December 19, 2008 Leigh Singer

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson – Twilight

Vampire flick Twilight stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart as a pair of star-crossed teens, and IGN recently caught up with them to discuss the hit film’s romantic chemistry, sexual tension – and dealing with crazy screaming fans.
IGN: Did you have any idea just how devoted the book’s fans are?

Kristen Stewart: I knew how important the book was to a small group of people but I had no idea how widespread it was. I felt I was one of them, initially – then I realised I wasn’t as crazy as most of them.

IGN: Were you prepared for the hysteria at the premieres?

Robert Pattinson: I don’t think anything can prepare you for that. I don’t know why I’m not getting used to it because it’s happened absolutely everywhere we’ve been with Twilight, people screaming. ‘Screaming’ and ‘Twilight’ seem to belong in the same sentence. I’m completely overwhelmed with it.

IGN: Presumably that means the film has worked?

Pattinson: Yeah, because they’d probably kill us if not. In fact they’d definitely kill us. They almost killed me before the thing came out…

IGN: Rob, even though you were in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, has your life now completely changed?

Pattinson: In my head it hasn’t. I don’t know, little weird things like people following you to your house, that’s strange. If I go on the tube, hardly anyone knows who I am but then you go to a premiere, all the screaming, it almost feels like they’re paid to be there! ‘All the screamers turn up at this spot…’ And seeing a bus go by with your face on – that’s scary. It’s like being in 1984. It’s not good for someone who suffers from extreme paranoia. But luckily the buses don’t go past my house too much.

IGN: Your mutual chemistry is crucial to the film – how did you sustain it?

Pattinson: I used to sometimes just run into Kristen’s bedroom naked, just to keep shocking her… No, I don’t know, it’s funny because all the romantic scenes were kind of – are you better at [answering] this than I am?

Stewart: No, I’m so terrible at it…

Pattinson: It worried us because we both were wearing contact lenses and so much of it was to do with eye contact. And these lenses were like masks on our eyes –

Stewart: – like walls!

Pattinson: I was really worried that there wouldn’t be anything, so it’s a relief that people felt there was.

IGN: Still, because Edward is a vampire and has to control his urges, the romance ends up very chaste…

Stewart: In my view, even though the actual act isn’t shoved in your face, I think it’s just as abundant. Watching sexualised films is the same as films about wanting to have sex, there’s no difference.

Pattinson: If you’ve ever tried watching a feature length porno, you know, it’s dull…!

IGN: Rob, how did they end up using a couple of your own songs on the soundtrack?

Pattinson: One of them is written by two friends of mine so that was one of the reasons. I’d grown up with loads of musicians so I thought that would be good for them. I mean, I don’t have any plans to release an album – there’s such a stigma attached to actors who release music. Maybe I’d do it anonymously – or wait until I’m unemployable.

IGN: What can you tell us about Twilight sequels? There are three more books to go…

Stewart: I believe we start shooting New Moon the beginning of next year. Usually I only get to play someone for, like, six weeks. I do little movies and when I’m done there’s always this grieving process. So to get to follow [Bella] for an incredibly long time – or at least for the second one – I’m rather excited.

Pattinson: It’s terrifying because we really didn’t have anything to lose, because it was the first one and the timing was perfect. Now it’s harder to live up to the amount of hype, especially in America. Next year everyone will be judging us.

Stewart: The press might be a little tougher but hopefully the process will be the same.

Pattinson: I think it will be impossible, sorry…

IGN: So do you worry about typecasting?

Stewart: I guess the only thing to do is do very different things in-between. If it was just Twilight for the rest of my life as an actor I would be quite miserable. But it’s not – I actually just got cast as Joan Jett in a movie called The Runaways. That’s also quite daunting.

Pattinson: It makes it a little daunting to decide what your next job is. But if you choose things carefully I don’t think you can get typecast – just do good movies.

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The published article can be read on IGN – ‘Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart Interview’