Twilight stars Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz, and Jackson Rathbone reacted to the parody of their iconic baseball scene in a recent What We Do in the Shadows season 3 episode. Greene, Lutz, and Rathbone starred in all 5 movies in the Twilight Saga, a series based on Stephanie Meyer's books, and they played vampires Alice Cullen, Emmett Cullen, and Jasper Hale, respectively. Since Twilight was released in 2008, both the film and book series became a pop culture phenomenon that inspired countless imitations and parodies. The Twilight Saga remains one of the most popular vampire franchises even today.
In contrast to the Twilight Saga's straightforward approach to portraying vampires, What We Do in the Shadows built its popularity on parodying other existing vampire properties. The mockumentary series created by Jemaine Clement is a spinoff of the 2014 film of the same name made by Clement and Taika Waititi. Following the lives of four vampires on Staten Island, What We Do in the Shadows hilariously pokes fun at other famous vampires, including Twilight's Cullens, every chance it gets. WWDITS season 3 continued its referencing when the Staten Island vampires face off against werewolves in a kickball game that parodies Twilight's iconic baseball scene.
Last weekend at the 2021 Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Greene, Lutz, and Rathbone reunited and discussed Twilight's lasting legacy on pop culture. SYFY Wire reports that the three stars responded to WWDITS's kickball scene with excitement, and they were honored to have been a part of something so impactful. Read Greene's full comment on What We Do in the Shadows' parody below:
"I was so excited about that one. I was like, 'Can I also come on your show for real?' But I did not get invited. It's really incredible. I think when we were in Twilight, we were so grateful and we were surrounded by so much love and support. But to see it, still to this day, be relevant and see that people are still watching it and they're introducing it to their kids, which is a crazy thing to say. The people who were our fans in the very, very beginning now have kids of their own ... We were able to be a part of something that pretty much no one gets to experience, and it's amazing."
It isn't hard to see why Greene would be so excited by the vampire mockumentary series' kickball scene. WWDITS references nearly every famous vampire to have ever appear on the big screen, and a lot of the actors who played said famous bloodsuckers reappeared as the Vampiric Council in WWDITS season 1. Even Robert Pattinson, known for playing Bella's vampire boyfriend Edward in Twilight, gets a name drop during "The Trial." Being parodied by What We Do in the Shadows only highlights how important Twilight is to pop culture.
Some might consider WWDITS's kickball scene and Greene, Lutz, and Rathbone's reunion last week as evidence of the Twilight Renaissance. The so-called renaissance became a topic of discussion on social media after Meyer released Midnight Sun in 2020. Greene's comments about fans sharing Twilight with a new generation certainly point to a revival of the series' popularity, but no platform seems interested in bringing new Twilight content to viewers' screens anytime soon, despite Meyer still releasing books. Movie fans eager for more of the Cullen clan will have to go straight to Meyer instead.
Source: SYFY Wire