The Twilight Saga came with its fair share of drama, romance, heartbreak, and cult following. And the entire cast was affected by the franchise’s sudden and explosive success — none more so than the leads themselves, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. Even as the pair became an overnight sensation and the waking accompaniments of every teenager’s daydreams, it would be a short-lived romance between the people and the Cullen clan.
After a decade of streamlining their breakout success and channeling it into franchise-helming roles, the stars have now placed themselves in the center of popular culture and regained the status of crowd favorites in their own right. But it all had to start somewhere, and the epicenter just happened to be the Twilight director, Catherine Hardwicke’s own bedroom.
Also read: 20 Questions About Twilight We’d Be Glad If You Could Answer
Twilight Director Recalls Robert Pattinson’s Insane Audition
In an interview with Insider, the director of the Twilight franchise, Catherine Hardwicke, recalls an episode from the very formative days of the film’s pre-production period when the casting calls were being made. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson were of course favorable choices in the director’s eyes, although the producers needed more convincing on the latter’s part.
On one particular day during the audition process, the chemistry of the two leads was to be put to the test, but age was one of the factors that the director hadn’t taken into account. Hardwicke later tells Insider:
“Rob and Kristen auditioned on my bed, the kissing scene, Rob was so into it he fell off the bed. I’m like, ‘Dude, calm down.’ And I’m in there filming with my little video camera. At the end [of the audition], Kristen was like, ‘It has to be Rob.’ I could tell they had a lot of chemistry, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God.’ I thought, Kristen was 17. I don’t want to get in some illegal things. So I remember I told Rob, ‘By the way, Kristen is 17. In our country, it’s illegal to have a sexual …’ And he’s like, ‘Oh, okay, whatever.’”
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart later went on to date on-again, and off-again for four years during the Twilight era from 2009 to 2013. The couple later separated after reports of Stewart allegedly cheating on Pattinson with Snow White and the Huntsman director, Rupert Sanders, came out.
The Chemistry Between Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart
The chemistry between the lead stars of the Twilight saga was undeniable and that was already very apparent when the two actors clicked during their audition process. The understanding between Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart solidified more in the aftermath of the latter advocating for Pattinson being perfect for the role of Edward Cullen.
Also read: Big Stars Who Were Rejected For The Roles Of Bella And Edward in Twilight
Twilight, for all its flaws, proved to be the breakout film for the actor, even though the Brit’s role as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire did not go unnoticed. Kristen Stewart, on the other hand, received the short end of the stick when it came to the success of the adaptations. The entire cult following that surrounded the franchise like a shroud was enamored by the ethereal aura of the vampiric clan and Bella Swan, the naive human caught in the middle, would become the subject of enormous backlash and hate.
The Twilight Saga is now available for streaming on Netflix.
Source: Insider
