“Twilight” Week extended on BAM’s Blog!
Last Monday, I launched “Twilight” Week here at BAM’s Blog to mark Friday’s release of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1,” the fourth and penultimate blockbuster movie based on Stephenie Meyer’s paranormally popular book series.
Well, I have more “Twilight” stories to share from my trip to the recent press day in Los Angeles, so I’m extending “Twilight” Week to Thursday, which ought to give my “Twi-hard” readers something they can really feel thankful for!
In the coming days, look for my exclusive interviews with “Twilight” stars Ashley Greene and Peter Facinelli, along with my feature on “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer, plus other news about the film franchise.
-BAM
Ashley Greene: “‘Twilight’ has give me the ability to say no”
Ashley Greene arrives to the world premiere of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" on Monday, Nov. 14, 2011, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo)
“Twilight” Week continues here at BAM’s Blog, and with this weekend’s release of the penultimate film in the saga, “Breaking Dawn – Part 1,” series star Ashley Greene is looking beyond the “Twilight” phase in her career.
“I think ‘Twilight’ has given us a really good jumping off point, and one of the things I’m most thankful for — other than the fan base that we’ve developed — is that it gave me the ability to say no and to really sit back and wait for something that was inspiring to me and that was different and that I was passionate about,” she told me in an exclusive, one-on-one interview at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles during the recent press day for the film.
“I think that’s one of most tragic things is when you have to take a (role). You know, it’s hard to say no to a job if you can’t pay your rent, and sometimes that kind of tarnishes someone’s career a little bit, I think. So I’ve been lucky enough to really sit back with my team and say you know, ‘What do we think about this?’ and ‘Does this character interest you?’ and ‘Is the film as a whole great, and who’s directing it?’ and just really look at all the elements. I think the most important thing right now is to kind of create longevity and to be really smart about the choices that I’m making.”
Greene’s post-“Twilight” acting career is starting Dec. 4 with a three-episode arc on ABC’s 1960s-set aviation drama “Pan Am.” She recently signed on for “Olivia Twisted,” an ultramodern female version of “Oliver Twist.”
She also stars in the comedic films “Butter” with Jennifer Garner and Hugh Jackman and “LOL” with Miley Cyrus and Demi Moore.
“I’m very interested in comedy,” she said, adding that “Butter” was the first project “that I was terrified, but it ended being really fun. You know, I took the role and then was like ‘Oh my God, what am I doing? I don’t know what I’m doing.’ You know, it was all very new. I’m still learning every day and taking different parts that I’ve never done.”
Another project she found inspiring: “The Apparition,” the feature film debut from Tulsa writer-director Todd Lincoln. who created the hit deadCenter Film Festival documentary “Biker Fox.” In Lincoln’s thriller, she and Sebastian Stan play a couple terrorized by a supernatural force that feeds on their fears.
“It was really fun working with him, and … you could just tell that this was his baby and he was so passionate about it. And Todd actually fought for me on that movie. I met with him, and he was kind of one of the driving forces that got me that role, so (I’m) very thankful for that,” she said.
She also said that she’s thankful to have one more “Twilight” film coming up: “Breaking Dawn: Part 2″ opens in theaters Nov. 16, 2012.
“I think the end of ‘Twilight’ is like the beginning of the rest of my career. I think inevitably there’s gonna be that piece of me that’s missing. I feel like because ‘Twilight’s’ become such a huge part of my world and it’s all I’ve know for the past four years, it’s like leaving high school a bit. You’re very excited about it, but you still know that you’re gonna kind of miss it. It’s a very huge change that’s going to happen. But I’m very optimistic about it and very excited about it, and I at least know that next year we have another one coming out. So even though I’ve kind of had to shelf the Alice Cullen character — which is a little difficult — I’m still gonna have these events and press junkets and cast dinners and premieres and stuff like that. They’re kind of weaning us off it rather than just cold turkey.”
Read more of my interview with Ashley Greene Thursday here on BAM’s Blog, on NewsOK and in the MOOD section of The Oklahoman.
-BAM
Peter Facinelli: “Twilight” fans need to see the scene after the credits in “Breaking Dawn – Part 1″
Michael Sheen, center, and Jamie Campbell Bower appear in the scene that plays after the credits in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1."
Peter Facinelli, who plays Dr. Carlisle Cullen in “The Twilight Saga” movies, is reminding “Twi-hards” who are heading to the theaters to see “Breaking Dawn – Part 1″ to be sure to stay through the credits.
Peter Facinelli (AP)
“Make sure you stick around after the credits in #breakingdawn. There’s another scene,” the actor posted Thursday on Twitter.
As with so many blockbusters these days, the fourth and penultimate movie in the “Twilight” series indeed features one more scene after all those names have finished scrolling. Naturally, it helps set up the drama for “Breaking Dawn – Part 2,” although fans will have to wait an entire year to see the final film in the saga.
I strongly recommend waiting it out for the last scene since it features my favorite actor from the series: Michael Sheen, who plays Volturi leader Aro.
For those Twi-hards who attended midnight screenings and didn’t stick around through the credits, guess what: You now have a perfect excuse to see it again!
I was lucky enough to get an exclusive one-on-one interview with Peter Facinelli at the recent “Twilight” press day in Los Angeles. Look for that interview Tuesday here on BAM’s Blog, on NewsOK and in The Oklahoman.
-BAM
Video: Taylor Lautner talks “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1″
In this NewsOK video, Taylor Lautner talks about the changes his character, loyal werewolf Jacob Black, goes through in “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1.”
Lautner says Jacob becomes a man in “Breaking Dawn — Part 1,” making the fourth and penultimate film one of the most challenging in the saga for the 19-year-old movie star.
The latest installment in the blockbuster film franchise based on Stephenie Meyer’s supernaturally popular book series opened at midnight.
To read my feature with Lautner from the recent Los Angeles press day, click here. To read my “Breaking Dawn – Part 1″ review, click here.
-BAM
After “Breaking Dawn” Taylor Lautner plans to keep learning from his “Twilight” character
Taylor Lautner arrives at the world premiere of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" on Monday in Los Angeles. (AP Photo)
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. To read my review of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1,” click here.
Taylor Lautner plans to keep learning from his “Twilight” character
Loyal werewolf Jacob Black becomes a man in “Breaking Dawn — Part 1,” making the fourth and penultimate film one of the most challenging in the saga for the 19-year-old movie star.
“After playing the same character for five movies and for years, you grow so close to him,” Lautner said during a recent press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel.
“I love Jacob. There’s many things that I look up to Jacob for. Jacob’s one of the most loyal people, one of the most persistent people. He has amazing qualities to him that I hope I can learn from him and implement into my own life, which is kind of cool.”
In “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1,” the fourth and penultimate installment of the blockbuster film franchise based on Stephenie Meyer’s paranormally popular books, Lautner’s stalwart werewolf character goes through a series of life-changing events, starting when the girl he loves, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), marries her vampire fiancé, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson).
When Bella gets pregnant on her honeymoon, the supernaturally strong and fast-growing baby not only endangers her life, its unknown nature also threatens the Cullen coven’s peace treaty with Jacob’s lycanthrope kinsmen.
“I was really excited about this one because “Jacob becomes a man in this one and he has to make a lot decisions. He’s being torn between his two families. It was really tough. It was by far the most challenging one for me,” Lautner said.
“Now seeing the movie, I’m really happy. Jacob starts here and he ends here, and it’s just very exciting to see him in a completely different light than ever before.”
The most difficult challenge Lautner, 19, faced in “Breaking Dawn — Part 1” involved his character’s long-awaited imprinting, an involuntary, instantaneous event in which a werewolf bonds with his soul mate.
“You had to go there. That was tough. Because what is imprinting? What do you look like when you imprint? I mean, those were all the questions going through my head. Luckily we had Stephenie on set the entire time, and trust me I asked her a million times, ‘OK, explain to me one more time what imprinting is exactly?’ and ‘Did you ever envision what Jacob looks like; what is he doing when he’s imprinting?’” he said.
“Then it didn’t help that when we filmed it, they put an X on a wall and said … ‘You’re going to walk in the room, you’re going to look at the X and you’re going to imprint.’ And I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me?’
Since director Bill Condon and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg divided Meyer’s hefty fourth and final book into two movies that filmed at the same time, Lautner already has seen the last scene he shot play out onscreen in “Breaking Dawn — Part 1.” As it turns out, Lautner’s last dance with “The Twilight Saga” was an actual dance.
“I knew filming the last scene was going to be tough, but it was more emotional for all of us than we expected. And it didn’t help that my very last scene was with Kristen — it was with Rob as well, but he comes in at the end and breaks it up — it’s really a last dance between Bella and Jacob,” he said. “It’s really Jacob saying goodbye to Bella, she’s off to her honeymoon, and he’s kind of realizing that it’s … time for him to move on.
“I remember when we finished and Kristen and I just looked at each other, and I don’t think we really had anything to say,” he added. “The emotion from the scene was overwhelming us — and then the emotion from the situation on top of that — it was tough. But it was a very special moment. Now when I watch that scene, I have a lot of great memories.”
One aspect about being Jacob Black that Lautner is eager to leave behind: all the shirtless scenes. Since they transform quickly from humans to werewolves, Jacob and the rest of his pack are constantly tearing through clothes, so they often don’t wear that many.
“Maybe the climate of where we filmed, those two together don’t go very well. I love Vancouver, but we have to film when it’s cold and rainy and gross, and the sun comes out and we’ve got to stop filming,” he said, flashing his trademark grin.
“But I honestly can’t even think of complaints or anything that I wouldn’t want to do because of everything it (being in ‘Twilight’) has given me. It’s just absolutely unreal, and I didn’t see it coming at all — none of us did,” he added. “I’m just crazy thankful for what this has given all of us and the opportunities it’s given us as actors.”
Video: Kristen Stewart talks “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1″
In this NewsOK video, Kristen Stewart talks about taking her well-known character Bella Swan through big milestones, including her wedding, honeymoon and pregnancy in “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1.” The fourth and penultimate film in the blockbuster film franchise based on Stephenie Meyer’s supernaturally popular book series opened at midnight.
To read my feature with Stewart from the recent Los Angeles press day, click here. To read my “Breaking Dawn – Part 1″ review, click here.
-BAM
Kristen Stewart takes Bella Swan through her wedding, honeymoon, pregnancy in “Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1″
Kristen Stewart arrives at the world premiere of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" on Monday in Los Angeles. (AP Photo)
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. To read my review of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1,” click here.
Being Bella Swan
In “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1,” Kristen Stewart plays her well-known character through big milestones, including her wedding, honeymoon and pregnancy.
LOS ANGELES — Over the past few years, Kristen Stewart has taken “Twilight” heroine Bella Swan through her first love and her first devastating breakup, her high school prom and graduation.
But as fans of Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling supernatural romance books know, the big milestones for Bella begin with “Breaking Dawn.”
With Friday’s theatrical debut of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1,” “Twi-hards” will finally get the chance to see Bella and her courtly vampire fiancé Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) get married, take their romantic honeymoon and find their new life forever altered when Bella gets pregnant. The impending birth not only threatens Bella’s life — an emergency vampire conversion will be her only hope for survival — it also endangers the Cullen clan’s pact with the local werewolves of the Quileute Tribe, including Bella’s best pal, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner).
“It’s such a far-fetched story in all, but it’s really not if you just compare it to somebody who is my age,” said Stewart, 21, during a recent press conference at the Four Seasons Hotel. “It really crams a lot of milestones into one movie. It was almost like within this series, it doesn’t last for very long period of time, but it was a much more full experience than you really would ever get to have with something about a girl that age. Because of her unique situation, I really did get to live like 10 to 15 years in those four to five because … all the imposing elements just speed everything up.”
Ushering the beloved character though life-changing milestones like marriage and pregnancy became intense, Stewart said.
“I’m pretty wrapped up in her and vice versa. I’ve always felt like you really project yourself onto that character. If you’re the type of girl to identify with Bella, then you just kind of are her,” she said.
“Basically, yes, I had all of those experiences. I definitely looked down (at my belly) and figured ‘geez!’”
Like many brides, when she was walking down the aisle as Bella, Stewart struggled to stop worrying and start savoring one of the biggest moments in the saga.
“I had a million different things going to my head, but kind of what I kept telling myself was ‘Stop. Stop. Just do it and actually have this experience because you’re just about to ruin it,’” she said.
“I know the story so well … so I just kind of kept telling myself to ‘Just find yourself in this moment and appreciate it or else you’re going to look back and go, “God, why didn’t I just take that ride and just do it? It would have been better in the movie anyway.”’ I tried the best I could.”
Since director Bill Condon and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg divided Meyer’s heavy fourth and final novel into two movies that filmed at the same time, Stewart didn’t always get to play the big moments in Bella’s life in the proper order.
“Making two movies at once … was fun but it was hard, though, because it was such a big thing,” Condon said. “She would be young Bella, high school girl, in the morning and then a vampire in the afternoon and then a pregnant mother in the evening. She had days like that. It was crazy.”
Although the mixed-up production schedule presented challenges, Stewart said it also helped her get into the proper mindset to portray Bella.
“Being able to play a vampire, a human, a woman who’s pregnant and a woman who’s about to get married, literally sometimes within the same day or sometimes in the same week actually helped,” she said.
“Everything felt more important and more relevant to me. It was sort of like everything felt very close. So I think if we did it more systematically, it just wouldn’t have been the same. Everything was happening all at once. It was just so overwhelming that it was good. It gives you that energy every day.”
With the demands of the production schedule, the Los Angeles native didn’t have to lose the weight Bella does as her fast-growing baby saps the nutrients and vitality from her body.
“Digital! Totally. I didn’t have time. Everything was so sporadically shot. To do that, we would’ve had to shut down production for a couple of months while I lost the weight or gained it back, whichever we did first,” she said.
“It does make you feel a little bit like, ‘Oh, I hope you guys do a good job because I can’t do that part.’ … Those guys are amazing at what they do.
Although “Breaking Dawn — Part 2” won’t make it to the big screen for another year, in the meantime, Stewart will play another well-known dark-haired beauty caught up in a paranormal adventure in “Snow White and the Huntsman,” due in theaters June 1. The actress found intensely maternal qualities in both young fairy tale women.
“Every single time I think about this installment (of ‘Twilight’), I just think of a cat in the corner, claws out, belly swollen, like ‘Stay the F away from me!’” said Stewart, who wore a wrap on her hand she attributed to an injury “fighting dwarves.”
“I guess a million comparisons can be drawn, but the one thing that sticks out in my mind is that they really both are, in different ways, matriarchs — very strong, strong matriarchs that need to find that position … But it’s so different.”
-BAM
Movie review: “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1″
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. 2 1/2 of 4 stars.
Movie review: ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1’
Director Bill Condon gives “Twi-hard” fans the extravagant wedding and romantic honeymoon they’ve been longing to see but fails to deliver true terror or high-stakes drama in the birthing room or on the battlefield with the penultimate film in the blockbuster franchise.
Director Bill Condon gives “Twi-hard” fans the extravagant wedding and romantic honeymoon they’ve been longing to see with “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1.”
Unfortunately, the Oscar winner fails to deliver true terror or high-stakes drama in the birthing room or on the battlefield in the first of his two-movie finale in the blockbuster film franchise based on Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling paranormal romance novels.
Summit Entertainment takes a page from the Harry Potter movies with “Breaking Dawn,” Meyer’s 750-page fourth and final book in the saga, which Condon and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg divided into two movies that were filmed at the same time. Although it would be easy to dismiss the split decision as a mere cash grab, — the previous three “Twilight” films made $1.8 billion, after all — Meyer’s book provides ample action for two movies, plus a natural breaking point between the two parts.
Still, a full year seems a long time to wait for “Breaking Dawn: Part 2,” which isn’t due in theaters until Nov. 16, 2012. If you’re going to borrow a chapter from Potter, why not aim for a summer release for the final installment?
The first part opens with the big moment the saga’s fervent fans have been eagerly awaiting since the book came out in 2008: Human heroine Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) marries her chivalrous vampire fiancé Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) in a lavish ceremony that gives face time to all the series’ periphery characters, from Bella’s high school frenemy Jessica (Oscar nominee Anna Kendrick) and her dad and mom (Billy Burke and Sarah Clarke) to the various members of the Cullen clan and the fellow human blood-eschewing vampires in the Denali coven.
Calling the wedding a “moment” might be an understatement, since Condon spends a solid half-hour on the nuptials. But considering the anticipation among “Twi-hards” and the furor over April’s royal wedding, it’s hard to fault the filmmakers for milking it.
Hot-tempered werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), Bella’s best friend and spurned suitor, shows up at the reception to give his best wishes to the happy couple. But he quickly retracts his blessing and nearly starts a vampire-lycanthrope throwdown when he learns that Bella and Edward are going to attempt to have a typical honeymoon before the bride’s transformation into a vampire. Considering Edward’s predatory instincts and superhuman strength, Jacob fears a human Bella might not make it through her wedding night in one piece.
Once Edward whisks Bella off to a secluded tropical paradise, Condon again takes his time and fulfills fan fantasies with the honeymoon. He takes the PG-13 rating as far as he can, conveying genuine passion and even some humor in the couple’s long-awaited consummation.
Their marital bliss is short-lived. Bella soon learns that she is pregnant, and the half-human, half-vampire baby quickly proves that it is both super-strong and fast-growing. Edward hauls his bride back home to Forks, Wash., vowing to get “that thing” out of her, but Bella is determined to protect her unborn baby.
As the fetus saps Bella of her vitality, prevents her from eating normal food and develops at an astounding rate, the Cullens wonder if even an emergency vampire conversion will be enough to save the determined mom-to-be.
While Jacob is enraged to see the girl he loves bruised and emaciated from carrying “that monster,” werewolf alpha male Sam Uley (Tahlequah-born Chaske Spencer) has an even more dramatic reaction. The pack leader decides Bella’s baby poses an unacceptable threat to the community and declares war on the Cullens, forcing Jacob to make a difficult choice.
The first half of “Breaking Dawn: Part 1” moves slowly, but at least it taps into the appropriate emotions. The second half zips along rapidly but remains alarmingly flat and lifeless. In particular, Jacob’s heart-wrenching decision is made so quickly that its import seems lost, and the pivotal birthing scene, so compelling in the book, comes across as devoid of any real desperation, danger or life-and-death consequences. Even the addition of a few fight sequences fails to generate any real excitement.
Still the final moments of “Breaking Dawn: Part 1” live up to the hype, offering a crimson-hued glimmer of hope that the polarizing conclusion of “The Twilight Saga” will make for interesting viewing.
— BAM
Taylor Lautner and Edi Gathegi remain close pals even after Laurent’s “Twilight” death
Taylor Lautner
As I type, hordes of “Twi-hard” fans are squirming in their theater seats, eagerly awaiting the midnight opening of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1.”
Edi Gathegi
Although filming has already been completed on the saga – director Bill Condon shot both halves of “Breaking Dawn” at the same time – series star Taylor Lautner, who plays werewolf hero Jacob Black, says the cast members are still quite close.
“I can definitely say that we all are very, very close. One person that I’m really close with — and I’m happy and it could be unexpected because he’s not even in the franchise anymore because I killed him — was Edi Gathegi, who plays Laurent. He’s an incredible guy, and we’re very close,” Lautner said during the recent “Breaking Dawn – Part 1″ press day at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles.
“So maybe that’s unexpected because I haven’t filmed a movie with him in a few years, and the last time I did I took him out of the franchise and I bit his head off, so I apologize to him for that every single day. No, but he’s a great guy,” Lautner added with a grin.
“At the same time, we have all grown so close, and it’s really unbelievable how much we’ve gotten along, and I can’t imagine filming this franchise if we didn’t. It would be a complete nightmare.”
Look for my new feature on Lautner Friday here on BAM’s Blog, on NewsOK and in The Oklahoman’s Weekend Look section.
-BAM
Del City Library plans Bella and Edward wedding reception this evening in honor of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1″
DEL CITY – In anticipation of Friday’s theatrical release of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part One,” the Del City Public Library is hosting this evening a special “Twilight”-theme wedding reception in honor of Edward and Bella Cullen.
The event will be a close replica of a traditional wedding reception, although instead of white, black and red will be the primary colors. Along with a black wedding cake and punch, the event will feature trivia, prizes, games, and music, along with a make-your-own twilight music video booth
The reception will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. today at the Del City Library, 4509 SE 15. The event is intended for teens, and since the library has a large and active teen group, it is expected to draw quite a crowd.
For more information, call 672-1377.
“Twilight” Week continues here on BAM’s Blog. Look for my review and features with Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner Friday here on BAM’s Blog, on NewsOK and in The Oklahoman’s Weekend Look section.
- BAM
