As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the iconic Twilight, it's impossible not to marvel at the massive impact this pop culture phenomenon had—and continues to have. At its core, Twilight is a classic tale of girl meets boy… or, rather, boy bites girl, and girl becomes a vampire. But there’s so much more to it. The unforgettable characters Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, brought to life by Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, resonated with audiences worldwide in a way few film series ever have. And now, fans have a fresh reason to rejoice! As part of Fathom Events, the original Twilight is returning to theaters for special screenings on October 21 and October 23. Plus, the latter date marks its release on disc in stunning 4K format.
Closer Weekly had the privilege of sitting down with Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke for an exclusive interview. We delved into the origins of this legendary saga and explored its lasting impact. Scroll down to dive into our exclusive Q&A with Catherine!
Can You Believe It's Been 10 Years Since the First San Diego Comic-Con for The Twilight Saga?
It’s hard to wrap your head around, isn’t it? Time sure does fly. Just the other day, I was at New York Comic-Con, and it felt like we were just there. It’s wild how time works. A few of the actors were there, and they looked exactly the same—time hasn’t touched them a bit. It’s almost surreal when you think about it.
Read also:Glen Turman The Rising Star In The World Of Entertainment
From Twilight to Wonder Woman: Paving the Way for Female Directors
Here’s the thing: Twilight was such a massive success that it opened doors for films like Wonder Woman. Patty Jenkins did an incredible job with that, and she had a beautiful, huge budget to work with. But let’s not forget that Twilight was kind of the trailblazer. Each success builds on the next, and now we’re seeing more and more incredible movies directed by women. We’ve got a lot to look forward to, and that’s pretty exciting [laughs].
What First Drew You to Twilight?
It was back in 2007, and I was at the Sundance Film Festival serving on the jury. They handed me a stack of five scripts that Summit wanted to produce. I read them all because they were looking to launch as a production company, but honestly, none of them really grabbed me. I tossed them all aside, but the next day, I couldn’t stop thinking about the Twilight script. I wondered if it was based on a book, so I went and read it. And let me tell you, it immediately clicked. It transported me back to being 13 years old, experiencing that first crush, writing someone’s name in my notebook over and over. It’s that feeling of knowing it’s wrong, that the person is dangerous or a bad boy, but you can’t help yourself—you’re utterly smitten. I thought, “Wow, wouldn’t it be amazing to capture that feeling in a movie?” So I went back to Summit and said, “We need to scrap the script and start fresh. Let’s create something that truly embodies the intoxicating, madly in love essence of the book.”
(Photo by Franco S. Origlia/Getty Images)
The Heart of the Saga: Bella and Edward
Let’s face it—the entire story hinges on Bella and Edward. Finding the perfect actors for these roles was by far the biggest challenge. Not only did they have to fit the characters, but they also had to look like they were in high school. That’s a pretty small pool to choose from. You can’t just pull from the Academy Award list because those actors aren’t available. You need someone fresh or relatively new, someone the audience hasn’t seen much of yet. But it was such a fun process. I fell in love with Kristen Stewart after seeing her in Into the Wild. She embodied that sense of longing so beautifully. She wanted to kiss Emile Hirsch so desperately—it was pure Bella. She’s serious, intelligent, but also swept away by this intense, all-consuming love. Once I met Kristen in Pittsburgh, I knew she was the one. Now, the challenge was finding her perfect match. We embarked on a worldwide search for someone who felt otherworldly yet believable as a high schooler. It was quite the journey.
The Chemistry Between Kristen and Robert
I’ve always believed in doing chemistry reads in a more relaxed setting. My beach house in Venice, California, is funky and open, a far cry from the sterile environment of a casting director’s office. I invited the top four candidates and Kristen over, and we spent an hour and a half experimenting with different scenes. We improvised, tackled the kissing scene, tried all kinds of things to see who had that magical chemistry. We recorded everything, and by the end of the day, Kristen looked at me and said, “It’s got to be Rob, right?” The chemistry was undeniable.
