BoxOffice® Pro - November 2011

BIG PICTURE > THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN—PART I
THE PAWN BECOMES A QUEEN
ALWAYS TWILIGHT’S BEAUTY-IN-PERIL, NOW BELLA BECOMES A STRONG FORCE IN VAMPIRE SOCIETY
around and not knowing what the f--k
they're doing. They're incredibly steadfast at
this point, and I feel like I believe it mostly
because of Bill. For whatever reason, it's
hard to make these movies and I like how
this one turned out, I really do.
Which makes sense because this is the
book where things really get real: they
make permanent decisions. Do you
think Bella understands what marriage
means at 18 years old?
Marriage means something so different
to everyone. I think that's just another
step for her. I think it's an interesting
story point that marriage has no regard
for her—she's doing it for him. I get asked
constantly whether I think she's a strong
character, whether I think she's subject
completely to this man and is a mindless
follower. I think it takes a really ballsy
person—and someone who really knows
themselves—to be able to give it up and
know that it's worth it and know that the
person they're doing it with is on the same
level. I just don't really understand why
people approach it from that way. Imagine
if they were both girls or both guys, I think
that Edward would probably be criticized
just as much. They're both kind of lost and
crazy and stupid in the beginning, and in
the end they really have f--king committed
to each other. They both give things up and
lose things. And I don't understand why it's
criticized. Maybe because I've played the
part and worked through it in my head in
every way, but I don't get it.
People look at Romeo and Juliet as this
infatuation story between two stupid
kids, but if they had lived longer, they
might have been able to prove themselves.
Yeah. That was totally circumstantial. You
look back on it and go, "No! Why the f--k did
that have to happen?" Luckily, Edward and
Bella are just a little bit more lucky.
I'm projecting some of my own fears
onto this, but the idea of playing a character
who is pregnant with something
literally otherworldly that's dominating
her from within sounds totally terrifying.
Especially having never been
pregnant yourself.
What was strange was that was my every
inclination playing the scenes, what the first
rehearsal would always end up being. But ultimately,
it became one of my favorite things
to play: this pregnant, feral cat in the corner
of a room who's just like, "Stay the f--k away
from me!" All that matters is what is inside,
and that is awesome. But it took a little bit to
get inside and on that page in a real way. It's
funny, you look down and your instinct is to
be like, "Ugh!" But you can't do that. It hurts,
but it's something that you're willing to take.
And it's f--king weird. It really was like an
alien baby pregnancy. It was so weird to get
all of the logistics right and talking to Stephenie
[Meyer, the author of the Twilight series]
about really weird s--t. About [gestational]
sacs and how you can get through them—
just so many conversations about logistical
pregnancy vampire baby stuff.
You know this character so well, what's
it like to take her through this huge
change when she becomes a vampire
herself?
It felt good. It was really weird. It was such
a long process of the two movies being
shot at the same time as if they're one. You
shoot, obviously, out of order and you keep
going back and forth between pregnant,
human and dead vampire Bella. There's so
many different versions of Bella in this, it's
insane. It was a strange experience walking
on set the first time I played a scene as
a vampire because I'd watched everyone
around me doing it all the time. I sound so
lame, but vampire Bella really is my favorite
character—she's very representative of a
matriarch. She's very intuitive on almost a
psychic level and no one ever acknowledges
it, which is interesting. Maybe that says
something about Stephenie that she doesn't
get respect for all of her f--king amazing
qualities. And that's also one of the things
that makes her appealing to me, so that's
not a strike at it—that's something that I
like about it. And I think it's nice to see her
finally get what she wants. That's probably
the best thing, even if it sounds simple and
indulgent, which is why the f--king thing is
criticized all the time. It's nice to see people
be happy. And she really—if I've played it
right—is born to be where she is.
Tell me about the morning after the
last day of shooting whee you woke up
knowing you'll never go back to that set.
You literally go through a range of every
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