ETA: Added Translation of the Second Part of Kristen's Interview. Under the CUT.
Premiere: The epilogue of Twilight comes out in November, you were in Cannes not long ago with On The Road, we'll find you again this month in Snow White and the Huntsman ... This is a big year for you. The most impressive of your young career?
The most exciting, certainly yes! And yes, probably the biggest since the release of the first Twilight. I am pleased to be showing these three very different films. There is a contrast between each of them that will perhaps allow spectators to see me in a new light. But there was absolutely nothing premeditated on my part. I did not say "Okay, let's try to release these three movies at the same time, just to show that I have a wide acting range." (Laughter). It's really a coincidence and not the result of a strategy or any career plan.
Premiere: It's hard not to notice with the Cannes selections of On The Road & Cosmopolis that it's a sign the Twilight chapter is definitely closed for Robert Pattinson and you...
Yes, Cannes is the Grail, the ultimate goal for every actor. This is not why we do this profession, but there is no reward more satisfying than a selection there. That said, it's hard for me to talk about the "end" of Twilight. First of all because the last film has not been released yet, and also because I've never had the feeling of being trapped in the saga. I've always tried to change a little, to try new things between each movies.
Premiere: The difference is that before, between the Twilight movies, you used to shoot smaller independent films like Welcome To The Rileys and The Runaways. Snow White and the Huntsman is a rather large machine, especially the first part of a new franchise and the first film where you assume your status as a movie star ...
I don't see it that way. At first I was against the idea of playing in a film that could have sequels. A new franchise? Thanks, but not thanks. And especially not a saga about Snow White, a story that everyone knows with a beginning, a middle and an end. I didn't want to be attached to a project over such a long period of time like I was with Twilight. I love these films, it was a great adventure, but I really wanted to move on, to try new experiments. And then I met Rupert Sanders (The Director)... I fell under the spell of his imagination, his aesthetic procedures. It made me discover a new world in which I really wanted to evolve. When you meet a director, you know very quickly if things will go right or wrong. He will be your boss, The one you'll have to follow at all costs for many months. Choosing a film, a role, it's not something rational. It's a visceral instinct, almost indescribable. Overnight, you only have that in mind. And then I met Rupert & he made me want to go for it...
Premiere:So There will be a sequel to of Snow White and the Huntsman?
I do not want to sell the chickens before they hatch and I have probably no right to tell you this, but yes, we are quite optimistic. We are all proud of the film, we want there to be a sequel. If there are none, it won't be the end of the world either, but I am hopeful.
Premiere: So you're going to be busy with that project for the next five years...
It's weird, huh? In any case, it confirms what I said: there is no logic behind my career choice!
Part 2
Premiere: Is doing a movie always a bet?
That's exactly it. The final result depends on a lot of factors and it's a miracle when our first intentions last until the end. Flaw free paths are rare, in particular in big budget movies where people are scared because of the funds in play, the commercial expectations and finally products that are calibrated, lukewarm and souless. I'm biased, I know, but I find Snow White and the Hunstman really good and unique in its own genre. It's even more striking when it's a story that everyone is supposed to know by heart. The final result is really cool.
Premiere: When did you realise, on an artistic level, that you won that bet?
Pretty early on, to be honest. Rupert had a great reputation as a commercial director but he never shot feature films. He landed the job of Snow White and the Huntsman by preparing this sort of demo tape in which he exposed his aesthetic choices. In the movie, we travel between several worlds and it just so happens that Rupert was as inventive in his description of the enchanted forest than the one of the dark forest. It was important for me to know that he would be convincing on both plans because it's truly the heart of the story: the fight of the light against the darkness.
Premiere: Let's talk about your personal relationship with the myth of Snow White. I think I understood that you weren't a fan of Walt Disney when you were a child...
That's not true, I love Dinsey movies! It's just that I'm not a fan of cartoons with princesses in it. I prefered the Jungle Book or Robin Wood to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Our Snow White marks a return to basics. We play it classic, she's very faithful to the Grimm Brothers'. Of course, since the tale is short we had to develop and invent new twists and turns. The movie is darker, more violent. Disney adapted the Grimm's story with their own colors. We darkened the picture.
Premiere: During the shooting of the movie, you mentioned the things Snow White and Joan of Arc had in common. Did you know that Jennifer Lawrence took Joan of Arc as a model too for her role in The Hunger Games?
KS: Oh really? That's funny ... and logical in the sense that women don't have many historical figures to look up to - unlike men who have plenty to choose from. It's normal for Jennifer and I to be interested in Joan of Arc since she's the mother of all modern heroines.
P: From Joan Jett in The Runaways to Snow White, you always chose roles of rebels, of heroines that defy the rules. Do you see those similarities, those echos between your roles?
Yes, but mostly I feel like I find an interest in characters that are honest, righteous, whether it's Joan Jett, Bella in Twilight or Marylou in On the Road. I haven't played yet someone that I didn't like 100%, or someone whom I didn't approve the choices. It'll be my next step: to face a role really wicked and twisted.
Scans/French Transcript twilight_vef Part 1 Translation werkdelusional via fiercebitchstew / Part 2 Translation @eurofabulous @ksteawartfans
Kristen's Interview with Premiere France. Parts 1 and 2
