Twilight is one of the most successful film franchises of all time; an impressive feat considering it's a supernatural teen romance. Every movie in the saga pulled in over 50 million dollars on opening weekend, but the series's success hasn't stopped the actors from being vocal about how much they hated the films. Seriously, the cast of Twilight hated the movies more than even the most outspoken of Internet trolls.
While the cast's collective ire may shock fans, some negative sentiment is understandable. After all, Twilight’s fanbase felt very strongly about the characters, which caused the young actors to feel heavily scrutinized. Worse than the nitpickers, however, are the members of the fanbase who worship the cast, a motley crew ranging from teens to older women.
The fans weren't the only things making everyone miserable. Some actors also blamed the filming environment for what was in many ways an awful experience. Filming in cold, dark, rainy weather is, understandably, not the most ideal of conditions.
It's not uncommon to find members of the Twilight cast insulting the movies, and their takes on the beloved franchise range from amazing, to hilarious. to unprofessional. After you find out what the Twilight cast really thought of the films, you'll have a hard time seeing the story as "romantic."
Robert Pattinson may have birthed the "Team Edward" army, but that doesn't mean he was happy about it. Pattinson, who played the lead sparkly vampire love interest, often mentioned his distaste for the franchise, and even said that it made him uncomfortable to be “kind of representing something you don't particularly like." When asked if he’d have seen the films if he hadn't starred in them, Pattinson responded "I would just mindlessly hate it." OUCH.
Pattinson’s feelings towards the films may have been an effect of the emotional toll the franchise took on him. Since the saga's completion, Pattinson has spoken about being the face of a huge franchise saying that it's “frightening when you lose your sense of identity."
Prior to signing onto the Twilight franchise, Kristen Stewart was already cultivating a budding acting career. She had starred alongside Jodi Foster in Panic Room, and landed major roles in indie films like In The Land of Women, The Cake Eaters and Into The Wild.
“As soon as [Bella] becomes a vampire, they kind of ignore their duties instantly. They just want to bone... It’s the most ridiculous situation. Really? You just had a child? REALLY?... Yeah, but this feels so good!... I'm so sparkly.”
Taylor Lautner joined the Twilight franchise to play Jacob, Bella’s werewolf love interest. However, Twilight’s take on werewolves involved quite a few topless scenes. Seriously, Lautner probably had his shirt off more often than he had it on during the shoot.
“When we film these movies in like horrendous weather conditions and in the books it's always supposed to be cold and gloomy and the sun can never be out so that's not fun... And then the second thing is, I'm always the only person with my shirt off, so... I wish just everybody could, you know, do it once and then you know, it would make me feel more comfortable.”
Lautner was only 16 years old when he joined the franchise, which may be one reason why he felt so uncomfortable with all the attention his physique received.
Lautner wasn’t the only actor who had to deal with fans reacting to their body. In Ashley Greene’s case, fans were upset that she wasn’t the right height to play Alice, the vampire who can see into the future. In the books, Alice is described as 4’10”, while Greene is 5’5”. Greene poked fun at the critique with, “I'm much, much taller than Alice is described, but who is four-foot-ten anyways?”
When asked about the films she didn't appear in, Greene low-key made her feelings very clear with, “I’ll likely be watching them, because I think, mehh, it’s someone else’s turn.” Greene may be taking the diplomatic approach, but it’s clear that she’s over playing a sparkly vampire.
One of the more famous faces from the Twilight franchise is Anna Kendrick, who played Bella’s human friend Jessica. After joining the franchise, Kendrick’s career took off. She appeared alongside George Clooney in Up in the Air, a role which landed her an Oscar nomination. In the meantime, Kendrick also launched a franchise of her own with Pitch Perfect.
By the time Breaking Dawn: Part 2 rolled around, Kendrick was pretty excited to find out she didn’t have to return for the final Twilight film. In an interview, Kendrick said “It's a relief not to have to transverse into the murky waters of talking about Twilight.” She went on to put her hands in the air and shout, “I'm not in [Breaking Dawn: Part 2]! So I don't have to talk about it!"
Robert Pattinson Claimed The Film Took His Dignity
People occasionally make jokes about how much Pattinson hated Twilight, but for the actor, his disgust was no laughing matter. While promoting the final film of the franchise, Pattinson was asked if there were any mementos he planned on taking from set to remember his time filming. Without missing a beat, Pattinson said “My dignity.”
Pattinson was seriously happy when the franchise came to an end. When Jimmy Fallon asked if the conclusion felt bittersweet, Pattinson responded, “For them [the fans].”
Since the conclusion of Twilight, Pattinson has stayed away from franchises, opting instead for roles in smaller, critically-acclaimed films.
