Kristen Stewart Looks Back on “Embarrassing” Twilight Shoots With Robert Pattinson

LOS ANGELES — Kristen Stewart is looking back at the Twilight era with a mix of embarrassment, humor and affection, admitting that she and Robert Pattinson took their vampire romance roles extremely seriously when they were teenagers.

Stewart, now 36, discussed the making of the original 2008 Twilight during a recent appearance on the podcast In Your Dreams With Owen Thiele. She joked that she was a “pretentious little loser” during production and said she and Pattinson were determined to make the supernatural romance feel as emotionally intense and authentic as possible.

Taking Twilight Very Seriously

Stewart was just 17 when she filmed the first movie, while Pattinson was in his early 20s.

Looking back, Stewart said the young actors approached the material with an almost excessive seriousness.

She recalled the pair essentially wanting to elevate the material and make every scene feel deeply meaningful rather than simply playing teenagers caught in a supernatural love story.

That intensity is something Stewart now finds amusing.

She acknowledged that, at the time, she worried about making the performances feel “real,” only to look back at the finished movie and realize that the youthful sincerity actually came through.

“It Was F—ing Real”

Stewart said the production had a distinctly teenage quality because she and Pattinson were so invested in making their characters believable.

The actress now sees that earnestness differently.

Rather than being embarrassed by the result, she appears to recognize that the seriousness of the young cast helped give Twilight its distinctive emotional tone.

The franchise ultimately became a worldwide phenomenon, turning Stewart and Pattinson into international stars.

Pattinson Has Similar Feelings

Pattinson, now 40, has also recently reflected positively on his Twilight performance.

In an interview with Vogue earlier this year, the actor said he still loves the first movie and believes he would have approached the performance in essentially the same way.

He also praised the cast and crew for taking the material completely seriously, without deliberately winking at the audience or treating the vampire romance as a joke.

That sincerity, he suggested, is part of what makes the film unusual.

Would Stewart Return to Twilight?

Despite the passage of more than a decade since the franchise concluded, Stewart said she isn’t bothered by continuing questions about Twilight.

In fact, she indicated that she would be open to making another movie.

The comments are notable because Stewart has spent much of her post-Twilight career deliberately pursuing independent films and more unconventional projects.

Still, her willingness to revisit the franchise suggests she doesn’t view those years as something she needs to distance herself from.

From Co-Stars to Exes

Stewart and Pattinson’s relationship became one of the biggest celebrity romances of the early 2010s.

The pair began dating after meeting while filming Twilight and remained together for several years before splitting in 2013. Their relationship received intense tabloid attention, particularly after Stewart’s highly publicized affair with director Rupert Sanders.

Both actors have since moved on with their lives and careers.

Stewart married writer and director Dylan Meyer in 2025, while Pattinson has continued building a career that includes major studio films as well as independent projects.

Looking Back Without Regret

For Stewart, revisiting Twilight now seems less about defending the films and more about appreciating the people and experiences behind them.

What once felt embarrassing to her now looks like an authentic snapshot of two young actors trying intensely to make a fantastical story feel genuine.

And more than 15 years after the first movie arrived in theaters, Stewart’s willingness to laugh at her younger self — while still recognizing what worked — shows that she has made peace with the role that changed her career forever.