Note: Ricky Lo also did the segment of the Trinity in Startalk, posted here .
Eclipse of the Heart by Ricky Lo
BEVERLY HILLS — The reminder stayed the same as it was late last year when Conversations sat down for one-on-ones with Robert Pattinson (the vampire), Kristen Stewart (the human) and Taylor Lautner (the werewolf) for the New Moon, the second in the series of the best-selling four-part novels by Stephenie Meyer.
That is: No personal questions, please. Stick to the movie. (Together, Robert and Kristen are known simply as Robsten.)
So two weeks ago when I again did one-on-ones with the three stars (along with a dozen of their co-stars...more on them soon!) for Eclipse, the second to the finale installment (before Breaking Dawn) of what is now more popularly known as the The Twilight Saga also in the same venue, the Four Seasons, I was extra-careful not to ask Pattinson (a.k.a. RPattz), 24, and Stewart (a.k.a. KStew), 20, if their romance is as real as it is in the reel. Taylor, 17, was more “game.” With a winsome, “werewolfish” smile, he allowed a little glimpse into his “personal” life such as how he got the beautiful body that has landed him on the cover of several magazines.
The Twilight Saga has so far grossed over $1.1 billion worldwide. It stands to rake in much more as it sinks its teeth even deeper into the tills around the world.
After Twilight, New Moon and now Eclipse, does your character feel like second skin to you?
Robert: Sometimes. But I mean, most of the time every movie is something new — with a new crew, new director. And also, I look kind of slightly different in each one. To me, it’s just like doing a new movie every single time.
Kristen: Hmmmm, yeah, it does, But it’s really easy to switch back to another character because I play different parts in movies in-between the Twilight Saga. I never had any experience doing a sequel for such a long period of time, and after doing another character in another movie it’s always very exciting to get back to the Bella Swan character.
Taylor: Hmmmm, yeah, a little bit. After living this character for over two years now, Jacob Black does feel like second skin to me.
(To Kristen) So it’s a relief for you doing other characters in-between playing Bella Swan.
Kristen: I wouldn’t call it a relief. It’s cool, I mean, it’s fun. I’m really lucky to be given a chance to do other characters because I love all of them. (Note: At 11, Kristen played Jodie Foster’s daughter in Panic Room.)
You’ve practically grown up with your character. Isn’t it hard to shake off the character once you get home from a shoot?
Robert: In the first movie, I felt like an outsider finding his way around in a new world. As I started getting older, I found it easier to relate to the character and I think the series reflects that, so in this one Edward becomes more normal, he becomes more human. Isn’t it hard to shake off the character after the shoot? Well, no. It’s such a relief to take the contact lenses out and say, “Whew! It’s done! I’m no longer a vampire!”
Kristen: Hmmmm, yeah. It’s hard to just shake it off sometimes but it does help if once you’re home you watch a movie to get your character out of your mind.
Taylor: Hmmmm, no. I mean, we just really have our Twilight mood when we are on the set, when we are with each other. But just as easily we can get out of our characters.
(To Robert) What about turning off the emotional aspect of the character once you get home?
Robert: It depends. There are some scenes where you find it hard to dissociate yourself emotionally from the character. Sometimes, it’s so hard because when you’re playing a fantasy character there’s just nothing you can relate to as a human and you’re just guessing. And when you’re guessing, it doesn’t feel right so when you go home the feeling stays longer with you. By the way, yes, it can be bothersome performing with all that makeup, not to mention the lenses.
Ten years from now when you look back, what do you think you will remember most about your character?
Robert: I have no idea. I think so many things are going to happen in Breaking Dawn that will change the way I look at Edward Cullen and my opinion about him. Let’s see what will happen.
Kristen: Hmmmm, I don’t know. Maybe that she’s really the best vampire of them all. She’s the youngest character in the story and she’s on top of that world that she’s not even close to.
Taylor: Ahhhhh, I don’t know exactly, but probably his being a werewolf. There are many things to remember, most especially the overall experience and how much fun I had with the cast and how closer friends we have become. There will be a lot to remember.
What traits of your character do you identify with?
Robert: Very few, if any. In Eclipse, Edward has a different mindset. He’s jealous and petty to other people. With Bella, he’s possessive. He has 17-year-old-guy emotions, like being jealous of other guys who fancy his girlfriend, and I’m not like that at all.
Kristen: I really appreciate that she remains herself and is young and, you know, is kind of full of life. She’s young but she’s able to deal with all her problems.
Taylor: Hmmmm, probably his being persistent. You see, he’s a very persistent fellow who doesn’t easily give up. I think I have a little bit of that. I grew up being positive that nothing can’t be achieved with hard work. I think that’s the case with Jacob as well.
(To Taylor) It’s possible that you might be typecast as your Twilight character forever. How do you feel about it?
Taylor: Hmmmm...I feel that it’s fine. Jacob Black is a great character so I’m very lucky to have the opportunity to play him.
(To Taylor) After the fourth installment, Breaking Dawn (which, according to reports, might be broken down into two movies), what kind of character do you want to play? Do you have a so-called dream role?
Taylor: I think your dream role is what you’re filming at the moment. That’s what I’m passionate about. So right now, it’s my role in a film called Abduction. So that’s my dream role at the moment. And then I’ll do Breaking Dawn and after that, a movie called Stretch Armstrong.
(To Taylor) You worked out a lot for the Jacob Black character and you now have a body-to-die-for. How do you maintain it?
Taylor: Yes, definitely! What I’ve learned is that it’s just as hard to maintain as to put on in the first place. It’s hard because we’re traveling a lot; we’re really busy and I hardly have time to go to the gym, and I keep on eating as well.
(To Taylor) What sort of diet do you follow?
Taylor: Hmmmm...High-protein diet and carbs, and less sugar, definitely! But I eat small meals every two hours, constantly.
(To Taylor) And what sort of workout do you do?
Taylor: More of weight-lifting and less of cardio workout.
Did you think that the Twilight Saga would be a huge hit?
Robert: No, not at all. What happened is just completely impossible for me to understand still.
Kristen: No, I didn’t expect it at all. It was a shock to me when it became a phenomenal hit. You don’t expect that kind of thing, do you?
Taylor: Everything was totally unexpected. What happened is just mind-blowing, unbelievable!
(To Robert) How do you deal with the tremendous success of the Twilight Saga all over the world?
Robert: I mean, once you have done a movie, that’s your job done so you just kind of relax and see what happens. But it’s nice to be in a series because you can keep people waiting for the next one. It’s nice to hear people speak well about the previous ones and look forward to the new one.
To what would you attribute the huge appeal of the Twilight Saga?
Robert: Vampire stories have always fascinated people of all ages since time immemorial. The Twilight Saga is not an exception.
Kristen: Ahhhh, I mean, I’m fond of the books. I guess it’s not really something of a message or anything, it’s just that the story is very universal, very basic and very simple. It’s about first love and I’m sure people can relate to that.
Taylor: I think it’s the way Stephenie Meyer wrote the books. She created characters in a story that everybody and anybody can relate to. Plus, the directors have done a very good job in bringing those characters to life on film.
(To Taylor) Aside from Jacob Black, do you have any favorite character in theTwilight Saga?
Taylor: Ahhhh...It’s hard to choose. There are so many great characters. I like Edward Cullen; he’s an awesome character. I think Alice Cullen (played by Ashley Greene) is pretty cool as well.
(To Taylor) What’s the best lesson that you have learned so far after doing Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse?
Taylor: Just to stay true to yourself and not let everything that’s happening around you change you. And I think that it helps that we’re going through it all together.
(To Taylor) You’ve been so busy with theTwilight Saga these past three years, how do you enjoy your time away from work?
Taylor: I enjoy myself a lot! It’s like living two lives. I have this work life and then I have my old life which allows me to spend time with the same people I did before.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Eclipse opens with $30 Million +
IMAX is even moreincentive to see this movie more (Regular and IMAX).
Personally I saw Twilight twice in theatre (Three times after last night) and New Moon three times in theatre (four after last night) and plan to see Eclipse four times (twice so far) in theatres.
That idea of seeing the newest film at least one more time than you saw the last is what will help box office sales increase with each movie. That and new fans discovering the series constantly....
Here are some numbers so far...
According to BoxOffice Mojo:
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse ripped into the record books with its midnight launch, grossing over $30 million at more than 4,000 theaters. That surpassed The Twilight Saga: New Moon‘s previous benchmark of $26.3 million. Included in Eclipse‘s sum was a new IMAX midnight milestone of over $1 million at 192 venues, topping Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen‘s $959,000.
The vampre(sic) romance sequel had already cast the widest opening net ever, biting into a whopping 4,416 locations (more theaters are expected to be added on Friday). Iron Man 2 previously held that title with 4,380 locations, while Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince holds the record for highest location count ever at 4,455. Eclipse‘s count includes 193 IMAX venues, which is just shy of Shrek Forever After‘s 194 record.
See more on Box Office Mojo
Twilight Lexicon posts:
The thing to keep in mind is that this figure only counts sales in the USA made through 3:00am this morning. It does not count the sales that are picked up during the day today through 11:59pm this evening. Once those figures come in tomorrow afternoon to reflect the first day’s complete total that number should be $150,000,000. This will solidly put Eclipse opening in the top ten movies of the year.
The big question is going to be if Eclipse can get to the 300,000,000 million mark. New Moon was just shy at circa 296,000,000. No matter what it is going to continues to smash records for what is a predominately female driven enterprise.
Further more @Larry411 writes:
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse has opened to a record $30M+ overnight from approximately 4,000 screenings, beating the record $26.27M set by New Moon. This is an estimated total from all midnight and 3:00 AM shows. The film also set a new IMAX overnight record, with $1M at 192 locations beating the recordholder Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with $959K.
As I posted below, Twilight opened on November 21, 2008 at 3,419 theaters, taking in around $7M in midnight screenings (which was considered stratospheric at the time). Its first weekend total was $69.64M. The Twilight Saga: New Moon opened on November 20, 2009 with $26.27M from 3,514 midnight screenings at 4,024 locations on its way to a first day total of $72.7M (more than Twilight's entire opening weekend). Its first weekend total was $142.8M, making it the #3 all-time and #1 non-summer opening weekend of all time.
The Dark Knight had a $18.4M midnight debut (3-day weekend) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince took in $22.2M on a Tuesday night on its way to a 5-day weekend total of $158M. The Dark Knight went on to take in $67.17M that opening day, dropped 29.1% from Friday to Saturday to bring in another $47.65M, and ended with $43.6M on Sunday for an opening weekend total of $158.4M.
What to watch for: We won't be able to measure per theater averages until we know exactly how many showings there were. That will be a better indicator of how well Eclipse did vs. New Moon. The film's opening day total will be released tomorrow afternoon, Thursday 7/1. More theaters are expected to be added on Friday. The Independence Day holiday weekend is tabulated starting Friday, so the 3-day weekend totals will not include today and tomorrow's numbers. Therefore, it's possible that Eclipse may not set a holiday weekend record. Wednesday and Thursday's numbers will still count toward the film's total box office although they will be included in the week of Friday 6/25 - Thursday 7/1.
Eonline Talk About The Midnight Showings
• Full disclosure: We attended a 12:15 a.m. showing, not a midnight one. The midnight showtimes were, natch, sold out. In fact, as the premiere hour neared at our Los Angeles-area theater, four of the seven Eclipse screenings—from 12 a.m. to 12:40 a.m.—were booked.
• Vampires and wolves do not scare off boys. Not if they're out on dates with girls. The (long) lines were more than dotted with dudes. It was a strange thing, though, on the way out, we only saw women. Have no idea what happened to the guys during the movie. You don't think they could've been scared off by…
• …Lautner's never-get-old abs? Say, did we already mention those? Sorry. We're a little loopy right now. Our ears are still ringing from the applause, catcalls and lusty pleas earned by each and every toned thing on the young Mr. Lautner's torso.
• Our three favorite lines shouted at the screen, presented in ascending order as determined by how out of her gourd the Lauter-crazed woman sounded: (1) "Take that shirt off!"; (2) "That's a real man!"; and, quick, grab a glass of water, no, better make it a hose, (3) "I can't take it anymore!"
• But wait, there's more: Lautner's business, as it were, with Kristen Stewart generated at least one fist pump. It was dark, so we couldn't tell for sure, but we wouldn't be surprised if the pleased individual was one of Lautner's agents.
• We should write here that Robert Pattinson's first appearance generated squeals, too. We should write that. But it didn't.
• No, Pattinson backers didn't bring the night-out-at-Chippendales passion. With one "Oh, sh-t!" exception.
• Out of deference to the lollygaggers who have not yet seen the movie, we will say no more about the above except to say that at one heated moment a presumed Team Edward supporter forgot her courtly, old-world self, and went all Samantha Jones, exclaiming over and over and over again, "Oh, sh-t! Oh, sh-t! Oh, sh-t!" Take that, Team Jacob.
• The Victoria recast was barely noticed, if at all. There were no audible protests from Rachel Lefevre diehards. There was no applause for Bryce Dallas Howard, although given her remarkable resemblance to a mid-run Designing Women Annie Potts, trust us, we were tempted.
• There probably will be some crossover audience for Eclipse and Julia Roberts' Eat Pray Love, but this was not the night—and the latter's Oprah-vibing trailer died a quiet death, especially next to the cheers and whistles for the new Harry Potter coming attraction. (Who said wizards and wolves can't get along?)
• First two discernible words heard as the end credits rolled at 2:20 a.m.-ish: "Breaking Dawn." Guess it's back to the gym, for you, Lautner.
MTV Gets The Fan's Reactions To Eclipse
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We're not sure if you've heard, but "Eclipse" is out now. Fans all across the U.S.A were already lining up for midnight screenings on Tuesday night to be some of the first to catch the third film in the "Twilight Saga." MTV News caught up with New York City Twi-hards before the show, and we were also on hand to talk to Los Angeles fans as they streamed out of the theater.
The consensus among the West Coast Twilighters we spoke to is that David Slade's take on the vampire tale rocked.
"Best movie! It was actually the whole tent scene. Love the tent scene; it was a battle between Edward and Jacob. It was amazing! I loved it," Elisse Mendez raved to MTV News. "I would actually have to say this is one of the top films that has come out so far. 'Twilight' was good. 'New Moon' was good, but I think this was better. Jacob — this time around he was such an amazing actor."
Patrick Seitz said he had been hoping Slade would bring his prior vampire expertise to the film, and he wasn't disappointed. "I actually surprisingly liked it. I think this is the best of the bunch. I did [like the end], although I feel bad for Jacob because every time he does stuff, I know what's coming," he said. "I like the love triangle. I like the tension. I thought it was a good ending."
Morgan Jones admitted that the end made her cry. Her pal Heather Jones added, "Loved it. This one's so much better! I wish I could watch it again right now. The acting was better, the writing was better. There weren't so many long pauses. It was like it moved. It was an action film."
Fans named the long awaited tent scene and the film's conclusion as highlights. "The ending of the movie was really great," Carissa Odenberg said. "I want to see 'Breaking Dawn.' It makes you want to see the next one."
Her friend Anthony Ortiz continued, "It had a lot of action. Best movie so far of the 'Twilight Saga.' I like the details. All the detail was good. I really enjoyed it."
"It was awesome," Cary Lockwood said. "It was better than I thought it was going to be."
Angie Llorena added, "It was better than the first two combined. It got my adrenaline pumping. It was very cool, exciting."
Robert & Kristen Debut On Forbes ‘World’s Most Powerful Celebrity’ List
LOS ANGELES, Calif. --
The third installment of “The Twilight Saga” premieres on Wednesday, but already Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are two of the world’s most powerful celebrities, according to Forbes Magazine.
The on-screen couple, who are rumored to be a pair off-screen as well, debut on the coveted list for the first time, with Robert taking spot #50 and Kristen trailing at #66.
Oprah Winfrey, who was trumped by Angelina Jolie last year, reclaimed her #1 spot on the annual Forbes list with earnings of $315 million.
Other newcomers to the list included Lady Gaga who appeared in the #4 spot with earnings of $62 million, as well as James Cameron who thanks to “Avatar” earned #3 spot with $210 million in earnings.
Additional first time appearances included Conan O’Brien (#51), the Black Eyed Peas (#16), Robert Downey, Jr. (#73), and Chelsea Handler (#98).
Sandra Bullock, who had a rough year in her personal life, scored high on the list professionally, earning the #8 spot with $56 million in earnings.
Allen Coulter, 'Remember Me' director, explains why Rob was the perfect Tyler
There is an elephant in the room, metaphorically. He is a most handsome, most famous, most perplexing elephant. His name is Robert Pattinson, a superstar among Twi-hards who follow his every breathless, bloodless moment in the Twilight series.
But "the room" is an American indie film called Remember Me, beautifully crafted with an air of thoughtful melancholy by director Allen Coulter. This is the story of a New York university student estranged from his wealthy father, in trouble with cops, and intrigued by the daughter of one detective who has already smashed his face in during an alley fight. The film just debuted on DVD following its modest theatrical run, timed to coincide with Friday's release of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.
In Remember Me, Pattinson gets to play a real human being in a romantic drama populated by other functioning humans. They are flawed, complex, interesting people played by Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper, Lena Olin, wonderful child actress Ruby Jerins and Australian discovery Emile de Ravin as the object of Pattinson's burning desire. No one drinks blood, although this saga is rife with tragedy.
Coulter, a New Yorker, is on the phone explaining how Pattinson, already cast in the first Twilight, was eager to find an antidote -- something radically different -- even before its release. Executives at Summit Entertainment, producers of Twilight, were looking to help out.
"Honestly," Coulter recalls of an early luncheon meeting with Pattinson, "he was not known, Twilight had not been released and there was no way to see it. We just knew he was interested. Sitting in front of us was a guy who was scruffy, intense, charming, unpretentious."
Pattinson was freshly returned from Mexico and astonished because he had been besieged "by 50 girls at the airport," future Twi-hards who knew him from pre-release publicity. "Little did he know that this was not even the tip of the tip of the iceberg," Coulter says, laughing. "Nor did we."
After lunch, Coulter told producer Nicholas Osborne: "I don't know why but I have the instinct that this guy could do it." It would also clinch the production deal because Summit would commit to the $16 million budget. "Clearly," Coulter says now, "that's not lost on a director. That certainly gets your attention. But, if we didn't think he was right, we would have said no."
The "yes" came, Coulter recalls, "because he seemed to understand the role. He had the kind of scruffy attractiveness we needed and a hidden intensity. He was kind of secretive in a way that I thought was kind of interesting, given who his character is and how he's conflicted about his father. So we said: 'Let's just take a flier!'
"It was after that I saw Twilight and had to admit that, if I had seen it before, just because it is so radically different, I might have hesitated."
The Twilight films, Coulter says, are like silent movies and Pattinson is like 1920s star Rudolf Valentino. Pattinson was also about to go viral. "It might have given me pause because someone that famous brings a certain amount of baggage."
One problem now might be typecasting. "There will be people who cannot accept that this young man is doing something different from Twilight," Coulter says. "Or they may have an attitude about Twilight and about his fame, about his face being on the cover of magazines, and that may influence how they see the movie.
"That is something that, in my opinion, the movie will outlive and, at that point, people will simply see it as a young man in a role. And, in my opinion, I think he is perfect for the role."
Americans not in the mood
Remember Me, which co-stars Robert Pattinson and Emile de Ravin along with a rogues gallery of great character actors, is a romantic tragedy -- not a romantic comedy. That already makes it different from most Hollywood movies, especially with its melancholic mood.
"I didn't think of it as daring," says American director Allen Coulter. "But it's not a mood that most Americans necessarily sign up for. I just thought it was true to the story."
Indeed, Americans did not sign up. Remember Me earned $55 million worldwide, just $19 million of that in North America despite the star power of Twilight star Pattinson (he was cast before Twilight was released and became famous during the Remember Me shoot). Remember Me, like other challenging films that look at youth romance in an intelligent way, is now looking for its audience on DVD.
Remember Me includes reference to 9/11. "It just seemed like the ultimate version of what this whole story was about," Coulter says, "which is the event that shatters your life and changes its direction. It was a gamble, to be honest, and one that I wrestled with really until the film was finished. But it was a gamble that I was also willing to take."
Any American filmmaker who even mentions 9/11 within a fictional story is taking a risk because many people are still so sensitive about the subject. "For some, it was something that they wish I had not done," Coulter admits. "And, for others, I think it worked in the way I intended. But everybody felt the need to be as respectful and delicate as possible."
Better Quality of Rob's Interview with "The Woody Talk Show" (Thailand)
- He said he bought Singha and Chang beer T-shirts on line.
- He is now better in memorizing lines.
- Another part of the body that Edward would want to bite on. Ohhhh
- After filming WFE, he will directly work on BD
Kristen: "My feet hate me."
What happens when you promote not one, but two films – on back-to-back red carpets?
For Kristen Stewart, the result is a severe case of the high-heel blues.
“I feel like my feet are really pissed off at me, just because of the shoes,” Stewart told PEOPLE at the premiere of her new indie drama Welcome to the Rileys on Friday. “That’s been the biggest problem.”
One night earlier, the actress, 20, strutted the carpet at the L.A. premiere of the new Twilight film, Eclipse, which she has been promoting around the world. But she says she’s not exhausted by the publicity grind – much the opposite, in fact.
“By the end of the day I actually get really hyper, because it’s then that I have my own time,” she says. “You end up staying up all night and then screwing your morning the next day because you need time to yourself.”
As for her intensely emotional role in Rileys, in which she plays a teenage prostitute, “the subject matter was a lot sadder and emotionally distraught than I’ve ever had to deal with,” says Stewart. “It’s sort of the lowest of the low that I’ve ever had to go.”
Is she worried about how Twi-Hards will respond to seeing her in such a different role?
“Luckily Bella wasn’t my first part,” she says. “I’ve had the chance to really get comfortable with keeping true to why I do what I do, and I can only do it this way. I’m proud of myself – so if other people aren’t, that’s totally cool.”
For Kristen Stewart, the result is a severe case of the high-heel blues.
“I feel like my feet are really pissed off at me, just because of the shoes,” Stewart told PEOPLE at the premiere of her new indie drama Welcome to the Rileys on Friday. “That’s been the biggest problem.”
One night earlier, the actress, 20, strutted the carpet at the L.A. premiere of the new Twilight film, Eclipse, which she has been promoting around the world. But she says she’s not exhausted by the publicity grind – much the opposite, in fact.
“By the end of the day I actually get really hyper, because it’s then that I have my own time,” she says. “You end up staying up all night and then screwing your morning the next day because you need time to yourself.”
As for her intensely emotional role in Rileys, in which she plays a teenage prostitute, “the subject matter was a lot sadder and emotionally distraught than I’ve ever had to deal with,” says Stewart. “It’s sort of the lowest of the low that I’ve ever had to go.”
Is she worried about how Twi-Hards will respond to seeing her in such a different role?
“Luckily Bella wasn’t my first part,” she says. “I’ve had the chance to really get comfortable with keeping true to why I do what I do, and I can only do it this way. I’m proud of myself – so if other people aren’t, that’s totally cool.”
Video: Kristen from the Welcome To The Riley's Q and A - June 25, 2010
Explaining the preparation for her role
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Hardest scene to film
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Metric – Eclipse (All Yours) Music Video From The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Soundtrack
officielle Music Video for Metric’s Eclipse (All Yours)
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