Transcript from the Breaking Dawn Part 2 press conference held today in LA.
Hypable
Q: Now you have a sense of completition, five films out of four books. I’m curious.. are you allowing yourself any perspective? Do you see the value of all this?
Rob: It’s funny, people are asking me how I’d feel when it all ends when we were promo-ing the first movie. I’ve never felt more bewildered, knowing we only have a month let of Twilight stuff to do. i’ve said since the second one it’s going to take ten years to settle into my brain. I don’t think anyone knows why they connect with it the way they do. I don’t even know if Stephenie knows why she was so fixated on this very very contained story.
Read More After The Jump
Q: If you could go back in time five years, what kind of advice would you give yourself then to prepare what would happen in the next five years?
Rob: Start drinking vodka instead of beer. And try to get a six pack (abs) as early as possible, and you’ll be a much more successful actor. It’s kind of fun to deal with the terror and the huge highs and lows of things. I’ve never known – I’m still getting massive surprises any time we have a Twilight related event. When we went to Munich for the third movie, the entire olympic stadium was packed with 30k people screaming.
Q: This words keyword is “forever” – what is this in regards to?
Rob: Death? (laughs) No. Hope? That’s a difficult question
Q: What was your last scene for the films? and favorite fan encounter?
Rob: It was hilarious because we spent the entire series filming the most miserable conditions, then we end filming in St. Thomas. We did the last shot as the sun was coming up – it was amazing. It was a nice way to end it. We were considering shooting it in the sea in Vancouver which would have not worked at all (laughter)
Q: Were you sad to let Edward go?
Rob: Yeah, it’s very strange. The entire way through – up to the last shot – it’s a strange part because on one hand you have to have a lot of the audience project their idea of Edward. It doesn’t matter what I do sometimes, the fans want him a certain way. Then there are my instincts to find the fallibility and weaknesses in him. So you’re trying to play both these things at the same time. You’re trying to play someone who’s seen as playing this perfect thing.
Q: Whats most difficult thing to leave behind? And what has best thing to leave behind?
Q: This has obviously opened a lot of doors for you. How do you see it impacting your career ten, fifteen years down the road?
Rob: I don’t know – people ask if I’m afraid of getting typecast, but you can’t be afraid of it. It’s not up to you. I’m getting parts where I don’t play a vampire. I don’t know if people will accept me in them, but there’s really nothing to be afraid of it. But yeah, I have no idea in fifteen years – I don’t know how people will remember this series at all. It’s crazy how intense people are about this series. So I’m not sure how that will last, if there will be that tenacity in fifteen years.
Q: Was there any moment during filming that you’dl ike to relive and why?
Q: This franchise has given you a lot of success. Are you hoping to maintain that level of success as you go forward?
Rob: Well, I don’t know. If I could get any semblance, any more control, of m public image – that would be nice.
No, it’s impossible to maintain this level of success apart from Denzel Washington (laughter). It’s a strange place where the film industry is at, where you could just play super hero after super hero. That seems to be the only guaranteed big money thing.
Q: At the end of the day, are you glad it’s over?
Rob: in some ways. As soon as someone refers to these movies as a franchise – a franchise is a Burger King, a Subway – the big guys love it when something like this becomes a franchise. As an actor, it’s scary. You really feel like you have no control. It’s a huge machine and it becomes part of the cultural landscape. It’s scary because you get trapped and you get scared of changing. And that’s the worst thing that can happen.
Q: Are you more famous in the UK than you are here? and if so, how?
Rob: I don’t know actually. I used to be able to be in England out in public and be fine – it came out in the U.S. first. I get a lot more abuse in England. That’s kind of just the general English attitude. It’s just your instinct (laughter)
Q: You looked like a natural stepping into the father role?
Rob: I quite like working with kids and animals, which everyone says you shouldn’t do. Because it makes you feel like you’re not acting – someone who’s just providing stuff to react to. Especially working with a baby. It’s great. I would say, but a dog or a baby in every scene – everything’s gonna be better. And if they’re not, just shoot the dog (laughter). They’ve got some good baby actors.
Q: and by shoot the dog, you mean…
Rob: Either way! (laughter)
Q: Do you watch any vampire films/shows?!
Rob: I really like Blade. My favorite character in the new ones.. I like.. I Benjamin (the actor in BD 2). It was nice having actors who came in and were really enthusiastic. They were so excited about even five lines.
Rob: I haven’t seen that many vampire films/shows. I’m not a non fan, but it’s an unusual thing to be a fan of. It’s like, “I love zombie movies. I love zombies. I just love them.” It’s more of a psychological problem. (laughter)
Q: Do you remember back i 2008 the first time you met Kristen and Taylor? I don’t mean to throw Taylor under the bus but he says he can’t remember meeting you.
Rob: Gee I don’t remember meeting him either. I met him when he was wearing his wig and stuff. I met Kristen at the Twilight
Rob: My impressions of them… I’m still just trying to come with terms of acknowledging being an actor at all. When I did Harry Potter, I remember looking at Dan, Rupert, and Emma and being like “Wow, those guys are actors” I was starstruck and I wanted to be one too. I was starstruck by Kristen too when we first met.
Rob: With Dan, Rupert, and Emma, I still see them as massively famous people. It’s strange to have gone through the same experience with Taylor and Kristen as well. It’s massive.
Hitfix
12:08 p.m. There he is. He’s looking rather dapper with a suit (no tie) and his hair properly gelled.12:09 p.m. What perspective does Pattinson have on the whole spectacle? People have asked him from the beginning and he doesn’t know. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt more completely bewildered knowing that I only have a month of ‘Twilight’ stuff,” Pattinson says. He expects it to take 10 years. “I don’t think even the fans know why they connect with it the way they do. I think it’s a visceral thing. I don’t think Stephenie could tell you why she was fixated on this very contained story,” he says. “I don’t know,” is his final answer.12:10 p.m. If he could go back and give himself advice what would it be? “Start drinking vodka instead of beer. Try and get a six-pack as early as possible and you’ll be a much more successful actor,” he jokes. “We’re still getting massive surprises any time you have any sort of ‘Twilight’-related events,” he admits, recalling a massive venue at Munich’s Olympic stadium. “IT’s absolutely bizarre. There’s no way you can ever compute it,” he says.
12:12 p.m. What does “forever” mean to Pattinson? “Ummm… Death?” he jokes. “Hope, I guess? That’s kinda a different question,” he says. He really doesn’t have an answer, but he laughs amiably while stalling.
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12:13 p.m. What was his last scene as Edward Cullen? And his favorite fan moment? “It was hilarious considering we spent the entire series filming in the most miserable conditions and then we end on a beach in the Caribbean filming two scenes in the sea,” Pattinson says. “They were considering shooting it in the sea in Vancouver, which would not have worked at all,” he laughs.
12:14 p.m. He says the part is strange because so much of the audience attempts to project idealism onto the character, but he’s always wanted to accentuate the “fallibility and weaknesses.” “You’re trying to play an archetype on one hand and a character on the other,” he says, explaining his frustrations with Edward.
12:15 p.m. What was easiest and hardest to leave behind about Edward? He says he liked being about to keep improving the character across a series. “You feel strangely secure. It’s the opposite of how you’re supposed to feel doing a movie. It’s supposed to feel totally foreign each time,” he reflects. He admits there’s a tendency towards laziness, but having different directors has kept him on his tone. “Playing a part where you can’t get hurt and you can’t die, because there’s no framework. There’s too many possibilities if you can’t die,” he says of the worst thing.
12:17 p.m. He doesn’t know how this will impact him 10 or 15 years down the road. “It’s really not up to you. I’m getting other parts that aren’t vampires. I don’t know if people will accept me in them or whatever, but there’s really nothing to be afraid of,” of typecasting. “I don’t know how people will remember the series at all,” Pattinson says of the fanbase in 15 years.
12:18 p.m. Would he like to relive anything? “The whole first movie was pretty fun,” he says, recalling everybody’s relative inexperience, which led to “a really good energy.” “None of us were really known then, as well, so it felt like a big deal at the time. It was exciting. It was really exciting the first one.”
12:19 p.m. Is he worried about maintaining this level of success? “If I had a little bit more control over my public image, I guess, that would be nice,” he says, not quite answering the question. “No. I think it’s impossible, for one thing. I don’t think anyone can do that, apart from Denzel Washington,” he says. “It’s a strange place where the film industry’s at. I guess you could just play superhero after superhero, but that seems to be the only guaranteed, big money thing,” he notes. Pattinson isn’t sure that would be satisfying. “There are no guarantees, so I’m kinda signing up to do movies that I would be proud of if it were my last one,” he says.
12:21 p.m. At the end of the day, is he glad it’s over? “In some ways?” He stutters. “As soon as something start referring to something as a franchise, a franchise is a Burger King or a Subway,” he reflects. “You have no control. It’s a huge juggernaut, especially when something becomes part of the cultural landscape. It’s really scary. You get trapped and you get scared of changing, which is the worst thing that can happen if you want to become any type of artist,” he says.
12:23 p.m. “I get a lot more abuse in England,” Pattinson says of his varying level of fame.
12:24 p.m. “I think working with kids and I like working with animals, which is what everybody says you shouldn’t do,” Pattinson says of working with Mackenzie Foy. “They got some good baby actors,” he adds.
12:24 p.m. Which new character did he most like? And what’s his favorite vampire show or movie? “I like ‘Blade.’ I really like ‘Blade,'” Pattinson says, yearning for more hard-R-rated films like that. Among the new characters, he liked Benjamin and Rami Malek. He praises the actors who came in thinking it was a big deal and bringing enthusiasm to the set. He returns to the second part of the question, though he says he isn’t necessarily a vampire fan. He’s not a non-fan but he says.
12:27 p.m. Does he remember his first meeting with Kristen and with Taylor? He also isn’t sure when he first met Taylor, but he met Kristen at the audition. He remembers doing the “Harry Potter” movie and being impressed with the younger stars. He says he was star-struck when he met Kristen and even Taylor. “I still seem them as massively famous people. It’s strange to have gone through the same experience with Taylor and Kristen as well,” he says. He’s seen people lose their mind over minor fame and he finds it amazing how well the cast has maintained perspective.
Some comments from other cast and crew at the press conference: Via
Kristen Stewart
Hypable: Q: What bonds have the three of you formed that 10, 20 years from now only you will understand?
K: Its nice to not be alone, we’re in this together. We share the movies. Another really common question is, “What’s it like to walk away from this?” Generally I don’t have to walk away from anything. We hold this as we move on. I think Rob and Taylor feel the same way
Taylor Lautner
HypableQ: Do you remember meeting Kristen and Rob, and what were your first impressions of them like?
Taylor: I remember meeting Kristen for sure – it’s so weird I don’t even remember meeting Rob. It’s so strange (laughter). I didn’t have scenes with Rob in the first one. But Kristen, I showed up mid way through filming and only was needed for two or three scenes. I was barging into this new environment so I was newest and youngest. It was awkward when we first met each other. We were filming a scene on the beach, there was wind, I was wearing a nasty wig. It was very uncomfortable. But ever since then it’s been great.
Q: Can you talk about the bond you’re going to share with Rob and Kristen no matter what happens in the future. How do you see the bond going forward?
Taylor: That’s the bigegst thing I’ve seen from this. We’re so close right now, they’re some of my best friends. That won’t go away at all. It will be more difficult because we don’t have the excuse of months and months on set. Our friendships will go on forever, and I find it so amazing that the cast got along so well. We’re so thankful for that. We have a blast every time we film these movies, every time we promote them, it’s a miracle.Hitfix11:46 p.m. “I remember meeting Kristen for sure. It’s so weird, I don’t even remember meeting Rob,” Lautner says of first impressions. He showed up midway through filming on the first movie and a family had already built up. “I was nervous. I was also the youngest. It was probably a little awkward when we first did meet each other,” Lautner says, recalling his “nasty wig.”
11:50 a.m. “That’s the biggest thing I’ll take from this is those relationships. We’re so close right now. They’re some of my best friends and that won’t go away at all,” Lautner says of his ties with Stewart and Pattinson. “Our friendships will go on forever. I find it so amazing that this cast meshed so well,” he adds, calling both filming and promotion “a blast.”@jtyboone: It’s Taylor Lautner time. “I remember meeting Kristen, for sure. It’s so weird, I don’t even remember meeting Rob.” #BD2
@jtyboone: “We’re so close. They’re some of my best friends and that won’t go away… Our friendships will go on forever.” – Taylor on Kristen and Rob.
Stephenie Meyer, Melissa Rosenberg, Wyck Godfrey
Hypable: Q: Edward spends much of the series resisting turning Bella, but it seems like an awesome thing – living forever, super powers, even Jacob says it’s a good thing by the end. WHAT are the downsides?
Stephenie: Edward resists happiness a lot in the first three books. He’s afraid he doesn’t deserve it. He’s not happy with it himself (being turned). Is he now a villain himself? In retrospect, they’re perfectly happy. If he knew it would have gone so well he may’ve done it sooner.
Q: What was the last day of shooting like? Is it like a graduation?
Stephenie: The last day of shooting was great. We were in St. Thomas.
Wyck: We finished the entire series of movies in St. Thomas, on a beach, when dawn broke. We were shooting that midnight swim.
Stephenie: It came at a really great time, there were just a few of us. We got to hang out – it was a beautiful way to end a movie – all movies should end in St. Thomas.
Q: Talk about the parenting by Rob and Kristen
Stephenie: Kristen was a great parent. She would go to Bill and tell him how she should be parenting Mackenzie (renesmee). Rob was the easy going dad, him and Mackenzie were always having a laugh about something. It was all very natural, all very sweet. Everyone wanted to hang out and bond with her. I think she made it easy to love her.
Q: When I spoke to Wyck at the Breaking Dawn premiere you said you may be working with Rob on something. An update on that?
Wyck: Let’s stay on Twilight.. I think we’re all looking to work with these people.@jtyboone: “We finished the entire series of movies in St. Thomas, on the beach as dawn broke. Just Rob and Kristen and a small crew.” – Wyck on #BD2
@jtyboone: “The mother bear was who she was… Rob was the easy going dad. It’s really, really sweet.” Meyer on Rob and Kristen as parents in #BD2.@VH1Celebrity: Wyck on working with Rob on writing stuff – says nothing is happening right now. Sorry guys! #bd2pressconf
@VH1Celebrity: “We’re all looking to work with these people again,” — Wyck on working with Rob. Hm. #bd2pressconfHtfix: 11:04 a.m. Is there any downside to being a vampire in this universe? Meyer says that Edward doesn’t think he deserves happiness and he’s seen examples of new vampire not being happy with it and he wonders if he’s now a villain by definition. “For him, he’s a very cautious person and becoming a vampire is forever,” she says of Edward. Meyer says that’s the drawback for her now, because permanence is scare. “Vampirism for me was a way to live in fantasy,” she says of the metaphor. “Superpowers with a cost,” she says.
11:06 a.m. The last day of shooting was in St. Thomas. They hung out on the island after shooting completed. “There were just a few of us and we all got to hang out,” Meyer says, adding, “All movies should end in St. Thomas.”
11:08 a.m. For people who had never been parents, they were impressive,” Meyer says of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. “She was such a protective, all-consuming mother,” Meyer says of K-Stew’s approach, while she praises Robert for being funny and playful with Mackenzie. “She was very easy to love,” Meyer adds.
11:10 a.m. Godfrey doesn’t want to talk about future projects, but he’s always looking for other opportunities with the cast.
Michael Sheen
Hypable: Q: What does a TwiHard get out of the entire book and movie series?
M: In some ways I’ve had a peculiar position with the films. I’ve come in and out of them, I’m not like Rob and Kristen. I’ve kind of came in and out, so I can still have a sense of what’s inside and what’s outside. Also, the younger fans don’t recognize me because I look different than my character. Until some parent goes… “see that guy over there? He’s in Twilight.” Then their kids attack. When you come to the last chapter of the series, Bill has done a respectable job of serving the fans. especially for the people who feel like they’ve been with Bella, gone through with her journey. Bill has been very sensitive to that. I think Bella’s journey is one of.. a lot of people can relate to it even though it’s in the world of vampires. Bella’s journey is one that people can vicariously go through it.
M: We shot the battle.. I thought we were going to be outside and cold. When I was in the costume department, I made sure my costume was made of layers and cloaks and really heavy things. And then I turn up to film.. and it’s all CG and green screen, so I was boiling for weeks and weeks. We were on this snowy set. Team Aro was at one end, and Team Cullens were at the other. We were miles away from each other, so we couldn’t even talk to each other on set. And we had to stand around for ages.. some had nothing to do but stnad. Then on the last day of filming the battle scene, there was this huge dance that happened. The Cullen Team had choreographed this big dance, I think it was “Sweet Dreams Were Made Of This” It may be on the DVD.@Fandango: Sheen: There’s nothing like being around Rob and Kristen all day that makes you feel like an old fat Welsh! #BreakingDawnPt2
Bill Condon
@jtyboone: “It was no frills. The three leads have become big movie stars but it wasn’t a movie star experience for them.” – Bill Condon on #BD2
@YahooMovies: Condon: Because of the huge stars, there was over a million dollars on “something called set containment”. #BD2 @Twilight
Hitfix: “It was no frills and I loved that,” Condon says of the movie. He adds, though, that “set containment” has become a big line in the budget. “It was always the spirit of this film that it is a fantastical story, but it is an intimate one too,” he says.
Thinking of Rob 
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