GALLERY LINK; Photoshoots > 2010 > Backstage (Jamie Painter Young)

To some, Kristen Stewart is simply “the ‘Twilight’ girl.” Her arresting turn as love-struck teen Bella Swan in the swoony series of vampire romance blockbusters put her on the map and earned her the mantle of “movie star.”

And for many young actors, this would have represented the chance to cash in, to do a whole bunch of well-paying wannabe hits with various supernatural love interests. Stewart, on the other hand, prefers the more challenging route: offbeat indies, parts that speak to her in a genuine way, and the occasional portrayal of an icon (like, say, Joan Jett). She only hopes that those who want to see her as nothing more than Bella will give her a chance.

“There’s a road I’m going down now, and I’m aware that there’s not as much of an audience for strange movies—for different, eclectic movies—and I totally accept that,” she says. “But at the same time, if I do films like that, I want people to take it for what it is instead of going, ‘Oh, let’s see the ‘Twilight’ girl try to do this.’?”

Stewart says she is deeply grateful for all the opportunities the runaway vampire franchise has sent her way, but she has made sure the personas she has taken on since have not been terribly Bella-like. Take her nuanced performance in the recent indie sensation “Welcome to the Rileys.” As foul-mouthed teen runaway/stripper Mallory, Stewart is raw and real, a believably bruised troublemaker, and she more than holds her own opposite co-stars James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo. “I’m really glad that it took the time that it did to get made, because I think by the time I was 18, I was ready and more confident and mature enough to play the part,” says the actor, now 20. “I had read the script when I was 16, and I was just too young. I would’ve shied away from stuff, I think.”

“Rileys” director Jake Scott first took note of Stewart in Sean Penn’s “Into the Wild.” Her screen time is limited, but she made it her own. “I went for a drink with Sean Penn, and he said, ‘Check this kid out,’?” recalls Scott. “She didn’t do very much in that film, but she just had this quality that I’d always imagined Mallory would have—I always say ‘vulpine.’ Kind of feral, a bit of an alley cat. That really is strong in her, even though she’s come from a very happy, loving background. It’s interesting; maybe that’s why she can play such damaged characters, such complex characters.”

“Welcome to the Rileys” was in the works pre-”Twilight,” and Scott recalls having to fight a bit to cast Stewart. “I was lucky he thought I deserved it,” she says with a laugh. Stewart did everything possible to live up to the faith Scott had in her, throwing herself into research and character work. “I’m from the Valley, and I’ve had the most normal and privileged upbringing, so the fear in that is sort of ‘Who are you and what do you know?’?” she says.
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GALLERY LINK; Photoshoots > 2010 > Los Angeles Times

By Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times

The media-shy actress talks about her new role as a teen runaway-turned-stripper in the movie that also stars James Gandolfini, but keeps her personal life mostly under wraps.

The 20-year-old “Twilight” star was enjoying a rare moment of anonymity at one of her favorite restaurants, a rustic hideaway shrouded by a canopy of ferns, perched alongside a twisty road in Topanga Canyon. Notices for a local farmers market, a childbirth preparation class and a 70th birthday celebration for John Lennon decorated the haunt’s bulletin board.

A few honeybees circled the veggie burger on her plate as she chatted about playing a teenage runaway-turned-stripper in her latest film, “Welcome to the Rileys,” a drama coming to theaters Friday. She wasn’t running her hands through her hair, or incessantly shaking her leg, or stuttering as she tried to express herself — all of the characteristic nervous tics she’s often displayed in public since the first “Twilight” film rocketed her into a frightening orbit of celebrity two years ago.

Then, suddenly, her face fell. A stranger was timidly inching over to her table.

“Could I take a picture for my girlfriend in Thailand?” the man, who appeared to be in his 30s, asked. “She’s a great-looking girl. I just recently got into your movies with her. Is that cool?”

Stewart paused, her left leg slowly beginning to bounce. “Yeah,” she sighed. “Yeah, sure.” She posed for a photo with the interloper.

Oblivious to her agitation, he lingered. “What’s your name again? Kristen, right? Want me to show you my girl?” he asked, beginning to flip through images on his digital camera. “Just for her to know that I picked up breakfast at your restaurant. You know, we’re the type of people that don’t get out much.”

Finally, he retreated. Stewart pulled the hood of her black sweatshirt over her head.

“It’s strange when you become a novelty,” she said, slouching down into her seat. “It’s sort of like, ‘Yeah, sure. Go put this on your Facebook so your friends can laugh at it.’ Because that’s what they will do. And I usually say no to people like that, when they’re like, ‘Yo, yo, can I get a picture of you?’ And it’s like, ‘No, … you,’ ” she said, interjecting an obscenity. “That’s what I’m thinking.”

Stewart, it’s clear, is still grappling with fame, which came at her hard and fast when at age 17 she took on the role of Bella Swan in the “Twilight” vampire franchise, whose fourth installment begins production next month. She’s always trailed by paparazzi. A frenzy breaks out whenever she’s spotted off-set with “Twilight” co-star Robert Pattinson; tabloids speculate breathlessly about their personal lives.

(One celebrity website, for example, recently gushed about its “exclusive new details” on the pair’s visit to a Play N Trade video game store in Prairieville, La., where they are preparing to film the first part of “Breaking Dawn.” If you must know, they reportedly bought the game “Fallout: New Vegas.”)

Unlike other young stars like Justin Bieber or Lindsay Lohan, who seem to relish sharing tidbits about their lives with fans on social networking sites like Twitter, Stewart has strenuously resisted constant demands to divulge more of herself to the public.

In past interviews, she’s displayed a penchant for stuttering and eye rolling, consequently developing a reputation for being sullen, or awkward. During a 2008 interview with David Letterman, she self-consciously referred to herself as “actually really boring.”

“I don’t have a personality fit for television. I just don’t,” she admitted, sounding genuinely friendly. “Even when I really feel like I’ve had fun with something and been totally fine and we talked about stuff that I thought was interesting — even then. I don’t know. It’s getting easier. It used to be a lot worse. And it’s totally my fault, too. I guess I just put too much pressure on myself before, and it showed.”
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