When it comes to motion picture franchises or TV/cable shows based on bestselling literary series — whether it’s author Stephenie Meyer’s
Twilight series, the Sookie Stackhouse books (a/k/a
True Blood), Anne Rice’s sexy chronicling of the life of the Vampire Lestat or
The Vampire Diaries — most movie-goers usually already have their minds made up about whether they are going see the adapted film or television show before they head to their neighborhood multiplex or set ytheir DVRs.
So, if you are not already a Stephenie Meyer devotee or
Twilight aficionado,
The Twilight Saga: New Moon, the first sequel of the franchise, may not be for you. However, according to last year’s box office receipts for the film (which raked in an outstanding $385 million), there were a whole lot of men and women (both young and old) who really dug director Catherine Hardwicke’s cinematic adaptation of
Twilight, the tale of Bella, a young mortal teenage girl that is deeply in love with Edward, a hunky, century-old vampire, so they should get ready to fall in love all over again with
New Moon.
With the three main leads back for the groundbreaking, epic sequel — Kristen Stewart as Bella, Robert Pattinson as Edward and Taylor Lautner (who spent month in the gym packing on 30 pounds of muscle to ensure he kept his role of Jacob) — and a new director at the helm (Chris Weitz, the man behind the brilliant but unjustifiably maligned
Golden Compass),
The Twilight Saga: New Moon is a visually dazzling and emotionally compelling follow-up that, in many cases, is far superior to its predecessor. Closely following the novel’s storyline,
New Moon (which clocks in at roughly two hours) focuses on Bella’s broken heart following Edward’s decision to “break-up” with her (to purportedly keep her safe from rival, bloodthirsty vampires) and her burgeoning romantic feelings for Jacob, her childhood, Native-American friend who just so happens to be turning into a werewolf at the same time his testosterone levels are skyrocketing.
Throughout all the minor scuffles between the vampires and the wolf pack, Bella's deep emotionally longing for her fanged beau, the Romeo and Juliet surprise twist and a trip to Italy to visit an eccentric sect of bloodsuckers,
New Moon is essentially an exciting, edge-of-your-seat love story. This sexy and enchanting big screen romance is the perfect date movie — one filled with nonstop nail-biting action for male movie-goers and a hot, sizzling love story for the females. During a recent press day in Los Angeles, Stewart, Pattinson and Lautner sat down to talk about their contributions to the latest installment in the cinematic continuation of the
Twilight saga.
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Kristen Stewart in New Moon
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How much did you enjoy working on New Moon? KRISTEN: “I had a really good time with this movie. It was intense. Just because of the nature of the story it goes in a completely different direction. We undermine the first. We establish a very ideological of love and basically tell our main character, our main protagonist that she was wrong and it’s like, ‘Where’s our story?’ You’re going to be left if Edward’s not there. What I really love about New Moon is that you see this girl build herself back up and by the time she makes this sort of rash decision to spend eternity with a vampire she’s in a position where you actually believe her. You’re like, ‘Okay, you’re old enough, you’re mature enough to know. You’ve lived life.’ She grows up. I don’t know what I’m talking about anymore.” (laughs)
What’s it like for you to film in Vancouver since you’ve been there for a while now? What do you like to do in Vancouver? KRISTEN: “I love Vancouver. When we’re doing the
Twilight series there I don’t get to go out as much as I’d like to. I’m also sort of a boring person. I really don’t go out to bars and stuff a whole lot unless it’s an event. It’s a beautiful place to be.”
What are your favorite spots in the city? KRISTEN: "I just like being outside there. I don’t have favorite spots. The climate is so different from what I’m used to. I don’t really have any favorite spots. I really don’t.”
And, Taylor, what has it been like working and living in Canada while doing New Moon and (the just finished next sequel) Eclipse? TAYLOR: “Canada is great. I’ve spent six months out of this year there. The first time we were there it was really rainy and dark and cloudy. It was snowing. And that was difficult, weather-wise. But filming Eclipse, it was beautiful. It’s just one of the most beautiful cities and I’m definitely going to miss it a lot.”
Rob, what personality traits do you share with Edward? ROBERT: “ I guess stubbornness, in some ways, about some things. He’s pretty self-righteous. I get quite obsessive about things, and possessive as well.”
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Robert Pattinson in New Moon
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You’re obsessive and possessive about what exactly? ROBERT: “I have very, very specific ideas about how I want to do my work and how I want to be perceived, to the point of ridiculousness, sometimes. I don’t listen to anyone else. That’s why I don’t have a publicist or anything. I can’t stand it, if someone is trying to tell me to do something, which is maybe a mistake sometimes. I like being meticulous, and it’s quite difficult, as an actor, to have that much control. The good thing about the
Twilight series is that it does give you a lot more control over tiddly little things, which I want to have. I’m a control freak about it.”
Robert, what was it like watching Taylor’s transformation for New Moon – especially physically?
ROBERT: “I didn’t see Taylor until just a little bit before we started shooting, so when he came back, I had the same reaction as everybody else. I was like, ‘Now I have to go to the gym.’” (laughs)
So, for you Kristen, what did you think about working with Taylor this time around? I mean, he did an incredible job in the face of controversy going into the movie of whether he was going to be able to reprise the role of Jacob or if they would get someone new to play the part. KRISTEN: “I think that controversy has probably been like made bigger than it was. We needed to be sure that whoever played Jacob was going to be Jacob in
New Moon. He’s such a different person. He becomes a man. It’s not just a physical transformation. He really becomes an adult. I mean, I always knew that Taylor could do that but we just needed to make sure because it was so important. So once he actually proved himself, which wasn’t hard to do, even seeing him walk around on set was like a different experience. He’s literally become a different person. He’s just grown up. He’s so confident and the nicest guy that I’ve ever met. I know that I’m using this grammatically incorrect but he’s the funnest guy I’ve ever hung out with. (laughs) So he’s great. I’m so proud of him.”
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Taylor Lautner in The Twilight Saga: New Moon
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How does Eclipse (scheduled for Spring 2010 release) fit into the overall Twilight story? TAYLOR: “Well,
Eclipse was my favorite book, so I was really excited to start filming the movie. I just love that it’s the height of the love triangle.
Twilight develops Edward and Bella’s relationship and New Moon develops Jacob and Bella’s relationhip, and in
Eclipse, the three of them are physically together. It has one of my favorite scenes ever in that movie. The tent scene, where Edward is forced, and I guess it was a choice of his, to let me sleep in the same sleeping bag as Bella just so she doesn’t die, because she’s shivering to death and I’m warm. I’m the only thing at that moment that can keep her alive. It’s a funny scene. There’s a lot of ribbing going on between Jacob and Edward. It’s going to be a really good movie and visually stunning. David Slade (
Eclipse director) is incredible — visually.”
Aside from the physical, how has being part of the Twilight phenomenon transformed you in the past year? TAYLOR: “I’d have to say the biggest transformation would be my schedule. I’m really, really busy but it’s a lot of fun. I just got back from South America yesterday, and here I am today for three days. And then I go to Europe. So I’m really, really busy but it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a great experience. I’m really excited to be part of this thing.”
The Twilight motion picture franchise has made you a very bankable leading man, Robert. How has that changed your career? ROBERT: “I don’t know? I’ve only done one movie outside of the series, which was
Remember Me. That’s going to be out sometime next year. But, even that, I did with the same studio. I’m still a little bit blind, as to what my actual economic viability is, outside of the series, but it’s definitely different.
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Kristen Stewart in New Moon
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You get offered stuff that you never would have dreamed of getting offered before, but that’s scary as well because you don’t have to audition for anything. You’re just like, ‘I don’t want to do a movie just because it gets made.’ It’s a scary situation to be in, in a lot of ways. You have to question yourself a lot more. Before
Twilight, I did any movie that I got and tried to make the best of it afterwards. Now, you’re expected to come into the movie and provide not only economic viability, but a performance as well. People are like, ‘You can’t just mess around. We’re employing you to be a star and an actor.’ It’s difficult and it’s scary.”
Kristen, what do you find the most rewarding part of being involved in something as popular as the Twilight film franchise? KRISTEN: “I think my favorite thing about this is the fact that I can keep it personal. It’s still something that if the franchise, if the saga didn’t become a franchise and it was literally was just a series of movies that I had done they would mean just as much to me. That’s also the best part of it, the fact that it isn’t like that, the fact that so many people are affected by it and are invested in it just as much as me if not more. Like I’ve said about (director) Chris (Weitz), if you don’t like people and if you don’t want to make movies because you care about people then you probably are just wanting to be just rich and famous. So the fact that this is so important to so many people makes me so happy. That’s it. I think that’s it.”
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Kristen & Robert in New Moon
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The Twilight Saga: New Moon opens nationwide Friday, November 20, 2009.
