The Vampires of 'Twilight' Open Up About 'Breaking Dawn'

The Vampires of 'Twilight' Open Up About 'Breaking Dawn'

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 is just days away from its release. The first part of the final chapter focuses on the long-awaited marriage of Bella and Edward, and the birth of their hybrid vampire/human child. Part 2 - due out next year - will introduce dozens of new vampires to the franchise, so we thought we would spend some time with a few familiar vampires: Elizabeth Reaser (Esme), Jackson Rathbone (Jasper), Peter Facinelli (Carlisle), and Nikki Reed (Rosalie).

How does it feel, saying goodbye to these characters?

Jackson Rathbone: It was definitely nice to hang up the white makeup and the wigs and the contacts. That was always cumbersome in the mornings. It's nice because we have the premiere coming up, then we have part two next year, so it still feels very much alive.

Jackson, you were really cutting a rug at the wedding.

JR: A little jitterbug, a little swing dancing. When I was doing musical theater as a little kid, I definitely did a lot of swing dancing. I was really into that musical genre. We actually did some choreography. They had a different dance style for us, and I was talking to our choreographer and suggested we do this little old-school flip. We were nervous about it because Ashley was in heels. It was fun though.

And you can't pull a Prince and change your name.

JR: The fans, over the years, have been utterly amazing and so supportive. We wouldn't be where we are right now if it wasn't for their loyal devotion to these films. There has definitely been some craziness. But there are some that are so sweet and adoring. When people start yelling at you and chasing after you, I think your natural instinct is to run in the other direction.

All of you have had tremendous transitions in your life from working on Twilight. What have you taken from the experience?

JR: It's been an incredible learning experience. I think one of the most fascinating things that I learned from this series was working with so many different, diverse directors. People whose works I've seen and respected over the years. I formed my own production company about a year and a half ago, and being able to learn from the amazing producers and directors - all of whom have different styles - has been important. It has given me a chance to learn from the best in the business. This time we had Bill Condon, and he has such an amazing aesthetic. The nightmare wedding sequence just blew me away. The blood and the roses... it was so well done. It's one thing when you read it in the book; you always visualize things differently. The way he brought it to life was so phenomenal.

How did Bill differ as a director from others who helmed earlier installments?

JR: Everyone has a different energy, and as the director, that energy trickles down through the rest of the crew and cast. Bill had this really calm demeanor. He knew what was going on; he was open to being asked questions and always had an answer. At the same time, he was always open to new ideas.

Do you take any notice of critics reactions to the films, or is it just the fan reactions you are most concerned with?

JR: I think the harshest critics are the fans. They have lived with these books, and have the visions of the movies already in their heads. If most of the fans like them, then I think we've done our job.

Source => Fear / Via => JRathboneFB