The thankless role that led Kristen Stewart to reinvention: “I just crashed and burned”
Kristen Stewart is one of the most intriguing and entirely fascinating performers working today, making a swift exit from franchise filmmaking after her work in the Twilight series to star in strange independent dramas, collaborating with some of the most fascinating auteurs working today. From her enigmatic and mystifying films with Olivier Assayas, starring in Personal Shopper and Clouds of Sils Maria, to her work with Pablo Larraín and Kelly Reichardt, the actor has continuously showcased her exquisite taste in weird cinema and her passion for the art form, beginning as a child and always looking to expand her career.
The actor is about to make her directorial debut, with her feature film The Chronology of Water being rumoured to premiere at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. However, while she had found her niche in the industry and is now working on projects that reflect her interests more authentically, the actor was once the face of a global franchise that defined her screen presence for many years, with Stewart discussing the role of the film on her later career.
At the time of its release, the Twilight series was one of the most anticipated and globally successful teen franchises of all time, with flocks of young people heading to the cinema to witness the creepy love story of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, a vampire who forms an obsessive infatuation with a human teenage girl, with the pair falling in love and battling the many obstacles in their way.
All five films in the franchise were released in quick succession, with the entire series completed within four years, causing mass hysteria among high-school students and fans of the books. Both Robert Pattinson and Stewart were some of the most famous people on the planet, experiencing a sudden escalation to fame that led them both to be defined by the cultural impact of the gothic story.
However, while it gave both actors the power to be selective about their future projects and lend their voices to more independent films, Stewart has described the toll that the series took on her while filming due to the relentlessly intensive schedule.
When describing this, Stewart said that after filming, she had no energy to pursue other creative avenues or opportunities, saying, “I have to say I felt like at the time that I could have redirected energy and become an academic, I was so hungry for more work because the Twilight series itself took forever. We did it over a four-year period.”
Adding: “We made five movies. It’s probably more than four years, by the way — 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. I wanted to make other movies at the same time so badly. I just crashed and burned and barreled my way through those years and just was really… lacked any balance. I was just working constantly.”
It is hard to imagine the effect that a lifestyle like this would have, with no break from working and an immense level of pressure to portray such a beloved character. However, Stewart’s love for the craft didn’t lead her to become bogged down by her feelings of burnout, and she quickly forged a career through tonally opposite projects that have showcased her true talents as an actor and fearless creative.
