Does Kristen Stewart regret starring in ‘Twilight’?

Kristen Stewart is typically quite free with her thoughts on art & her own previous roles. The thirty-one-year-old actor & director has already racked up an impressive filmography at such a relatively young age, and she says that there are five movies she feels are “top-to-bottom beautiful pieces of work”. 

Kristen Stewart became a household name when she starred in Twilight from 2008 to 2012, the vampire romance movie franchise based on the book series by Stephenie Meyer. She’s currently promoting her most recent movie, Spencer, in which she stars as Princess Diana. 

Not only is Stewart a movie star (she was the highest-paid actress in 2012), but she’s a genuine talent. In 2015, she became the first & only American actress to win a César Award, one of the highest honors awarded for actors in France. Since the Twilight saga wrapped, stars Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson have gone on to have very successful acting careers.

Stewart’s filmography

Stewart’s most notable early role was in Panic Room in 2002. The David Fincher-directed movie also starred Jodie Foster, who played Stewart’s mother. In 2008 she played Bella Swan in Twilight, which became one of the biggest movies of the year & quickly spawned sequels that made for one of the most profitable franchises of all time. 

In 2010, in between filming Twilight: New Moon & Twilight: Eclipse, Stewart played Joan Jett in a biopic called The Runaways about Jett’s band of the same name. Fellow Twilight saga star Dakota Fanning played Jett’s bandmate, Cherie Currie. She continued her relationship with indie movies with a role in Welcome to the Rileys, which also starred James Gandolfini. 

Her first role after wrapping the Twilight saga in 2012 was a leading role in the independent movie Camp X-Ray. That same year, she was in the fantastic Clouds of Sils Maria, her first collaboration with French director Olivier Assayas. In 2016, she starred in Certain Women, written & directed by Kelly Reichardt. She also starred in her second collaboration with Assayas, Personal Shopper.

In 2019, Stewart made her return to mainstream cinema with Charlie’s Angels. She continued the mainstream streak with the Christmas rom-com Happiest Season. Now, Spencer is set to premiere on November 5th.

Stewart’s comments

The success of the Twilight franchise & Stewart’s career since its conclusion has led to many reporters wanting to know what she thought of those movies, which have been the subject of derision by many despite their box office success. She’s acknowledged that the trajectory of the story lacked cohesiveness, and the quality of the movies was up & down as a result. 

Stewart’s confidence in herself as an actor gives her an edge. That edge comes in the form of a lack of cynicism that’s refreshing & exciting. She’s not relentlessly mocking the teen romance before going on to star as someone who fights crime in bat ears. She’s stated her respect for the “pure intention” of the Twilight saga, and said that despite the flaws, she’s proud of her part in it. 

Despite her nuanced take on the Twilight saga, it’s still probably safe to say that the five movies she feels were “really good” weren’t Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn Parts one & two. She said she counts both of her collaborations with Assayas as part of the five, but what others are her favorites?

She’s previously combined Reichardt with Assayas when speaking about really great work she’s done, so we’re guessing Certain Women will be on that list (as it should!). We’re assuming Spencer will make that list, and who knows? Maybe Twilight or New Moon (the two best Twilight movies, don’t @ us) round out that list. Here’s what Stewart has said about her time in Twilight: 

“I was shy about saying how much I respected the ‘Twilight’ books & the role of Bella. It was almost as if I was ashamed to be doing these films. Quite the opposite. This is a challenging & great role, and I’m so in awe of the writing & the novels. Now, I’m comfortable enough to say that. Now that I’ve stopped trying to control how people think about me, I’m better at interviews. It can’t be controlled.”

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What are your favorite Kristen Stewart movies? Which Twilight movie is the best? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments!