TWILIGHT TURNS 10
How the movie and its stars became a phenomenon
It’s hard to believe classic teen flick Twilight, based on the YA novels by American author Stephenie Meyer, is a decade old – way to make us feel old! But it’s true – it’s been 10 years since a young teen named Bella Swan, played by a then-unknown Kristen Stewart, first moved to Forks, Washington, and fell wildly in love with an 108-year-old vampire called Edward Cullen, played by also-unknown UK actor Robert Pattinson.
The first film – one of five in the Saga – was originally pitched as an indie flick, filmed in Portland, Oregon, and was made for just $50 million, a comparatively small sum compared with your average blockbuster. But almost as soon as it was released, it was a phenomenon, going on to gross an astonishing $545 million worldwide and spawning its own genre of TV shows and films.
Its success caught the show’s creators by surprise. “It changed the landscape,” the film’s director Catherine Hardwicke recently told EW magazine. The film made $545 million on a $51 million budget. That’s impressive. It kickstarted a popular culture phenomenon and has ensured the Twilight Saga remains one of the most-loved film series of the Noughties.
Fangs for the memories!
KRISTEN STEWART & ROBERT PATTINSON connection to fans
Twilight’s There was something about this ‘comingof-age’ film and its strange supernatural themes that struck a chord with viewers. STEWART I think what captured America, and the world, is not just the vampire thing – in fact, Edward is very human, and it could be anything that he’s battling. It could be any sort of adversity that he had. [ The film] also raises other questions about mortality and what it is to live. Instant connection Both Pattinson and Stewart – who would go on to date for four years in real life – say they connected instantly when auditioning for their roles: STEWART Rob came into the audition looking sort of terrified, with a subdued fear and a pained look. It was just a very evident pain in him – and I am not saying it’s in Rob – but he knew to bring that to the character, while everybody else did not. In terms of chemistry, you never know how that’s going to work, and it’s really hard to define. It’s hard to even talk about – when you feel like you’re looking at a person and that they’re seeing you. It was very organic. We could really see each other, and I couldn’t see any of the other guys. They weren’t even looking at me. It was like they were focusing on their lines. But Rob’s in the moment, and he lets it happen, which is brave. He’s a courageous actor. PATTINSON [Kristen] was one of the main reasons I wanted to do the movie because she had a good track record of films. I thought there was a real chance it could turn into a ‘teen, camp movie’, so having her in it was insurance that it wouldn’t be. I knew after meeting her that she would fight for doing what she wanted to do and I’d have someone on my side right from the beginning. I knew she was good, and fierce, and doesn’t back down, and we were able to make the movie we wanted to make.
Becoming their characters
Their connection established, Rob and Kristen spent considerable time thinking about how they would play the star-crossed lovers – especially Robert, who admits he always knew it would be a
struggle to inhabit the skin of such an iconic, mythical character. PATTINSON When you read the book, it seems nearly physically impossible to play the part because he’s basically just an enigma – a ‘canvas’ for people to project whatever their fantasies about the perfect man are. Being a real human being, you know you’re obviously not going to be to everybody’s taste, but you have to abandon this thing about him being ‘the perfect guy’ and not play him that way.
I tried to make him the perfect underdog. Like, no matter what heroic deeds he’s done, it’s impossible to convince him he’s done anything right. In his eyes, it’ll always be nothing and the only thing that’s made him feel alive, and has made him feel anything, is Bella. So that created an easy anchor for me to play him, to make him not vain and give him no idea about his superiority to other people.
The film’s astronomical success
The original film’s stars were surprised at just how much it connected with fans. By the time they filmed the last movie in the franchise, Pattinson, Stewart and co-star Taylor Lautner (Jacob) were some of the best-known – and highest paid – young actors in Hollywood. PATTINSON When you have less of a name in the industry, you end up doing smaller ‘art house’ movies and I didn’t know Twilight would be that big movie. When it started, Catherine Hardwicke was directing, and she’s only done indie stuff before, and Kristen had been respected for the indie stuff she’d done, and I genuinely thought, ‘This is going to be a really dark little indie vampire love story.’ I thought it might be this weird cult film – but then it ended up being this massive thing. I didn’t see it coming at all and you just have to ride the wave, although it’s not like I objected to suddenly being in a big film!
JACOB BLACK ()
Remember when Jacob had long hair? Back in the first Twilight flick, Bella’s forgotten childhood friend – a Quileute Native American – was a rather minor character. Jacob barely contains his romantic feelings for Bella.
But in this film at least, she only has eyes for Edward. It’s not until the second film, New Moon that Jacob phases into a werewolf for the first time.
Speaking to WHO back in 2012, Lautner was adamant success hadn’t gone to his head. “My goal is to have not changed at all since the beginning, to not let this change us as people,” he said.
“I can say that Rob and Kristen, are the same people they were four years ago, before we even started this journey and that’s extremely impressive to me. We’ve grown up a lot but we’re the same people we were before this even began.”
THE CULLENS
Can you blame Bella for falling for Edward and the rest of the Cullen clan? Vampire patriarch, Carlisle (Peter Facinelli), Twilight’s original silver fox, was a surgeon. And his wife, Esme (Elizabeth Reaser) was the sweetest vampire you’re ever likely to meet.
Of their adopted children, pixie-like Alice (Ashley Greene) is probably the most approachable. Adoptive brother Emmett (Kellan Lutz) is certainly the muscle in the family. His partner Rosalie (Nikki Reed) didn’t exactly warm to Bella at the start. The final member of the family is Jasper (Jackson Rathbone), the newest member of the family – and Alice’s partner – who has the most trouble adhering to the family’s strict “vegetarian” diet.
THE ‘BADDIES’
Unfortunately, not all vampires in Twilight are as nice as the Cullens. A murderous nomadic tribe – led by James (Cam Gigandet) – comes across Bella during a baseball game with the Cullens and they want to … well, kill her. The other members of the coven, James’ red-headed mate, Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre), and Laurent (Edi Gathegi) are equally enthusiastic about tasting Bella’s blood.