Sunday, November 15, 2009
A+E, In this Issue..., Movies, Q&A

Endless love

Kristen Stewart talks about life as a tabloid figure and her undying devotion to Bella Swan

BY BERT OSBORNE

What’s a poor girl to do? In "New Moon," a sequel to last year’s "Twilight"—based on the incredibly popular books by Stephenie Meyer—Kristen Stewart reprises her role as the saga’s young heroine, Bella Swan, a mere mortal who finds herself torn between the affections of a vampire (Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen) and a werewolf (Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black).
 
The 19-year-old actress, whose other films include "Panic Room" and "Into the Wild," talked about the latest installment of the "Twilight" series during a recent interview in Los Angeles.
 

When I spoke to you for the first "Twilight" movie, you seemed a little overwhelmed by the whole phenomenon of it all. How are you handling that this second time around?

 I think I’m a lot more comfortable talking about myself, and knowing that people are really going to take into consideration what I have to say. That always used to intimidate me so much that I minced every word that came out of my mouth, like I couldn’t finish a sentence because I was so concerned about how it was going to read or sound. I was so worried about coming across as insincere about something I really love doing. Now, instead of refraining from saying something like, "I’ve put my heart and soul into this thing and I love it," I realize that’s exactly what I should be saying, instead of some logical, overanalytical reason about why I love it.

Is it any easier dealing with all the tabloid coverage you get?

 All that tabloid stuff, the whole rumor mill, it’s always felt so obviously false to me—even before I became a part of it myself. All that false realism, it’s like a ridiculous show or soap opera. It doesn’t really bother me, because I don’t take it personally. I don’t know if anybody can really get a handle on that. For me, as soon as I stopped trying to control everything that came out of my mouth, every picture that was taken of me, that’s when I became so much more relaxed and happier. I’ve learned how to not care as much about any of that. I’m not able to control how people are going to perceive me. I mean, considering that we’re playing characters that are so coveted by a lot of people, I can totally understand why they have a hard time separating us from our characters. I get why they want to know more about us, or why they want to think that Rob [Pattinson] and I are a couple off-screen. I just have to sort of not think about it.

How did making "New Moon" compare to making "Twilight"?

 I had a really good time on "New Moon." It was really intense, just due to the nature of the story itself, and how it goes in a completely different direction. We almost undermine the first movie with the second movie. That one established a very ideological idea of love, and this one basically tells Bella that she was wrong. What I really like about it is, you see this girl build herself back up. By the time she makes a decision about whether or not to spend eternity with a vampire, she’s in a position where you actually buy it, because she’s old enough and mature enough to know. She’s lived life. She’s grown up. That was probably more difficult to play. Bella’s so sure all the time, but in this one she’s more emotionally conflicted.

Talk a little about breaking in a new director [Chris Weitz, who takes over from “Twilight” director Catherine Hardwicke]. Does a male director bring some kind of different sensibility or perspective to the story than a female director did the first time?

 Every director is different, an individual, regardless of their gender. I’m probably not smart enough to make a comparison. Yes, the lead character in these stories is a woman, but her two love interests are men, so any director is going to approach those relationships in his or her own way. I think to be a good director, you need to care about people, and I don’t know a more compassionate human being than Chris. I couldn’t have done this without a believable environment to work in, a comfortable space to be so vulnerable in, and Chris provided that. He’s one of the smartest, funniest, coolest guys I know. It wasn’t about breaking him in at all.

On what level do you identify with the character of Bella? Do you think she’s a good role model for the young girls who make up a large part of the fan base for the "Twilight" books?

I think the fact that she’s basically normal is the most relatable thing about her. She’s awesome, but doesn’t always know it. She’s confident, without being arrogant. I think it’s great that so many girls can look up to her. She’s fickle, and unabashedly so. You’re allowed to make mistakes and you shouldn’t be ashamed of that. I’m very much like that, and so is Bella. I’m very protective of this character. It’s weird. I sort of feel a shared ownership of her. I like her a lot and I’m very defensive of her. If you were to talk about her in a way that was flippant or not very well thought out, I’d be right there to say you didn’t know what you were talking about. [She laughs.]
 
And yet she’s willing to sacrifice anything and everything for Edward. When it looks as if their relationship is over, Bella becomes a reckless adrenaline junkie with an apparent death wish.
 
Well, it’s a very extreme story. I think people who take to it need to be a little more mature. Actually, I think the only reason they do take to it is because they are. The only way I can justify it—and maybe it’s just that I’m an immature girl, as well—is to say that if you really feel like you need to do something, then you need to do it. Be extreme. Go for it. This is a story about mortality versus immortality, but the fact is, you only live once, you know?

How cool was it getting to play Joan Jett in your next movie ["The Runaways"]?

It was cool. I can only play characters that I feel are real and complete. If I’m having to fake any aspect of it, then I feel like I’ve failed the character. In terms of approaching that part, I got to know Joan—not only as she is now, but through old footage and all the other research I was able to do—so I feel like I got to know who she was in that sort of real, complete way. Even though I was really concerned about getting all the physical details just right, it wasn’t about imitating her. It was more about impersonating her, if that makes any sense.

What can you tell me about the next "Twilight" sequel, "Eclipse" [due out in 2010]?

Well, sort of like "New Moon," as soon as you think you’re going to get the same story, all of a sudden it changes and becomes a totally separate thing. Bella is back to being herself again, content and self-assured in a way she isn’t in "New Moon." What I really love about the third story is it deals with all these different levels of love, and how Bella has to acknowledge that the ideal she had in mind before may not be true. The coolest thing about this whole franchise is being able to follow a character for this long, through so many different things. Each one surprises me in a way the others didn’t. I can’t wait to do the fourth one. SP