Kristen Stewart: “Twilight has given me a lot”

W9 completes its Twilight cycle this evening, with the second part of Revelation. When it was released, Première met its stars.

First emerges from its archives the interview with the heroine of Twilight, Kristen Stewartpublished at the time of the release of chapter 5: revelation, late 2012. After playing Bella Swan in five films, the actress is clear: it's in the past. Confessions in the form of a review of a separate experience.

PREMIERE: How are you feeling on the eve of the release of this final chapter?
KRISTEN STEWART: It's strange… I feel the same way every time I finish a film, and it's not more intense with this latest one Twilight, probably because this character belonged to me for so long. I put just as much into each of my roles, except I usually have to say goodbye to them after five weeks. Finally, it is much easier in the case of Twilight : I spent so much time in this universe that I experienced everything there was to experience through this experience. I have a real feeling of accomplishment. There are a few films that I wish I could reshoot scenes from after the fact, but not here. It's over, settled, behind me. I'm ready to turn the page.

Except we're talking about five years instead of the usual five weeks… It's like quitting your job, practically.
Let's not forget that it was not continuous. I didn't just do that during these five years, fortunately. This interview would have been totally different otherwise. I was able to participate in several films between the different episodes of Twilight. That said, I wouldn't have minded shooting them all in a row, but it was impossible in terms of production. If I hadn't worked during these periods which separated each filming of the saga, I would have completely lost control. So, I look at the experience as a whole, but not as a chapter of my life, in the sense that these five years were not exclusively dedicated to Twilight. The series has brought me a lot on a professional level: I am at a stage in my career where I am now being offered to take on exciting challenges as an actress. And I have the chance, today, to be able to select these challenges, which is a rare luxury, I realize.

How has this experience changed you as an actress and as a person?
As soon as I feel a new or very strong emotion in my daily life, it nourishes my acting. I tell myself : “I need to remember this to use it in a role later.” I certainly sound like a crazy person when I say that, but hey… If I've learned one thing in these five years, thanks to Twilight and other films I've made is that it's good to be afraid when you approach a project. I found a certain comfort in this anxiety that attacks you before a shoot, because I know that the best performances, the most authentic, are born from that. Now I need a role to intimidate me. What has changed in me as a person is ultimately quite similar, the line is blurred. Even if there is no creative result, I do the same thing in life as in this job: ask questions, constantly, before realizing that they don't necessarily have answers.

Kristen Stewart is no longer Team Edward at all, 15 years after Twilight

Your emotions fuel your work, but does it also work the other way? Have certain roles had an impact on your life?
It happens that passages in a script reveal things to you about yourself, yes. And sometimes it’s a shock. In the same way, making a film will bring to light qualities that you were unaware of in yourself, or that you had buried very far away. I have already played emotions, for example, that I had not yet experienced myself. And when I finally felt them, I said to myself: “Ah, so it has that effect…” This is still going to sound weird, and maybe I shouldn't reveal this much, but I had never actually kissed a boy until I did it in the movies. And when it happened to me “for real”I said to myself : “Wait, this is my first kiss, but I've kissed someone in a movie before.” Very strange.

Interesting…
Is not it ? (Laugh.)

If you could travel back in time and give advice to this young woman who was about to sign for Twilightwhat would you say to him?
The only way to learn is to live this experience, so rather than giving him advice, I would say: “You will be very happy in five years.” I find that quite encouraging, don’t you think?

Do you ever come across photos of yourself in the first Twilight ? What do you see there?
Me at 17. (Laughing.) I wonder what would serve as a guide for me if I hadn't been an actress, but it turns out that the different stages of my life are marked out by films, and that my defining experiences have often taken place on the movie sets. Plus, I celebrated my 18th birthday at the end of filming the first Twilight, a very important, poignant milestone in the life of a young woman. I remember it like it was yesterday.

Interview Mathieu Carratier

Twelve years after the end of Twilight, Kristen Stewart resigns for a vampire film, with Oscar Isaac