because
I'm done with the movie. I've done my job and all of the responsibility
(I felt) was self-inflicted; it had nothing to do with people who loved
the book. I had tunnel vision in Portland when I was making this movie.
I didn't even know. Then I come home and go to Comic Con and it's like
'wha? People care about this as much as I do. Why?' I know why but its
funny when you become this little figurehead. I don't take it personally
because I know how they feel. I would put the same amount of pressure
on a character I held in (esteem).
AGW: Is there
a particular impression you take away from being around the zealous fans?
Kristen:
The crowds of people screaming. I know Rob's been quoted infamously. He
said something about going through 'the Gates of Hell'. Yeah. But it makes
you want to cry. It's like a natural instinct. Energy pushed at you like
that is really overwhelming. It's loud and blinding. I've also had girls
move down autograph tables and look at me with the most severe amount
of disdain. That is a little unnerving. (They say) 'Just your name. Can
you not write anything besides your name'? I'm like, 'yeah, sure'.
AGW: You're
signed on for two more of these so the fan base is only going to get bigger.
Are you prepared for cult-like status?
Kristen:
Yeah. Because it doesn't touch you. It doesn't feel like anything. You
can go online and cry about what's posted on IMDB or you can just not
read or read it and get a kick out of it. When I go out for things like
this (interviews) and know that I've been exposed, then I go online and
I'm like 'yo, is anything weird happening? Are people outraged about some
stupid little thing I decided to say?' I have to say genuinely it doesn't
bother me. Like last night, I had to go to this mock red carpet thing
where there were like 100 fans outside and a theater full of people and
the 'Gates of Hell' noise. That's very fleeting. It happens very rarely,
and then I go back to work.
AGW: Do you
get why fans are so rabid and emotional? Have you felt that way about
anything?
Kristen: I
understand the phenomenon. I'm moved by the story as much as they are.
I've never been obsessed with a celebrity. I've never had that. I think
it's either in your or it isn't. It makes sense that this movie is attracting
that, I guess. I really have to say I don't think anything about it; it
just is. It's just there.
AGW: Can
you talk about the rumors that you and Robert were so dark and into the
characters that that's all you talked about even off set; getting obsessed
with Edward and Bella. Did you have fun?
Kristen:
Yeah, but we had fun doing that. That's why we were there.
AGW: So, as
an actor, that should be what you want to do.
Kristen:
Yeah, it is. It absolutely is.
AGW: Catherine
Hardwicke is an interesting director for this. Can you talk about working
with her?
 Kristen:
She is incredibly smart (but) she expresses ideas in the simplest way.
It's hard to explain this. What I'm about to say is going to sound negative.
She's almost childlike in a way. Kids are (getting super intense and leaning
in close) skyrocket overpowers when it comes to not over-thinking things
and taking it for what it is and understanding it, just on a fundamental
level. 'I just feel it and so believe it'. She is very wise. There's something
wise about her. There's something trusting of fundamental human emotion.
I wanted to overcomplicate everything in this movie and take it apart
and say 'you'd never say this and it's corny and it's crap, and I'm not
going to say it!' And she's be like 'just give it a shot' and she would
put me in the right place so it would come out right. She doesn't lack
in enthusiasm. She works 24/7 and never feels like she's leaving you alone.
A lot of directors set you up and sit back and say, 'okay, let's see what
you've got'. She never did that. She was always right there.
AGW: Are you
okay working in that "show me what you've got" mode as well?
Kristen:
Yeah. Absolutely.
AGW: Which
is more comfortable?
Kristen:
It depends on how they do it. There are technical aspects of directing
but acting is living. It's like saying 'you are no worse an actor than
I am if you could just get rid of inhibition and believed in something
and wanted to portray it and wanted people to know it'. You're not better
at being human than I am. In the same way, it's hard to say how a director
relates to you and communicates. It's hard to define.
AGW: You used
to play tomboy roles; this is more feminine. Are you turning your image
around with this film?
Kristen:
I'm getting older. It's not like my goal. You just have more complicated
roles to play when you get older. That's why.
AGW: Talking
about complicated roles, we hear that you were seen dancing on a bar in
New Orleans to prepare for an exotic dancer role. True?
Kristen:
Yeah. It's Welcome to the Rileys. I play a really broken 16-year-old.
It doesn't matter how old she is though. She doesn't have her say. She's
a liar. Everything she says she's making it up. But James Gandolfini comes
in to try to pick up the pieces, and realizes that she has to do it herself.
It shows she has the capacity to be a real person and not this shut down
little icebox that she's become. It's really, really good. I love it.
Melissa Leo is in the movie as well and she's so good.
AGW: You're
doing a movie with Nikki (Reed) that your mom is directing?
Kristen:
Yeah. K-Eleven. It takes place in a dorm of the LA County Jail.
It's like where you go if you can't be put into the general population.
So its full of eccentric, crazy off-the-wall characters, and me and Nikki
play two of them. Jason Mewes wakes up in this place and doesn't know
where he is and tries to break out for two weeks. He tries to integrate
himself into the community. It's a really sweet but really screwed up
little family in there.
All pictures
courtesy of and copyright Summit Entertainment, 2008
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