SNOW WHITE
From cowering prisoner to sword-wielding warrior
“I know there was talk that we were making another Twilight film,” says director Rupert Sanders, especially after Kristen Stewart — Bella Swan herself — was picked as the lead.
But he had his reasons: “We met with known actors and unknowns. But then I saw this rebellious spirit who wears her heart on her sleeve and is so raw and willful. She stands on her own two feet, even though she is so young and there is so much pressure on her — just like Snow White.”
Stewart, 22, appreciated the film’s re-imagining of Snow White, who is kept locked away in a tower as a child until she finds a way to escape and becomes a kind of Joan of Arc figure. “She is strong yet remains a female. It is so on trend to be an empowered woman. I thought she was essentially me.”
She is also glad for the respite from Twi
light’s world of vampires, werewolves and crazed fans. “I’ve been lucky to do a project in between each film in the series,” she says of the successful franchise that wraps up with No. 5 this fall. “Otherwise, I would have gone nuts.”
One reason she signed on was the chance to match wits with Charlize Theron, who plays the evil queen. “There is a super-different energy when she walks into the room. She blows your hair back. It makes you want to impress her.”
Stewart had to overcome her own doubts and fears as well when it came to mounting a horse for the first time since she broke her elbow in a riding accident at age 9. But the scene where she has to take a swing at Chris Hemsworth’s huntsman restored her confidence. Especially during one take when she accidentally knocked out the actor.
“Honestly,” says Stewart, “I punched out Thor.”