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One of the rare thing that happens when you work as an entertainment journalist for a while, in my case it’s been an 8 year ride, is that you get to talk to an unknown performer before they hit it big. And in the case of both Twiligth stars this was the case.

I had a chance to talk to Kristen Stewart during the Zathura junket back in 2005 and later that same year with Robert Pattinson I did a paired interview with Katie Leung (the first girl to famously kiss Harry Potter) for the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire press round up in London. And even though I haven’t been able to interview them since (Thanks Summitt) I have to say the mega success of their film together hasn’t seem to change them one bit.

Photo by David Strict from Hollywood Backlot

“I know that people are really funny about ‘Well, you chose to be an actor, why don’t you just fucking give your whole life away?’ ” This is a quote from Stewart that was published in Entertainment Weekly about a week ago. And she might be right-an average person will go “Jeez-what the hell is your problem? Why are you so uptight?” But fact of the matter is the girl loves to act but has never been comfortable doing press. For the Zathura I had five minutes with her for a TV interview and what I came away is that she was an extremely shy person who gets really defensive when she’s forced to do something she does not like, in this case in particular it would be press. So now that her profile has risen considerably, it makes perfect sense for her to defend her privacy. Still, if she wants to keep her acting career she’s going to have to add some looseness to her bag of tricks and I don’t mean as an interview subject but as an actress. Up until now Stewart has done great handling characters that are often at odds with themselves or uncomfortable in their own skin-which is why she’s perfect for Bella. The only time that she’s displayed a different shade of angst was in the little seen In The Land of Women. For now, it seems like she is stepping up her game by playing Joan Jett in the upcoming Runaways film. There is no way that she can get away playing a rocker like Jett as a stick in the mud introverted musician.

photo by David Strict for Hollywood Backlot

With Pattinson the challenges ahead seem to be completely different, but seems to have something that his co-star lacks: a sense of humor. Back in 2005 he seemed bemused and detached by the Pottermania that swirled around the press coverage. He didn’t say much, but when he did it was sure to be a self-deprecating remark. During our interview he seemed happy to let Leung handle most of the questions but was cordial when one was focused directly on him. Still I could have never had predicted a Heartthrob in the making. And that seems to be the biggest trap his career is facing. With Pattinson Edward’s brooding is definitely an act, but his romantic hero/bad boy status is going to be difficult to shake. Doing alternative roles in indie films that nobody will see will not do the trick. He needs to do commercial films that cast him in a different light. His recently announced role in Bel Ami, where he gets to seduce the likes of Uma Thurman and Kristen Scott Thomas, seems to expand a stereotype that will eventually trap him as an actor.
But for now with two more Twilight films on the way and New Moon racking up 72.7 million in its first 24 hours (besting Dark Knight’s opening day numbers, who cares right?
So what do you think? Do the Twilight Stars have a future after Bella and Edward have their breaking dawn?

Before I say anything about the movie, which I watched last night along with a huge mass of screaming teenage girls, I have to let you know that out of the four Twilight books, New Moon is my least favorite. So with that in mind, take this as you will. New Moon the movie is a great screen adaptation and a much better movie than the first Twilight.

Even though the new director does a fantastic job-making the movie much more visually exciting than the first one ever was-the main reason for this is the cast. They all do an excellent job, particularly Kristen Stewart who makes Bella a likable heroine as oppose to the tortured zap that Meyers wrote in the first to books. I can also say that Dakota Fanning rocks as Jane a key member of the Volturi, a vampire clan that as Edward puts it “are the closest thing we have to royalty”.
Even though the movie has a lot of positive things to offer is still a conservative melodrama disguised as a gothic romance. Those uninformed moviegoers looking for echoes of the Underworld Werewolves vs Vampires action thrills will be sorely disappointed. The rest of the public can get ready to be divided into Team Jacob or Team Edward again and love every minute of it.

Check back tomorrow for the full review of the film! Meanwhile here’s another tease: