The new vamp
Kristen Stewart was just 17 when she was cast as Bella Swan in the first Twilight movie back in 2007.
No-one knew the series would become a global phenomenon.
‘‘Twilight definitely had a following [thanks to Stephenie Meyer’s novels] but I think we all kind of imagined it was fairly cultish,’’ says 22-year-old Stewart.
‘‘Then it suddenly took off like wildfire.’’
In this fifth and final instalment, Bella, who married vampire Edward in the last film, awakens transformed. She’s now a mother, and finally a vampire, but her daughter Renesmee (who’s halfhuman, half-vampire) ignites forces that threaten to destroy the vampire clan.
Although constantly chased by paparazzi and hounded by the films’ fans (aka Twihards), Stewart says she’s never regretted signing up.
‘‘There have been some heavy moments, obviously, but I would trade nothing,’’ says the Los Angeles-born actress, who endures ongoing scrutiny over her relationship with co-star Robert Pattinson.
‘‘It’s such a strange job; you need to be a little crazy, you need to be a little obsessive. But how often do people find what really genuinely challenges them in life at this age?’’ she says.
‘‘I get so much more time to do what I love than most people. I mean I started when I was 10 years old, so I definitely wouldn’t trade anything.’’
As the saga comes to an end, the publicity-shy Stewart is determined to savour every moment.
‘‘You get slightly desensitised when you know there’s another one coming up, whereas today it genuinely feels like the last day of school, like you’re giddy and it’s hard for me to focus entirely because I’m excited,’’ she says.
The 26-year-old is ‘‘pretty excited’’ at the imminent release of the final instalment.
‘‘It’s really good that we didn’t get stopped in the middle of the series. Wemanaged to get to the end and I didn’t get fired!’’ he laughs.
He looks exhausted but jokingly pretends to pump himself up for the interview before cringing as he recalls his first outing as Edward.
‘‘I was trying so hard on the first one. I’d never done an American movie before. I’d barely done anything before, and I kind of wanted to take it so seriously, and was so determined to prove myself. Occasionally my face went totally out of control,’’ says the Londonborn actor, laughing.
Despite a role as the doomed star pupil Cedric Diggory in the fourth Harry Potter movie, Pattinson didn’t think he stood a chance of being cast as Edward.
‘‘Someone had sent me the book six months before [the audition] and I’d read it and I was like, ‘I’m never going to get this part, there’s no point in me doing an audition tape from London’.’’ So he didn’t.
But then, a while later, he made his way to LA for a different role and ‘‘went in [for the Twilight audition) for the hell of it basically’’.
Despite the mind-boggling hoopla that surrounds him, like Stewart, he’s never regretted his decision to take part in the franchise.
‘‘It’s impossible to regret anything because it’s totally random how things work out,’’ he says.
The shy star’s even in two minds about the adulation dying down once the franchise ends.
‘‘You don’t want people to stop seeing your movies,’’ he says. ‘‘You learn to live with whatever circumstances you’re given, basically. Nothing’s that bad, though there are things that are annoying.’’
Despite the global worship and a net worth that runs into many millions, Pattinson doesn’t think the Twilight him.
‘‘I think I’ve remained the same as I was when I was 22, like in a bad way,’’ he chuckles.
experience has changed