Mini Biography
Though most famous for her role as Bella Swan in the Twilight saga,
Kristen Stewart has been a working actor since her early years in Los
Angeles, California. Her parents, John Stewart and Jules Stewart,
both work in film and television. Her mother is Australian. The family
includes three boys, her older brother Cameron Stewart, and two adopted
brothers Dana and Taylor.
After a talent scout caught her grade
school performance in a Christmas play at the age of eight, she appeared
on television in a few small roles. Her first significant role came
when she was cast as Sam Jennings in The Safety of Objects (2001). Soon after that, she starred alongside Jodie Foster in the hit drama, Panic Room (2002) and was nominated for a Young Artist Award.
Praised for her Panic Room performance, she went on to join the cast of Cold Creek Manor (2003) as the daughter of Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone. Though the film did not do well at the box office, she received another nomination for a Young Artist Award. After appearing in a handful of movies and a Showtime movie called Speak (2004), Stewart was cast in the role of a teenage singer living in a commune in Sean Penn's Into the Wild (2007), a critically acclaimed biopic. A third Young Artist Award nomination resulted in a win for this role. She also appeared in Mary Stuart Masterson's The Cake Eaters (2007) that same year.
Just 18, Stewart took on the starring role in Twilight (2008/I) opposite Robert Pattinson who plays the vampire lead, Edward Cullen. Based on a series of the same name written by Stephenie Meyer, the novel already had a huge following and the film opened to fans anxious to see the vampire romance brought to life. Awarded the MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance, Stewart's turn as Bella continued in the sequels The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010). The final installments of the series start filming in late 2010.
Rocketed
into stardom with the Twilight films, Stewart has continually shrunk
from the spotlight. She has also taken on a number of indie projects,
including Adventureland (2009) (filmed prior to the Twilight series) and Welcome to the Rileys (2010). And she took on the daunting task of playing rocker Joan Jett in Floria Sigismondi's The Runaways (2010) alongside Dakota Fanning.
Though most critics heaped praised on Fanning for her poignant
performance as Cherie Currie, Stewart also received praise for her
acting and musical performances.
One of Stewart's next big projects is the upcoming film adaptation of the classic novel by Jack Kerouac, On the Road
(2012), in which she'll star as Marylou. Shooting began in the summer
of 2010, and the film is slated for a December 2012 release. Stewart continues to live in Los Angeles, California.
Trade Mark
Often plays characters who are deeply troubled or have suffered an emotional trauma
Pale skin
Trivia
Has an older brother named Cameron Stewart and two adopted brothers
named Dana and Taylor. Her parents home where she grew up is in Woodland
Hills area of Los Angeles. Kristen owns homes in Malibu and Los Feliz
areas of Los Angeles where she splits her time when she isn't on
location filming.
Her father is John Stewart, a TV producer who works at Fox-TV and co-produced "On-Air with Ryan Seacrest" (2004). Since 2010, he has been working with George Lopez at "Lopez Tonight" (2009) on TBS TV. Due to his job he is often present for his daughter's television appearances.
Born
in Los Angeles and then spent some of her early years in Colorado and
Pennsylvania before moving back to Los Angeles with her family when she
was 8 years old.
Supporter and member of the Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet.
[2008] Was ranked #17 on Entertainment Weekly's '30 Under 30' the actress list.
Had to wear brown contact lenses for Twilight
(2008/I) because she has naturally green eyes while Bella's eyes are
supposed to be brown. Stewart wore the brown colored contacts in the
first 4 of the Twilight films. In the 5th and final film Stewart wore
red contacts when she was a new born vampire and amber color contacts as
she matures towards the end of the film.
Four times nominated, 3
consecutive years (2003-2005) and in 2008 for the Young Artist Award.
She won in 2008 for her acting in the movie Into The Wild.
[2008] Named The Movie Fanatic's Hottest Young Actress.
Has 3 dogs: Oz, a border collie mix, Jack and Lily who are hybrid wolves. Also has a cat named Max / Jella.
[2008] Was ranked #9 on Moviefone's 'The 25 Hottest Actors Under 25'.
Her mother is Australian.
Mother is Jules Stewart, a script supervisor who is directing her first film K-11 (2012).
Was
introduced to Vegemite (an Australian spread) by her Sydney-born mother
and names Noosa Heads (a Queensland resort town) as one of her favorite
places on the planet. Her Australian heritage also inspired the name of
her dog, a border collie named Oz.
Attended Saint Martin of Tours in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Replaced Hayden Panettiere as Sarah Altman in Panic Room (2002) just before shooting began.
After the release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon
(2009), Kristen Stewart was called for jury duty in Los Angeles and was
accepted to a jury for a case in which the defendant was accused of
soliciting sex from an undercover police officer posing as a prostitute.
The case proceedings took three days and ended with the jury finding
the defendant not guilty.
Very private about her personal life. In 2010, many main stream media outlets began referring to her relationship with Twilight (2008/I) co-star, Robert Pattinson, as matter of fact rather than rumored.
Was named "Stonette of the Year" by High Times magazine in 2010 (for her performance in Adventureland (2009)).
Ranked #3 in FHM Online "Sexiest Women in the World" (2010).
Ranked #13 in the 2011 FHM list of "Sexiest Women in the World".
Ranked #6 in the 2010 FHM list of "Sexiest Women in the World".
Her favorite horror movie is The Shining (1980).
Was named Forbes 5th Highest Paid Celebrity Couple in 2011 with boyfriend, Robert Pattinson.
Landed her first American Vogue cover in January, 2011. She also appeared in a photo-shoot for Vogue Italia in 2011.
Prior to filming The Runaways (2010) she worked closely with Joan Jett
to perfect her mannerisms, stage presence, vocal tone, attitude, and
musical skill. Jett later praised Stewart for her dedication and overall
performance stating the portrayal made her proud.
Learned to play guitar for her role as Joan Jett in The Runaways (2010). She also recorded her own vocal tracks for 6 songs used in the film and its corresponding soundtrack.
While filming an attack scene in Snow White and the Huntsman
(2012) she pulled a ligament in her right hand causing production to
temporarily shut down. She also sustained a foot injury while on set.
On November 3, 2011, Stewart and her Twilight co-stars Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner
imprinted their handprints and footprints into cement in front of the
famous Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California. Stewart wore black and
white checkered Vans skate shoes for her footprints and later gave them
to the theater to keep as a souvenir.
Welcome to the Rileys
(2010) was the first movie Stewart filmed by herself as a legal adult.
She felt being alone for the first time added to her role as a 16-year
old runaway living alone in New Orleans.
Attended A. E. Wright
Middle School in Calabasas, California until 8th grade. Stewart was
homeschooled for grades 9-12 due to her busy schedule. At age 19 she
received her high school diploma while filming The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010).
Her favorite vampire film is The Lost Boys (1987).
Has appeared alongside Melissa Leo twice. Once in The Cake Eaters (2007) and again in Welcome to the Rileys (2010).
Has worked with Elizabeth Perkins twice. Once in Speak (2004) and again in Fierce People (2005). In both films Perkins played Stewart's mother.
At
age 8, Stewart was discovered by a talent agent while singing in a
school play. Although Stewart has since become an actress and not a
singer she has performed her own vocals in two films, Into the Wild (2007) and The Runaways (2010).
Gave her Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005) co-star, Josh Hutcherson, a turtle for his 13th birthday.
Celebrated her 19th birthday while filming The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) in British Columbia, specifically while shooting Bella Swan's 18th birthday scene.
In preparation for her role as a runaway stripper-prostitute in Welcome to the Rileys
(2010) Stewart learned how to pole dance, deprived herself of sleep,
chain-smoked, and ate mostly junk food. As a result her body and legs
were covered with bruises, her skin was blemished, and she constantly
looked tired.
Voted #27 on Ask men's top 99 'most desirable' women of 2012 list.
On
January 13, 2012, Stewart was named the newest spokesperson for
Balenciaga and was set to be the face of a new fragrance for 2012. As a
result of the partnership, Stewart attended Paris Fashion Week in March
2012 to attend the Balenciaga fashion show.
Did most of her own stunts for her role as Snow White in Snow White and the Huntsman (2012).
Stewart agreed to a salary less than $200,000 so she could remain be part of On the Road
(2012) after the film's budget was drastically cut. Stewart remained
committed to the role of Marylou out of her love for the original novel
by Jack Kerouac.
Attended the 2012 MTV Movie Awards with Scout Taylor-Compton, one of her co-stars from The Runaways (2010). It was the first MTV Awards show she attended without Robert Pattinson.
Personal Quotes
On working on the film Panic Room (2002) with such a big name star as Jodie Foster: "When I got "Panic Room", I'm like, 'Oh my God that's huge! It's bigger than huge'. I was kind of freaked out at first".
(about
her love for acting) I love it because I love to tell stories. I like
being in movies that have a great story. I'm not so interested in being a
Hollywood star. It's a job, you know. When you wake up at six in the
morning every day for a week, it feels like hard work.
I don't want to make movies for kids, and I don't want to make movies for adults either.
Acting
is such a personal thing, which is weird because at the same time it's
not. It's for the consumption of other people. But in terms of creative
outlets and expressing yourself, it's just the most extreme version of
that that I've ever found. It's like running, it's exertion. When you
reach that point where you can't go anymore and you stop and you take a
breath, it's that same sort of clearing of the mind.
A lot of actors think that what we do is so important, like we're saving people's lives or something.
All I try to do in the press is be honest about something that I really care about.
I've always had an aversion to looking sexy, but I've grown out of it.
I
start everything from the same place, with that sense of
responsibility. On a bigger movie, you have to be aware that you can
only control your aspect of the film. It's nice to be on a smaller movie
because you're working with your friends and you feel so close-knit.
It's your movie and you can do anything you want, and nobody's going to
have anything to say. With a bigger movie, it concerns so many people.
It's so much more of a process. But, in terms of what I do personally,
it has to be the same, or else I'm just on some big movie, being a liar,
and I can't do that.
Really, I'm incredibly disjointed and not
candid. Just in general, my thoughts tend to come out in little spurts
that don't necessarily connect. If you hang around long enough, you can
find the linear path. But it will take a second. That is why these
interviews never go well for me.
About having an aha moment when
it came to pursuing an acting career: I have the "Aha" moments
progressively -- they're like milestones and they hit you. I think my
first "Aha!" moment was when I did this (TV) movie called "Speak." I was
just rolling with it, and ended up kind of really losing myself in it,
so that I felt like I was a different person at the end. That was a big
moment.
You should have the opportunity to be more than one person
with different people - because you have that within you. It's not like
you're faking it. If everyone knows you so well and can always get a
hold of you, then you're stuck to this thing that people think you are.
You should have the opportunity to reinvent yourself. Because you do.
Naturally.
On whether she wants to develop her skills as a writer:
I do want to work on writing, because writing's a skill. Writing is
something that you can train yourself to know better. To know yourself
better. And it's intimidating as hell. I mean, I definitely will always
do what I've been doing. I've also started taking a lot of pictures, and
they help the writing. The pictures help the writing. I mean, I want to
make books. I want to take pictures and then write all over the
pictures. And then I don't have to say a complete story, because I have
the picture, and I have just a word.
About Bella in New Moon:
Well, she loses what basically gives her the drive to do anything in her
whole life. She loses the man she's in love with, but she also loses
her entire life plan, and she's so young to have to be forced into a
decision like that. It's just a glorified, elaborate version of the
worst breakup you've ever been through. All of a sudden you question
everything. All of a sudden you know nothing and you're dropped in the
middle of a freezing cold ocean. Oddly, we have a character that's warm
enough and bright enough to bring her out of that, and it's truly
gut-ripping. Because as perfect as Jacob is for her, she holds on to an
ideal, the ultimate fiery love that she has for Edward even though it's
not comfortable, it's not practical and it's not a good idea.
This
weird thing happens when you're in a movie that has some level of
success. People start offering you all kinds of things, and they just
expect you to do them because they'll be good for your career. It's not
about the project's integrity or anything like that. It's about raising
your profile and all that crap.
I was just in Botswana in Africa. I
wanted to learn something about the world. I just feel really ignorant
whenever I leave the country. I don't know a lot of stuff, and I really
want to. I figure that traveling is a good way to start if you want
knowledge. Like, if you don't know something about a country, then go
and check it out. That's what I did.
On how her life has changed
since Twilight: My life hasn't changed. Most circumstances I find myself
in are different than they were a year ago, but I myself haven't
changed...however a normal 18-year-old girl would change in a year. But
it makes things so much easier. I would do it for free every day [even]
if nobody saw it. I cannot describe how good it feels to actually have
something that is truly into your heart and soul actually affecting
people. And that's amazing. So that's the biggest change.
On
whether she wants to continue making movies or go to college: I
absolutely have no foresight. I used to think I had a lot when I was
younger. I worked really hard in school to give myself options, and I've
literally taken those options and thrown them down the toilet.
Purposely - not to make that sound totally negative. It's what I want. I
want to keep doing what I'm doing. It's funny, people ask me all the
time: 'What do you do for fun? What do you do when you're not acting?'
It's a strange thing, acting. It's a business, it's a job, everything
like that. All it is, is self-reflection. You just never stop caring
about people and I've never stopped doing that, so I'm sure it'll seep
into other areas of my life. I want to write. I'm not going to school
because I can't take the structure of it, but I'm not going to stop
learning.
Usually I come in and sit down at roundtables in America
and they look at me like 'what is wrong with you?' Just because I don't
fit...nobody fits into the frame that typical Hollywood young actresses
do, but they try to. They try to be this thing. Try to memorize answers
and make everybody happy. That's so horrifying and scary to me. So when
you're not that, you get criticized for it. You get criticized for
being honest and criticized for being nervous. So that's kind of
annoying. I do a whole day of press and then I get calls from publicity
people that are like, 'you might want to be a little bit more bubbly'.
And I'm like, 'no'. People get very upset in the States. It's weird.
Fans of the book especially. They don't understand me. Which is fine. I
guess it doesn't really matter who I am, it just matters that they like
the movie.
On doing interviews: Self-evaluation is not my strong
point, and you're constantly asked to critique yourself. You just spent
three months on a set and your whole life is wrapped up in that - and
then it's like, "Okay, define that right now in five seconds." I can't
do that. I used to get so nervous that I would become a completely
different person - and then they would think that was me. So I've tried
to calm down, but no one's ever going to write, "Oh, she's actually just
a pretty f---in' average chick who really loves what she does." That's
not gonna happen.
On how fame changed her life: There's nothing
you can do about it, to be honest. I don't leave my hotel room --
literally, I don't. I don't talk to anybody about my personal life, and
maybe that perpetuates it, too. But it's really important to own what
you own and keep it to yourself. That said, the only way for me not to
have somebody know where I went the night before is if I didn't go out
at all. I'm trading. It depends on what mood I'm in. Some nights, I
think, 'You know what? I don't care. I'm going to do what I want to do.'
Then the next day I think, 'Ugh. Now everyone thinks I'm going out to
get the attention.' and I'm like, 'No, actually, for a second, thought
that maybe I could be like a normal person.'
Speech after winning
an Orange Bafta (2010): Wow. Thank you. I guess first I have to thank
all the fans of Twilight for proving again and again to be THE most
devoted and attentive fans ever. Considering this is voted, credit is
due to them so thank you. To the other actors nominated, I am so blown
away by you that I can't even describe it. To be voted among you is just
overwhelming. And I'd like to say hi to my family.
People always
ask me if Im dating Robert [Pattinson]. It's beyond annoying. What I say
is, that, why would I want anything that's private to become
entertainment for other people?
My family are amazing. I had like,
the perfect upbringing. It sucks for people like Lindsay [Lohan], but
it's not her fault she's so off the rails - and she's smart, very smart.
I'm totally preoccupied with cooking. And now I'm obsessed with the Food Network. I like Paula Deen because she's hilarious,.
It's
weird, because I would be the last person in my school to be in plays,
but I was forced to sing a song in a school thing. I sang a dreidel
song, which is funny for me. I've never celebrated Hanukkah - it wasn't
in my upbringing, but it was one of those deals where everybody has to
pick a song or participate somehow in the chorus. It wasn't the normal
dreidel song; I can't really remember the words, but it was a more
serious dreidel song. The dreidel was huge, it was really honored. And
that's how I met my agent, who was in the audience. I was eight.
[on
her hair]: Since I started acting I have never had by natural color,
which is light brown. But it's fine, it's funny seeing yourself look
different.
I'm asked all the time in interviews about who I am,
and I know a few people my age who have a strong sense of self, but I
couldn't say I know myself and sum it up and give it to you in a little
package. I don't know myself at all yet.
I wouldn't tell you
anything about anybody I cared about because it becomes entertainment
for other people, and it sort of just cheapens everything in your life. I
would never tell you if I was dating anybody.
I think romance is anything honest. As long as it's honest, it's so disarming.
You build a perimeter of people that are really important to you.
[on
the down-side of fame]: There's no way to eloquently put this. I just
can't go to the mall. It bothers me that I can't be outside very often.
And also to not ever be just 'some girl' again. Just being some chick at
some place, that's gone.
Anytime I hear that somebody's really
rich, the first question is, 'Do you do anything with it? Or do you,
like, chill? You just sit on it?'
When I dress up, I have to have a lot of help. I was in a T-shirt until a few minutes ago.
What
you don't see are the cameras shoved in my face and the bizarre
intrusive questions being asked, or the people falling over themselves,
screaming and taunting to get a reaction.
I would never cheapen my relationships by talking about them.
It's
impossible to always get across what I'm trying to say, but, if I just
stay honest, then I'm not going to look back on any of these interviews
and wonder what I was trying to do or be.
[on her rise to fame and
claims that she is ungrateful or unhappy]: I totally am more
comfortable now. I try not to have a celebrity skin, which is why I
think I run into problems. So many people say 'Why don't you just play
the part?' I do, I really try to do that. I guess I should get a face
transplant or something. I really love what I do, I really love
everybody that I've ever worked with, I've gotten really lucky. I'm very
appreciative, so that always kills me.
I think it's funny that when I go onstage to accept an award, they think I'm nervous, uncomfortable, and awkward - and I am - but those are bad words for them.
[on
the paparazzi]: Once somebody finds out, you have to get the hell out
of wherever you are. People freak out. And the photographers, they're
vicious. They're mean. They're like thugs. I don't event want to drive
around by myself anymore. It's dangerous.
I don't think there's
anything about being a celebrity that is desirable. I understand that
everybody's going to know who you are and what you look like, but why be
so obsessive?
Maybe I'm completely different from everyone else.
There are a lot of girls who can't wait to get married and plan their
wedding a long time in advance. I'm not like that. I do want to start a
family at some point, but I don't know when.
[on punching Chris Hemsworth]
I have to say for anyone who's ever been in that situation where, as a
girl, you think it's not going to do anything. It fucking does
something. He was standing over me and I just went "boom!" I spun him
around. I punched him right out of his close-up and then I started
crying. I felt horrible.
The strangest part about being famous is
you don't get to give first impressions anymore. Everyone already has an
impression of you before you meet them.
On Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) I'm having the most fulfilling experience as an actor. I'm close with Rupert Sanders,
have his ear, and it's to his credit that I feel this way because I'm
getting my first taste of really collaborating. Usually as an actor you
put your hands up and go, "that's not my thing." I love acting.
Honestly, I love looking at the call sheet where it says my character's
name above my name. That's what I'm here for, but it's also cool to be
on their level. To give an opinion and be taken seriously.
I can't
wait to not be working and go home and gain some interests. I want to
see what I'm into. I want to figure out what I want.
[on wearing
colored contacts in Twilight] The contacts suck so badly. You can't see
anything thus people cannot see you, I feel. There is just no getting in
there.
[on choosing to leave public school] School became
genuinely uncomfortable. I was feeling a little self-conscious about the
acting thing with my peers, but also my teachers became a problem. They
didn't want to do the extra work or put packages together so I could
keep up while away. They failed me. My teachers failed me. Not one, but
all of them. I'm always slightly ashamed, in a way, about what I do. I'm
slightly embarrassed as I had such serious ambitions when I was
younger. I just never imagined that I would ever have a reason not to go
to school, but then this happened.
[on her role as Melinda Sordino in Speak
(2004)] I was definitely aware of the film's subject matter, and it
wasn't because of anything that had happened in my own life. Not at all.
I grew up in a happy household.
It took me a long time to realize
that I was a girl as a teenager. At that point I never really believed
it. I looked like a boy for a long time. Now, finally, I feel like a
woman.
[on the paparazzi] It really is not a nightmare, it's just
one of those things. I guarantee whenever I get married or have a baby,
everyone is going to want to know my kid's name and I'm not going to say
it for ages. That's just the way I want to do it. It'll come out but it
won't have come from me. They're going to be really pissed off that I
won't say it and I'm just going to say, "No!"
I play music but only for myself. For my ears only.
If
a woman isn't happy and un-opinionated and long-haired and pretty, then
she's weird and ugly. I just don't get it. I hate it when they say I'm
ungrateful and I fucking hate it when they say I don't give a shit,
because nobody cares more than I do. I'm telling you I don't know
anybody who does this that gives a shit more than I do.
The reason
I feel compelled to do movies is because of whatever feeling you get
when you read it. And to have four years of not being done [with the
Twilight Saga] it constantly weighs on you. You're constantly thinking
about going back and finishing the series.
Every day you come home from work you go, like, God I wish I could go back and do yesterday again because I'm better now.
I
know that I don't seem like the type of person that really loves to be
in the center of things, but anyone to deny the type of energy, like the
effect of shared love, you'd have to be a sociopath to not let it in.
As
an actor your life is so wrapped up in your job. It's not normal.
People's jobs don't affect their whole lives. Mine is why I love my life
and so to talk about it to you guys [the media] and to know that it's
not just you guys, that I'm talking through you to the fucking world,
it's really scary at first. Now it's not only because I'm used to it. It
just takes time.
I can't be anyone but myself, man!
I don't want to be Angelina Jolie.
Not that Angelina Jolie is not the most talented, beautiful,
successful, amazing, admirable person who does good things for the
world, but I don't want to be a movie star like that. I don't think
there's anything about being a celebrity that is desirable. I understand
that everybody's going to know who you are and what you look like, but
why be so obsessive?
I would never cheapen my relationship by
talking about them. People say, 'Just say who you're dating. Then people
will stop being so ravenous about it.' It's like, No they won't!
They'll ask for specifics.
[on playing Marylou in On the Road
(2012)] She's generous in every aspect of her life and she wants it
back just at much. I'm a slightly different person. I think that I liken
myself much more to Sal's character, so to be that person running down
the street with everyone chasing after was different. I think also she's
so completely self-aware but not self-conscious and the same time and,
like, I don't know how else to describe it other than there's just a
generosity of absolutely everything. Because she wants everything in
return she is willing to give you absolutely anything and I'm not like
that. So it was fun. I also think that's why I loved the book initially.
I wanna keep up with these characters. It's not that I'm so not like
them, it's just that they inspire me.
[on working with female
directors] It's hard to generalize about that subject because the women
I've worked with have all been so different. But if there's one
consistency, it might be that you do have to handle yourself differently
on a set. Women can be more emotional - at least they sometimes show it
more.
If you respect yourself and you love yourself, that's the only way anybody else is going to.
Where Are They Now
(October 2002) Colorado filming Cold Creek Manor (2003).
(February 2008) Just got cast for Twilight (2008/I), and getting ready to start filming.
(March 2008) Filming Twilight (2008/I).
(May 2008) Finished filming for Twilight (2008/I) on Friday, May 2nd 2008. "Twilight" is due to hit theaters November 21, 2008.
(January 2009) She is filming The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) with co-star Robert Pattinson.
(May 2009) May 29th, 2009 was the last day of filming for The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009).
(June 2009) Filming The Runaways (2010).
(August 2009) Filming The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010) in Vancouver, British Columbia
(August 2010) Filming On the Road (2012) in Montreal, Canada
(August 2010) Filming On the Road (2012) in Bariloche, Argentina.
(October 2010) Baton Rouge, Louisiana filming The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011).
(March 2011) in Vancouver, Canada filming The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012).
(August 2011) London, England: Filming Snow White and the Huntsman (2012).
(May 2012) London, England, UK: Promoting Snow White and the Huntsman