"Breaking Dawn Part 2'' Press Conference Transcript
Jackson
New vampires ?
I played a joke on Erik Odom, who plays one of my Texas brethern. I said, ''Hey man ? Where are your teeth ? You’re missing your teeth''
How do you feel about being able to surprise fans who have read the book so many times ?
The last 20 minutes of the film are really going to be huge for the fans. It’s really amazing and beautiful, and brings back to the first Twilight. It’s really awesome, and exciting!
Do you watch other vampire shows?
I always loved the vampire genre of film. I watch vampire movies like Underworld now, there are so many different types of vampires out there. That’s why I loved this world, it’s so different than any other type of vampire out there. I loved that about Part 2, we get to see vampires from all walks of life, from all over the world.
New vampires ?
I played a joke on Erik Odom, who plays one of my Texas brethern. I said, ''Hey man ? Where are your teeth ? You’re missing your teeth''
How do you feel about being able to surprise fans who have read the book so many times ?
The last 20 minutes of the film are really going to be huge for the fans. It’s really amazing and beautiful, and brings back to the first Twilight. It’s really awesome, and exciting!
Do you watch other vampire shows?
I always loved the vampire genre of film. I watch vampire movies like Underworld now, there are so many different types of vampires out there. That’s why I loved this world, it’s so different than any other type of vampire out there. I loved that about Part 2, we get to see vampires from all walks of life, from all over the world.
Robert
Having done five of these films now, do you have any perspective on what this franchise means to the fans ?
It’s funny, people were asking me how I’d feel when it all ends, on the first movie, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt more completely bewildered, knowing that I only have a month of Twilight stuff left to do. I don’t know. I’ve said, I think since the second one, that it’s going to take 10 years to really settle in my brain, and I’m four years into it. But, I don’t think there is any analysis. I don’t think anyone knows why people like it. I don’t think even the fans know why they connect with it the way they do. It’s a visceral thing. I don’t even know if Stephenie [Meyer] could tell you why she was so fixated on this very, very contained story about these very obsessive characters. It’s just an anomaly. That’s a terrible answer. I don’t know.
If you could go back five years, what kind of advice would you give yourself to prepare you for this entire experience ?
Start drinking vodka instead of beer, and try to get a six-pack as early as possible because you’ll be a much more successful actor. I don’t know. It’s fun to deal with the terror and the huge highs and lows of things. We’re still getting massive surprises, anytime there’s any Twilight-related event or anything. I remember, with the third movie, when we went to Munich and the entire Olympic stadium was filled with fans. We walked in there and did nothing. There was supposed to be a Q&A, but me, Kristen [Stewart] and Taylor [Lautner] stood in the middle of the Olympic stadium with 30,000 people just screaming for 15 minutes. It’s absolutely bizarre! There’s no way you can ever compute it.
When you think of forever, what things come to mind for you ?
Death. What is forever? God, I don’t know. Hope, I guess. That’s a difficult question. I don’t know. Lots of things.
What was your last moment of being Edward Cullen like ?
It was hilarious, considering we’d spent the entire series filming in the most miserable conditions, and then we ended on the beach in the Caribbean, filming for two days in the sea. That was fun. We literally did the last shot, as the sun was coming up in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. It was a nice way to end it ‘cause they were considering shooting it in the sea in Vancouver, which would not have worked at all.
Were you sad to let the character go ?
Yeah. It was very, very strange. I still had the same frustration with trying to play it, the entire way through, right up until the last shot. It’s a strange part because, on one hand, a lot of the audience projects their idea of Edward onto him. It doesn’t matter what he is. They want him to be a certain way. And then, my instincts to try to play it were to try to find the fallibility in him and the weaknesses. You’re trying to play both these things at the same time and it becomes very strange. You’re trying to play someone who’s seen by a lot of people as this perfect thing, but what is that? That doesn’t mean anything. So, you’re trying to play an archetype on one hand and a character on the other, so I felt insanely frustrated, right up until the last shot, and then it ended.
What was the most difficult thing to leave behind, with this character, and what were you glad to leave behind ?
There’s a thing, in general, about doing any kind of series, especially when the characters remain the same, to go back and try to improve whatever you did in the last movie, which never happens. That work ethic is nice. You feel quite strangely secure. It’s the opposite of how you’re supposed to feel doing a movie. It’s supposed to feel totally foreign, every single time. But, going back for another go at it is good, on one hand, but it’s also bad, on another hand. Your ideas dry up sometimes, and you get lazy sometimes ‘cause you’re around the same people. That was the good thing about having different directors. You had to stay on your toes. What was the worst thing? Playing the part where you can’t get hurt and you can’t die gives you no framework. There are too many possibilities, if you can’t die. If you’re playing a normal human being, there’s always that.
How do you see the success of this franchise affecting your career, 10 or 15 years from now ?
I don’t know. People ask me if I’m afraid of getting typecast, but you can’t be afraid of that. It’s really not up to you. I’m getting other parts that aren’t vampires. I don’t know if people will accept me in them, or whatever, but there’s really nothing to be afraid of. But, in 15 years, I have no idea. I don’t know how people will remember this series, at all. It’s crazy how intense people are. The fan base is still five years on, and I don’t know how long it’s going to last. It would be insane, if there’s still the same tenacity in 15 years.
Is there any moment, in particular, during the entire Twilight experience that you would like to relieve ?
The whole first movie was pretty fun. I had never really done a movie like it, when there’s such a big cast of people that are around about the same age. Everyone didn’t really know what was going to happen with the movie, but there was a good energy. There was something which people were fighting for, in a way. They wanted it to be something special. None of us were really known then, as well. It felt like a big deal, at the time. It was really exciting, doing the first one, and the whole year afterwards was an exciting year.
Are you concerned about maintaining this same level of success, throughout your career ?
Well, I don’t know. If I could get any semblance of, not really anonymity, but control over my public image, that would be nice. But no, I think it’s impossible [to maintain that], for one thing. I don’t think anyone can do that, apart from Denzel Washington. It’s a strange place that the film industry is at, where you can just play superhero after superhero. That seems to be the only guaranteed big-money thing. I don’t know. It’s not necessarily that satisfying getting monetary success, but sometimes it keeps the door open to make what you want to make. Other times, you can make five massive hits in a row and still not get cast by the directors you want to work with, doing little movies. There are no guarantees. I’m trying to sign up and do movies that I’ll be proud of, if it’s my last one. That’s how I think about it.
At the end of the day, are you glad this is all over ?
In some ways. After the first one, people started referring to it as a franchise, but a franchise is a Burger King or a Subway. It’s not a movie. The people who start to say it are generally the people who are making money off of it. They love it when something becomes a franchise. But, as an actor, I think it’s scary. You really, really feel like you have no control. It’s a huge juggernaut, especially when something becomes part of the cultural landscape, as well. It’s really scary ‘cause you get trapped and you get scared of changing, which is the worst thing that can happen, if you want to be any kind of artist.
Are you more famous in the U.K. than you are here ?
I don’t know, actually. I used to be able to be in England and just be fine. No one had any idea who I was. It came later in England. Now, it’s relatively similar. I get a lot more abuse in England. That’s just a general English attitude. I did the same thing to famous people. It’s just your instinct.
How was it to step into the father role ?
I actually quite like working with kids and I like working with animals, which everybody says you shouldn’t do. It makes you feel like you’re not acting, as soon as you have someone who’s providing stuff to react to. Especially working with a baby is great. I would say, put a baby in every scene. You can put a dog in a scene and everyone’s going to be better, I guarantee it. And if they’re not better, just shoot the dog. But, it was fun.
What’s your favorite vampire movie ?
I really like Blade. I wish people would make hard R-rated fantasy movies again. It’s completely irrelevant, but people should do that more. I haven’t seen that many vampire things. It’s always been strange to me that someone can say they’re a vampire fan. I’m not a non-fan, but it’s such an unusual thing to be a fan of. That’s like saying, “I love zombie movies! I just love ‘em! They’re my favorite!” That’s more of a psychological problem than being an actual fan.
The lore of the vampires is much more present in this film. Which new character did you like the most ?
I like Benjamin. Rami [Malek] plays him. Mainly ‘cause he’s a great actor. He only had a couple of scenes in it. It was nice having actors who came in and were really, really enthusiastic. They were like, “This is a big deal, being in a Twilight movie! I’ve got these fives lines, and I’m going to own them!” Bill [Condon] got some great people.
What were your first impressions of Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, when you met them, back at the beginning of this whole thing ?
I met Taylor on the movie, I think, when he was wearing his wig and stuff. I met Kristen at the audition. I’m still just trying to come to terms with acknowledging being an actor, at all. Taylor was like 15 when I met him. When I did Harry Potter, I remember looking at Dan [Radcliffe], Rupert [Grint] and Emma [Watson] and being like, “Those guys are actors.” I was starstruck by them. And I was starstruck by these guys, when I met them, even though I’d only seen Kristen in a few thing. I’ve always had this separation. It’s funny to see people get humanized. With Dan, Rupert and Emma, I still see them as that. I was with them for 11 months and I still see them as massively famous people. It’s strange to have gone through the same experience with Taylor and Kristen, as well, and to see people retain their sanity, as much as possible. I’ve seen a lot of people have minor amounts of fame and just lose their minds completely, after a casting announcement, let alone having done a movie. It’s amazing to see that people manage to maintain.
Kristen
What was it like to play the human and vampire side of Bella, at the same time ?
I was really lucky to have played human Bella for so long. The best aspects of every vampire, with all of their gifts, what makes them really special is just an enhanced version of what they were when they were human. So, I really did get to play a really well-rounded version because I actually got to take those steps for real. If you were to take the fact that she becomes a vampire completely away, it’s just a more realized version of who she’s been the entire time. I think that’s why it really touches so many people, too. It really does represent that stage of life where you’re bubbling over with something you maybe can’t put your finger on. I’m not a huge fan of the girl thing, but she’s a girl who has faith in herself enough to not ignore those feelings and find out why they’re even there. People think she’s nuts, the entire time, and that she’s losing it. She’s making very odd decisions, but they’re fully informed by feeling. Now, it all makes sense. She can stand up and go, “I told you! It was worth it! We held on for a reason.” It’s really satisfying. It’s like breaking her in, like a car. How fast does it go? It was fun.
Did you keep any props or costumes, as a momento ?
Yeah, the rings. The rings were really important to me. Her mother gives her a moon ring, in the beginning. It fully and completely reminds me of Catherine Hardwicke, every time I look at it. Other than that, she’s not really into stuff. There weren’t a lot of props, so that was probably it. The rings were really, really extremely important to me.
At what moment did you realize how big this thing was going to be ?
It’s grown so much, even recently, so I don’t know if you ever realize the extent that it’s gotten to, but Comic-Con, for me, was the first time I was ever hit with a wave of human energy that was like, “This is not a normal movie.” It felt like something that was so very much our own. That first dose of looking up and seeing that something that’s really affected you does the same things to other people is mind blowing. It’s the coolest thing about the job, actually. It’s really exciting. I’m incredibly overwhelmed, admittedly, but it is the greatest part of the job.
In getting play Bella as a vampire, you got to do some kick-ass stunts. Did you embrace that ?
I broke my thumb the first or second day of our really intense, action-y type stuff. That was really frustrating. But, it was fun. I got a little taste of it when we were in Italy. The physicality was so important then, and it finally became important again. I don’t know. I’d been on the sidelines for so long, just itching. I thought, “I could do that pretty well. I think I could do that pretty well.” I was bursting to do it. I think that’s why I broke my thumb.
Bella’s life is forever paused at 18, which is so young. If you could pause your life at one moment in time, what age would you be?
I’m not there yet. I don’t know yet. I can’t wait to get to that point, but I don’t know. Somebody recently asked me that and I couldn’t answer them either, so I do apologize. It’s the most boring answer ever. It’s probably so telling that I haven’t gotten to that point yet.
How did Bella’s journey parallel with your own journey, since you’re close to the same age ?
I don’t know. Without taking any of the truth out of this, it’s so general. It’s about that period where you’re like, “Wait, do I go with this or is that crazy?” I think the most adult way for me to answer that is, absolutely! You question yourself along the way, constantly, and I don’t think you should ever stop doing that. You should constantly question everything. Push harder. I think it just gets a little easier. I don’t know. I definitely feel a little more realized. A lot more, actually. Maybe it’s just chance that we happen to be the same age. It’s a tough one because she lives so many years, in such a tiny little period of time, because of the story, so it’s hard to put yourself there completely. But, I think I’ve grown up a little bit, you know?
What effect have these movies had on your career choices?
A question that I can’t answer is, “What do you want to do next? What is your dream role? Where do you see yourself?” It doesn’t make any sense because it’s such an outsider’s perspective. You’re going, “Why don’t people look at me like this?” Until you see it, what are you responding to? You’re responding to other people’s perception of you, which is so weird, and why a lot of actors do what they do, and I don’t get that. I think things have always fallen in my lap, and I’ve gotten incredibly insanely lucky to get the right feelings and meet people that share them. If I can keep doing that, I’ll be a happy girl. It’s always a pretty impulsive thing because you can read a fantastic script that it might not be in you to do. One thing that I don’t think I do is play characters. Once you start claiming that you can do something that you’re not, you’re crazy. I think scripts can really surprise you. You go, “Wow, I did not know that that response could come from me. I did not know that I had that in me.” And so, the process of making the movie is just finding that and digging a little deeper. I think maybe I’ve played parts that are really similar to me because I’m young. I wanted to explore things that were more apparent to me. Now, I’m getting to the point that I want to dig a little deeper. You can shock yourself a little bit with this, and that’s what I’m alive to do.
What was it like to see the montage that sums up everything you’ve been working on, all these years?
I actually saw it a while ago and I wish I had better words, but it’s crazy. It’s so crazy! You typically just don’t get that opportunity to look back. My favorite thing about it is that [Bill Condon] understood. He really put his finger on what drives this thing. He didn’t shy away from anything. This thing is romantic. That’s what is attractive about it. It is so stirring. I think if anyone was going to try to be cool about it, it would be a shame. Bill lent himself to it so fully, and I think you can see that. You can tell that he’s a huge fan of the story and everything that’s been going down. It’s a nice little knife twist, as well. I think it’s really great.
Did playing a mom come naturally for you, and did it make you look differently at your own mom?
I don’t know. I think that it might be something that you’re born with or not born with. Some people have really, really strong natural instincts and desires to be a mom. That was one of my favorite things about the story. From day one, there was never enough about that in the script for me. Luckily Stephenie [Meyer] has really been heavily involved. She was on set, every single day, and it was something that we were really together about. It was one aspect of [Bella] that I was really excited to play. Vampires have slightly more animalistic natures, and what better way to show that? I have a great relationship with my mom, and she can be a bit feral when it comes to being a mom.
Are you ready to have your own kids?
I can’t wait to be a mom, but I can wait.
What sort of bond do you share with Rob Pattinson and Taylor Lautner over this experience, that only you guys can understand?
It’s nice to not be alone in that. There are a lot of people that are exceedingly famous, and I think they feel the same way. We share the movies. Another really common question is, “How is it going to be to walk away from this?” I genuinely feel like I don’t have to walk anywhere. That’s what I love about this job. I wouldn’t have done it in the first place unless it was something that I would always carry, and I think they feel the same way. They tell me they do.
Are you glad these films are finally done?
I’m so happy that the story is told. You have no idea. Usually, you’ve got five weeks or five months to get the schedule and go, “That day is coming up. Now that day is coming up.” We had five years. The fact that this thing is out and it’s not weighing on us anymore, I’m super excited about that. I don’t want it to sound like I’m excited to be done with the experience because it’s such a particular time. It’s a feeling, and I will definitely miss that, but I feel like it’s not going anywhere. It is strange. But, things shouldn’t stay stagnant. You’ve got to move on.
Would you be open to doing another film franchise?
It’s hard to sign on to something before you know what it’s going to be. My guess is that probably not. It’s just really rare to find something that lends itself to that. I would also probably want to know where it was going. I don’t know. I’ve never been a huge fan of any comic book. As of now, probably not, but never say never.
With the holidays coming up, what would you give Bella?
Oh, Bella, what do you want for Christmas, girl? I don’t know. What do I want to give her for Christmas? Bella’s not a big fan of stuff. In fact, she hates presents, so I would mail her something.
Is there anything that Bella has done that you’d love to do?
I would love to be able to run that fast. That would be fun. We were really able to get close to most of the experiences that she had. We wanted to push it as far as we could. But then, when I was standing on the treadmill, being dragged behind a truck in the woods, I was like, “I know this isn’t going to make it into the movie because it’s fairly ridiculous.” Honestly, one of my favorite parts of the entire series is that first hunt.
Would you like to live forever?
No.
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I was really lucky to have played human Bella for so long. The best aspects of every vampire, with all of their gifts, what makes them really special is just an enhanced version of what they were when they were human. So, I really did get to play a really well-rounded version because I actually got to take those steps for real. If you were to take the fact that she becomes a vampire completely away, it’s just a more realized version of who she’s been the entire time. I think that’s why it really touches so many people, too. It really does represent that stage of life where you’re bubbling over with something you maybe can’t put your finger on. I’m not a huge fan of the girl thing, but she’s a girl who has faith in herself enough to not ignore those feelings and find out why they’re even there. People think she’s nuts, the entire time, and that she’s losing it. She’s making very odd decisions, but they’re fully informed by feeling. Now, it all makes sense. She can stand up and go, “I told you! It was worth it! We held on for a reason.” It’s really satisfying. It’s like breaking her in, like a car. How fast does it go? It was fun.
Did you keep any props or costumes, as a momento ?
Yeah, the rings. The rings were really important to me. Her mother gives her a moon ring, in the beginning. It fully and completely reminds me of Catherine Hardwicke, every time I look at it. Other than that, she’s not really into stuff. There weren’t a lot of props, so that was probably it. The rings were really, really extremely important to me.
At what moment did you realize how big this thing was going to be ?
It’s grown so much, even recently, so I don’t know if you ever realize the extent that it’s gotten to, but Comic-Con, for me, was the first time I was ever hit with a wave of human energy that was like, “This is not a normal movie.” It felt like something that was so very much our own. That first dose of looking up and seeing that something that’s really affected you does the same things to other people is mind blowing. It’s the coolest thing about the job, actually. It’s really exciting. I’m incredibly overwhelmed, admittedly, but it is the greatest part of the job.
In getting play Bella as a vampire, you got to do some kick-ass stunts. Did you embrace that ?
I broke my thumb the first or second day of our really intense, action-y type stuff. That was really frustrating. But, it was fun. I got a little taste of it when we were in Italy. The physicality was so important then, and it finally became important again. I don’t know. I’d been on the sidelines for so long, just itching. I thought, “I could do that pretty well. I think I could do that pretty well.” I was bursting to do it. I think that’s why I broke my thumb.
Bella’s life is forever paused at 18, which is so young. If you could pause your life at one moment in time, what age would you be?
I’m not there yet. I don’t know yet. I can’t wait to get to that point, but I don’t know. Somebody recently asked me that and I couldn’t answer them either, so I do apologize. It’s the most boring answer ever. It’s probably so telling that I haven’t gotten to that point yet.
How did Bella’s journey parallel with your own journey, since you’re close to the same age ?
I don’t know. Without taking any of the truth out of this, it’s so general. It’s about that period where you’re like, “Wait, do I go with this or is that crazy?” I think the most adult way for me to answer that is, absolutely! You question yourself along the way, constantly, and I don’t think you should ever stop doing that. You should constantly question everything. Push harder. I think it just gets a little easier. I don’t know. I definitely feel a little more realized. A lot more, actually. Maybe it’s just chance that we happen to be the same age. It’s a tough one because she lives so many years, in such a tiny little period of time, because of the story, so it’s hard to put yourself there completely. But, I think I’ve grown up a little bit, you know?
What effect have these movies had on your career choices?
A question that I can’t answer is, “What do you want to do next? What is your dream role? Where do you see yourself?” It doesn’t make any sense because it’s such an outsider’s perspective. You’re going, “Why don’t people look at me like this?” Until you see it, what are you responding to? You’re responding to other people’s perception of you, which is so weird, and why a lot of actors do what they do, and I don’t get that. I think things have always fallen in my lap, and I’ve gotten incredibly insanely lucky to get the right feelings and meet people that share them. If I can keep doing that, I’ll be a happy girl. It’s always a pretty impulsive thing because you can read a fantastic script that it might not be in you to do. One thing that I don’t think I do is play characters. Once you start claiming that you can do something that you’re not, you’re crazy. I think scripts can really surprise you. You go, “Wow, I did not know that that response could come from me. I did not know that I had that in me.” And so, the process of making the movie is just finding that and digging a little deeper. I think maybe I’ve played parts that are really similar to me because I’m young. I wanted to explore things that were more apparent to me. Now, I’m getting to the point that I want to dig a little deeper. You can shock yourself a little bit with this, and that’s what I’m alive to do.
What was it like to see the montage that sums up everything you’ve been working on, all these years?
I actually saw it a while ago and I wish I had better words, but it’s crazy. It’s so crazy! You typically just don’t get that opportunity to look back. My favorite thing about it is that [Bill Condon] understood. He really put his finger on what drives this thing. He didn’t shy away from anything. This thing is romantic. That’s what is attractive about it. It is so stirring. I think if anyone was going to try to be cool about it, it would be a shame. Bill lent himself to it so fully, and I think you can see that. You can tell that he’s a huge fan of the story and everything that’s been going down. It’s a nice little knife twist, as well. I think it’s really great.
Did playing a mom come naturally for you, and did it make you look differently at your own mom?
I don’t know. I think that it might be something that you’re born with or not born with. Some people have really, really strong natural instincts and desires to be a mom. That was one of my favorite things about the story. From day one, there was never enough about that in the script for me. Luckily Stephenie [Meyer] has really been heavily involved. She was on set, every single day, and it was something that we were really together about. It was one aspect of [Bella] that I was really excited to play. Vampires have slightly more animalistic natures, and what better way to show that? I have a great relationship with my mom, and she can be a bit feral when it comes to being a mom.
Are you ready to have your own kids?
I can’t wait to be a mom, but I can wait.
What sort of bond do you share with Rob Pattinson and Taylor Lautner over this experience, that only you guys can understand?
It’s nice to not be alone in that. There are a lot of people that are exceedingly famous, and I think they feel the same way. We share the movies. Another really common question is, “How is it going to be to walk away from this?” I genuinely feel like I don’t have to walk anywhere. That’s what I love about this job. I wouldn’t have done it in the first place unless it was something that I would always carry, and I think they feel the same way. They tell me they do.
Are you glad these films are finally done?
I’m so happy that the story is told. You have no idea. Usually, you’ve got five weeks or five months to get the schedule and go, “That day is coming up. Now that day is coming up.” We had five years. The fact that this thing is out and it’s not weighing on us anymore, I’m super excited about that. I don’t want it to sound like I’m excited to be done with the experience because it’s such a particular time. It’s a feeling, and I will definitely miss that, but I feel like it’s not going anywhere. It is strange. But, things shouldn’t stay stagnant. You’ve got to move on.
Would you be open to doing another film franchise?
It’s hard to sign on to something before you know what it’s going to be. My guess is that probably not. It’s just really rare to find something that lends itself to that. I would also probably want to know where it was going. I don’t know. I’ve never been a huge fan of any comic book. As of now, probably not, but never say never.
With the holidays coming up, what would you give Bella?
Oh, Bella, what do you want for Christmas, girl? I don’t know. What do I want to give her for Christmas? Bella’s not a big fan of stuff. In fact, she hates presents, so I would mail her something.
Is there anything that Bella has done that you’d love to do?
I would love to be able to run that fast. That would be fun. We were really able to get close to most of the experiences that she had. We wanted to push it as far as we could. But then, when I was standing on the treadmill, being dragged behind a truck in the woods, I was like, “I know this isn’t going to make it into the movie because it’s fairly ridiculous.” Honestly, one of my favorite parts of the entire series is that first hunt.
Would you like to live forever?
No.
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