Kristen Stewart appreciation post ahead. Warning: some vampire talk.
For some reason, the media and public have come to an agreement that this woman cannot act because a few years ago she played the lead in a very successful but apparently ‘lame’ franchise. Vampires and love isn’t cool, so therefor Kristen Stewart isn’t cool. She’s the prime female victim of being accused of not “smiling enough” being “too awkward” and on top of that consistently questioned “Are you gay? Bi? What are you? We have to know!” Some of us are actually genuinely awkward – not “Jennifer Lawrence awkward” (I love J-Law but she knows how to play that game). Twilight wasn’t the best of movies to show off her ability, however, you can only do so much with a one dimensional character. If you’ve read the books, you’ll know that Bella is a tiny awkward girl that’s a bit tomboyish and would rather read a book than go to the party; this is exactly how Kristen portrayed the character.
She’s a very particular actress with a unique image and acting style, something that is rare in Hollywood amongst both women and men, lets celebrate that. Kristen seems to have done pretty well to not allow the press and opinions grind her down, reconstruct her in the Hollywood machine that would spit her out as an American Sweetheart. She’s her own version of a woman and actress and that should be inspiring to all of us.
Welcome to the Riley’s
Since the vampire franchise, Kristen has featured in some amazing films and illustrated brilliant characters to shake off Bella.
Welcome to the Riley’s is one of my favourites. This was probably the first of her films that I’d watched that got me excited about her acting. She plays a young and grunge, teenage-runaway prostitute that finds herself involved with a dysfunctional family. Her character Mallory is intriguing and Kristen works wonders at developing this multi-layered adolescent. Aside from the outstanding performances all round, the narrative is pretty brilliant – raw and gritty.
On the Road
She stars as the seductive sweetheart, Marylou, in On the Road which is based on Jack Kerouc’s beloved American novel. A story about New York writer Sal Paradise and ex-con Dean Moriarty (Marylou’s husband). This film looks at the themes of freedom, adventure and ‘finding oneself’. It got slated for being a bit of a mess, but I enjoyed it. Fuelled by sex and drugs, these three protagonists are just exploring what’s out there…
The Runaways
There was no one better than Kristen to portray this L.A riot grrrl. As a fan of Joan Jett, I can say that she definitely captured the essence of the bad-ass, sexually fluid, rock n roll icon. The film is a lot of fun and definitely worth a watch to see how Kristen and bffl Dakota Fanning work together to depict the relationship and music that paved the way for future girl bands.
Into the Wild
Two years after Twilight Kristen jumped on the hippy-dippy train to cameo in Into the Wild as the sweet and innocent love child Tracy. She’s not in it that much, but she’s memorable and has a great affect on the lead. I remember watching it and thinking “Fuck thats Bella?! She’s gonna do great things” and she did.
V
wild heart babe 