Rob and Kristen's Interview with Total Film (Scans & Transcript) + Taylor Mentions Rob and Kristen

Breaking Up

Love or loather it, the Twilight franchise has dominated the box office and headlines during its run. With the final film, Breaking Dawn—Part 2, done and dusted, Total Film catches up with Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner before they part ways.

“They should do it as a straight-up porn film. That would be so good…” chuckles Robert Pattinson, speculating on a potential – but rather less chaste – future reboot of Twilight. While he may be joking about new beginnings, the billion-dollar vampire franchise is at its end with The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (to give it its full title) and Pattinson is on his final round of press-junket interviews about the monster hit which has catapulted himself and co-stars Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner to Hollywood megastardom.

Whether Twi-hard or Twi-hater, there’s no denying the impact of the films adapted from Stephenie Meyer’s quartet of novels about clumsy teen Bella, her pretty-boy vampire beau Edward and werewolf loser-in-love Jacob. Attracting a rabid fanbase, the films also fuelles a craze for bloodsucking TV dramas like True Blood and The Vampire Diaries and a slew of copycat books. Even this year’s bestselling erotic novel, Fifty Shades of Grey, began life as Twilight fan fiction…

But the franchise’s real lasting legacy might just turn out to be its three young stars, who have made millions from the saga. Pattinson (26), Stewart (22) and Lautner (20) even made Forbes magazine’s list of the highest-paid entertainers under the age of 30.

Today, Lautner’s typically cheerful and straightforward, while the self-effacing Pattinson greets Total Film in a hotel room surrounded by bottles of Vitamin Water, after overdosing on coffee. Sporting an anti-Edward backwards baseball cap, he’s still as stubbornly down-to-earth and remarkably unaffected by Twilight hyperbole as he was when TF first talks with him, four years ago. “I was afraid I’d keep talking about myself,” he explains, puffing away on an electric cigarette. “So I put an effort into forcing myself to be interested in other people, even if you’re struggling to come to terms with what your life is.”

That life is one that is splashed all over gossip websites and tabloids. Even more so the day after our chat, when his then-girlfriend Stewart was papped kissing her Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders in Hollywood. The candid photographs and bust-up with Pattinson have put the franchise under an even more intense microscope, with Stewart releasing an apologetic statement acknowledging the relationship for the first time.

A week before the photos are published, Stewart is comfortable in jeans, curled up on a hotel sofa. She’s certainly more relaxed and assured than in previous interviews, yet unable to keep still, cracking her knuckles, fiddling with her bracelets, juggling her legs. “I was terrified at the first press junket,” she admits, looking back on her time in the Twilight goldfish bowl.

Cashflow and relationship status aside, what else has changed for the trio? What advice would they give their young selves?

Kristen Stewart: ‘Everyone thinks it’s hard to say goodbye, but… I’m ready.’

What advice would you give to your younger self on the first day of filming Twilight?
I would say: 'Stick to your guns on not smiling in Twilight. Angst is much better than bubbles, because it really works and everyone is about to be prover wrong'. All the scenes were so serious. They're dealing with really heavy stuff. [The filmmakers] were like, 'Maybe you can lighten things up?' And I'm like, 'No, you can't take that away.' That's what people are addicted to - the rawness. Also, I would say: 'Things wind up OK for you in five years. You're pretty happy so just chill out. Relax, Kristen.'

What are your most memorable moments of the Twilight franchise?
Filming the wedding was very cathartic. I remember sitting in this elaborate wedding dress, wrapped up in a raincoat in a dingy, dirty garae with the whole cast sitting there trying not to be cold, realising this is probably going to be the last time everybody was there hanging out. Also at the beginning, meeting Rob and Taylor. I remember both moments. Big experiences.

How do you thing the saga has changed you as an actress?
Acting in the films has opened me up. I was more locked when I was younger. To play Bella in a really honest way is to show she wears her heart on her sleeve. I only have my heart and my awkwardness to show. It was interesting to watch. Some people hate it. But I'm proud of it.

In what ways has Robert changed since the franchise began?
Rob is ridiculously ambitious. I see this drive and it’s only starting…especially right now because this is all coming to an end. I guess it’s not a change, it’s just something that’s come out and developed.

Is it sad or liberating to be finishing Twilight?
Both. Fleetingly sad and maybe then once or twice after. Like when you suddenly smell something that reminds you of being on set. But it's not sad in between those moments, because I feel like no stone was left unturned. Everyone thinks it's hard to say goodbye, but it's harder to say goodbye to crews and casts that I've only spent five weeks with. This was four years. I'm ready to say goodbye. I'm perfectly fine. Once the story has been told, you feel like you've done all you can do. It's pretty easy to walk away. It's not like it's going anywhere. This one's mine, forever.

Robert Pattinson:  ‘You can sink just as quickly as someone who’s never had this. It’s note a free pass…’

What advice would you give to your younger self on the first day of filming Twilight?

On literally the first take of the scene, I had to run over and pick up Kristen. And I almost tore my arse-cheek muscle, my glute, because I crouched down wrong. So I’d say: ‘Don’t squat down so mow’.

How was the Twilight experience changed you?

I’m probably more insecure. My ego got smaller [laughs]. I thought I was pretty cool after the first one. I finished the movie and for the first time, I had some money. The Twilight trailer had come out and got eight million hits so I had all the best parts of being in a big movie. I had meetings were people were saying, ‘This is the new hot thing, eh?’ Everyone gave a shit about you, but no-one knew who you were outside of that. So I spent eight months getting wasted with everyone thinking I was great. It was really fun. It was different at the start. TMZ and all that stuff was getting prevalent and now, it’s insane. Becoming big now, you became insanely conservative. Terrified about everything. Now I just stay at home.

Did you keep any mementoes from the films?

The first one, I kept pretty much the whole wardrobe because I didn’t have any clothes then. There was an interview I did – with MTV or something – with a superfan. I was supposed to go in and surprise her, and after 10 seconds, she was like, ‘Are you wearing the same outfit as Edward?’ I’d completely forgotten, but they were the same clothes!

Kristen describes you as being ‘ridiculously ambitious’. Is that true?

I think I want to be…The difference between me and Kristen is that she can do a day of work and at the end of the day be like,’I did the absolute best I could. Satisfied.’ Whereas I don’t think I’ve ever had that day in my life. I always go home irritated and want to fix it the next day. I don’t know who has the bigger ego in that case. Whether hers is bigger because she thinks what she did is fine, or whether mine’s bigger because I think I’m so great it’s never going to be good enough.

What has the franchise done for you career in general?

It’s done a lot. But the same time, you have to steer it. You can sink just as quickly as someone who’s never had this. It’s not a free pass. I think about how to carefully plan the route afterwards. You can’t do anything you want. And if I ever stop acting, I want people to remember my stuff as interesting after I got given my break.

Taylor Lautner: ‘I’ve been working on developing my Gus Van Sant movie…’

How have you changed since the franchise began?

Myself, Rob and Kristen have grown up a lot. But they’re the same people they were four years ago. They’re not affected by this. I hope they’d say the same about me.

Did you keep any mementoes from the films?

They won’t give me anything! I wish I could have kept my wig from the first film. It’d be fun to have that now. Would I ever put it on again? No. That thing is hideous.

What’s your favorite film of the saga?

I loved Eclipse, because it was a blockbuster with lots of action. It was dark, edgy. And Breaking Dawn –Part 1, because it was an intimate movie and more character-driven. This last one is an epic movie with a nice emotional ending the fans will enjoy.

So what happens after Twilight?

I’m looking forward to playing more realistic characters dealing with real human issues, rather than transforming into a werewolf, or not getting the girl because she’s fallen in love with a vampire! I’ve also been developing my Gus Van Sant movie.

How do you view your own performances?

It was important to give it everything I had, to not fret. Are there things I wish I could have done differently? Sure. But I’m super proud of this whole franchise and everybody in it. I’m happy with what I did.

 

Scans
 

 

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