Kristen Stewart Reflects On The ‘Embarrassing’ Reality Of Making Twilight

Almost two decades after Twilight turned Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson into global stars, Stewart has revisited the film that made her a household name.

Appearing on the Friday episode of In Your Dreams With Owen Thiele, the 36 year old actor recalled being deeply invested in making Bella Swan’s supernatural love story feel authentic, perhaps more deeply than she now believes was necessary.

She opened up in the chat about her own experiences and those of co-star Robert Pattinson , who became a global superstar alongside her.

Kristen Stewart opens up about Twilight

In the candid chat with Owen Thiele, Stewart described her younger self as “a pretentious little loser” while discussing the 2008 film, directed by Catherine Hardwicke.

“It was so so serious,” she said, mocking herself. “Me and Rob were like, ‘Yeah, this is like fucking epic, like, let’s try and, like, elevate this shit,.’ And it’s like, just be exactly what age you are, and like say the words.”

Stewart was 17 when she filmed the first instalment of the franchise. Looking back, she said the atmosphere she and Pattinson created around the production reflected the heightened emotions and self consciousness of being teenagers.

“It was always like, ‘Oh my God, embarrassing. God, I just wanted to be like fuckking real and it’s, like, impossible. Everyone’s like making it fucking impossible for it to be like fuckking real,’” she joked. “And then you look at it, and you’re like, it was fucking real.”

Despite poking fun at her youthful seriousness, Stewart has not distanced herself from the franchise and says she does not resent being asked about Twilight all these years later.

Robert Pattinson Still Loves The Original Film

Pattinson, now 40, has expressed a similarly affectionate view of the movie that launched the pair into an extraordinary level of fame.

“I really love that movie. I think I would have done it exactly the same — to be honest, I don’t even think I’d be able to do the performance now,” he told Vogue in April.

“Everybody was approaching it so earnestly and took it really, really, really seriously.”

“There was no kind of tongue-in-cheek element. No one’s winking at the audience,” he continued. “It’s like it’s very real, which is strange for a movie about a vampire romance.”

Their relationship became a relentless subject of tabloid coverage, particularly after Stewart was photographed with Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders in 2012. Stewart publicly apologised to Pattinson at the time and characterised what happened as a “momentary indiscretion”.

Kristen Stewart’s Life Beyond Twilight

Stewart’s career and public identity have changed considerably since her years as Bella Swan. She has become a prominent queer figure in Hollywood, appearing in a range of films and roles that have stretched her acting chops beyond the teenage franchise.

Stewart began dating screenwriter Dylan Meyer in 2019, six years after the pair first met on a film set. They announced their engagement in 2021 and married during an intimate ceremony at their Los Angeles home in April 2025.

Stewart has also spoken increasingly openly about her sexuality. After years of intense public interest in her private life, she addressed it explicitly while hosting Saturday Night Live in 2017 and has since become widely celebrated as a lesbian icon.

Her relationship with Meyer has also developed into a creative partnership. Meyer directed Stewart in the forthcoming stoner comedy The Wrong Girls, which co stars Alia Shawkat.