Anna Kendrick, who played Jessica Stanley in the Twilight movie franchise, reveals why shooting the first installment was a miserable experience. Kendrick is one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood today, known for her lead role in the Pitch Perfect film series and for her starring performance in Jason Reitman’s dramedy Up in the Air. More recently, Kendrick has become a familiar presence to subscribers of several streaming services. The actress headlines titles on Disney+, HBO Max, and Quibi.
Prior to her rise in prominence, Kendrick was chosen to play Jessica in Twilight. Released in 2008, the movie served as an adaptation of the popular novel written by Stephenie Meyer. The franchise, often referred to as The Twilight Saga, was a massive success that grossed over $3 billion at the worldwide box office. The saga also turned its trio of stars, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, into household names. Kendrick had a smaller role, portraying the friend of Bella Swan (Stewart), but she appeared in four of the saga’s five entries. Often helped by the fact her character was positioned as comedic relief, Kendrick was able to leave a strong impression even in her relatively brief scenes.
Speaking with Vanity Fair (via CinemaBlend), Kendrick reminisced about her time on the set of Twilight and revealed why it wasn’t always as pleasant as she would have liked. In keeping with the spirit of the Twilight books, which featured recurring complaints about the weather, the actress confesses the experience of filming in Portland, Oregon was “cold and miserable.” Kendrick’s full quote is included below.
The first movie we filmed in Portland, Oregon, and I just remember being so cold and miserable. And I just remember my Converse being completely soaked through and feeling like, ‘You know, this is a really great group of people and I’m sure that we would be friends at a different time, but I want to murder everyone.’ Although, it was also kind of bonding. There was something about it, like if you go through some trauma event. Like you imagine people who survive a hostage situation, and you’re kind of bonded for life.
Kendrick isn’t the only Twilight cast member to note the difficultly of filming. Lautner, who played the werewolf Jacob Back, has noted the discomfort he experienced while filming some of his scenes in past interviews. The actor noted, in particularly, the difficultly of shooting long scenes in the rain and worried that he’d get sick as a result. Nikki Reed, who portrayed Rosalie Hale, has gone on the record about the less than ideal weather conditions she dealt with as an actor.
By all accounts, the cast would have had plenty to bond over and likely indulged in a bit of complaining between takes. While it seems like something of a distant memory now, Twilight dominated the pop culture landscape a few years before other franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe really took hold of global audiences. The fact Kendrick still discusses the films, even as much as her career has evolved, is proof of its lasting impact on the performers who joined the project back when they were relative unknowns.
Source: Vanity Fair (via CinemaBlend)