The Year I Fell In Love with Kristen Stewart
Monday, October 20, 2014 at 9:00PM Jose here. A couple of weeks ago, I went to the NYFF press screening of Clouds of Sils Maria. It was my second time seeing the film, and on that occasion I mostly showed up because I wanted to bask in the glory of its MVP ... Kristen Stewart.
As I sat there, observing the lithe actress, taking pictures of her and giggling and blushing at her responses - as if she was answering them just for me - I realized I had a crush. I swooned when Juliette Binoche called her "a genius". If you had told me I’d be feeling this way last month, I would have laughed in your face and explained I wasn’t a TwiFan. Or blind. After all, Stewart has made herself a reputation for being one of the worst young actresses, who does nothing but exploit her expression-less or annoyed looks that are meant to be interpreted as undying devotion to a glow-in-the-day vampire.
Then, in a little two-punch move, my entire perception of her changed forever.
I went into Clouds of Sils Maria expecting Binoche to swallow K.Stew and Chloë Grace Moretz alive, Margo Channing-style. Instead, perhaps unsurprisingly, the great French actress turns in one of her most generous performances allowing the younger women to steal it.
Moretz is serviceable (and does an uncanny J.Law impression), but Stewart is a revelation. Doing little to alter her appearance (her glasses don’t “uglify” her, but contribute to informing her personality and despite being a real life Chanel spokeswoman she always wears jeans, boots and hoodies) she brings complete self-awareness to a part that has her walk in the shoes of the people who have helped her as an actress: personal assistants. “I wanted to play something I’d observed, but not been” she explained at the NYFF press conference. She smokes, she laughs, she rolls her eyes in typical K.Stew fashion, but she exudes a warmth the likes of which we rarely see onscreen.
Olivier Assayas gives her the opportunity to bite into a character that feels and looks like K.Stew, but has little to do with what we think of her through her awkward interviews and disinterest at red carpets. Her mano-a-mano with Binoche is exemplary, because she doesn’t hide the fact that she’s in awe of the older woman, her blushes and implosive tantrums are understandable.
In the film’s best scene, both characters attend a 3D fantasy movie, followed by a discussion about whether genre films can be good. Binoche’s character rolls her eyes and accuses the film of shallowness, Stewart’s affirms “[you don’t like it] just because it takes place on a spaceship. If it was set in an assembly line or a farm, you’d love it!” I’ve yet to hear a better defense of comic book movies which are often disregarded by snobby cinephiles...that it’s delivered by Bella Swan herself, without a hint of irony, is just a stroke of genius.
Stewart didn’t put all her eggs in the Assayas basket though, and also starred in Camp X-Ray, an intimate film in which she plays opposite Peyman Moaadi of A Separation. He plays a Guantanamo Bay prisoner, she plays the guard who befriends him. An acutely observed film, that never follows the path you’re expecting it to go on, it’s a magnificent showcase for Stewart, whose face lights up the screen, and who with very little dialogue conveys entire emotional worlds, that make her seem like a lost Gish clan descendant. I spoke to director Peter Sattler whose eyes glowed with glee as he talked about Kristen, “when you catch Kristen and she’s really feeling a moment and you capture that on film it is the most magical thing on earth. It is like capturing lightning in a bottle!” he said (you can read the interview here).
And he’s right. My newfound adoration for Stewart was unexpected but not very surprising, as I tend to be quite lenient when it comes to “forgiving” actresses for their past sins.
Perhaps I’m just greedy for more actresses to love?
However it has truly made me wonder if indeed bad projects have been keeping us from relishing in the real talent of actresses we normally disregard. Could the Jessicas (Biel and Alba) perhaps be as brilliant as Chastain under the right direction? Does Megan Fox have the ability to use her extreme sensuality in the same ways Angelina Jolie has mastered hers? Could it be that TwiFans were right all along? Was I being too Binoche in Sils Maria and neglecting to see any worth in the vampire flicks?
While we wait for those answers, I’ll keep on enjoying my K.Stew crush and brace myself for more, because as Nathaniel pointed out when I pitched this confession, I haven’t seen Still Alice yet…
What actresses have you found yourself loving after swearing that they were no good?
Reader Comments (22)
Kristen had a lot of respect before Twilight, if I remember correctly. I do think she was set back artistically for awhile, but the financial rewards allowed her to wait it out and come back with films that would remind people of her talent. She's handling this new period very well. So glad she's done with the Twi/Rob crap.
I'm unsympathetic to ingenues. Their youth and sexuality is the most important thing about them. They also receive the benefit of projection. Many prefer their version of subtle work which is no work at all. The performance comes through editing and the character they're portraying that does not have much to do or say. And people proclaim revelation. I hate that.
Good. K-Stew ain't no ingenue. She's at her best when she is the reserved, but swaggering and confident young woman who is not necessarily tied to anybody.
Scarlett Johansson is one I've warmed up to. Until very recently, I've always thought she was terribly overrated. I still don't think she's the best actress out there, but I do like her more and more.
And Stewart was great in The Cake Eaters, I know she's capable of a good performance. I'll watch both of the films you talked about.
Ha, I'm with 3rtful on the ingenue point. I always hate when I hear things like "she does so much and conveys so much sadness without even moving her face" (not that you do this in your piece, suggesting that she does actually do things) and I'm just like, no, you just like staring at pretty girls and awww isn't it sad when pretty girls don't smile? Therefore genius. This is why Natalie Portman got so many chances after years of abyssmal performances. But enough hating, since that's not what your article is about! I too remember Stewart being highly praised pre-twilight: her performance in Panic Room was labeled as child-genius acting and she got the sort of "sexy child makes sad face" adoration mentioned above for her "subtle" work in Into the Wild. Even more recently (amidst twilight) she received (deserved) accolades for her Joan Jett, even if it smelled vaguely like a stunt. But I'm glad to know that she's pushing herself and not phoning it in. If the world gives you 80 million chances because you're beautiful the least you can do is work hard and give something in return! A nice write-up that makes me look forward to catching these performances.
I was totally charmed by her cameo in Into the Wild, but then never saw that spark again. You've given me hope that it's still there, waiting for the glittering vampires to fade.
"Stewart has made herself a reputation for being one of the worst young actresses"
I imagine people who actually thought this hadn't seen any of her non-Twilight work. She's always been good, but I'm glad she is using her fame to tackle roles that not only affect her image of self, but also the narrative of her career.
Luckily actors like Kristen Stewart likely wouldn't give a damn about whether someone like 3rtful is unsympathetic towards them or not. However, she'd probably be amused by your logic - that they have no agency in their work, their performances built by everyone by them and that they are merely cast because they're young and have "sexuality" about them - is the exact same kind of pseudo-sexism that results in people crying "REVELATION!" when one of them is allowed to make a film that is challenging or subtle or about something other than what their career had become known for.
We seem to have no problem accepting male actors can be stony-faced, serious, gruff, but why not women? Why does she have to smile and just be grateful for her career (two things we hear frequently about Stewart especially)? We wouldn't criticise Brando for being as prickly and sullen off screen as he is on. Maybe not the best example she ain't no Brando, but you get the idea.
I haven't seen SILS MARIA or STILL ALICE, but I suggest you watch CAMP X-RAY in which she's very good (it's on Amazon Prime and iTunes i believe). She has a lot to say and do in that that the director and editor does a good job of capturing rather than creating in the editing room.
Stewart got my attention not because of her Twi work, but because I somehow was able to relate to her on a level not possible with other Hollywood starlets. She's not manufactured, speaks thoughtfully, and has a tough but vulnerable persona. I was that girl 20 years ago...and just as awkward. When I started following her films, I found her screen presence to be captivating. I feel like I'm taking this ride with her and am so happy others are rediscovering Ms Stewart too.
Ugh at the casual woman-hating going on in the comments here. Learn to love yourselves folks, and then maybe pretty women wouldn't seem so threatening.
With those people here saying Kristen Stewart had been solid before Twilight. She's good in Panic Room, Speak, and Adventureland, and she was giving full on movie star charisma in her little bit of Into The Wild. By the time On The Road came around, she had already gotten her groove back.Very excited for these couple films, especially Sils Maria with magnificent Juliette.
Wow. All this hate for the pretty people (and especially KStew).
I love ingenues. Without them we have no Juliets, no Laras, no Cats on Hot Tin Roofs, no Scarletts (characters and actresses)....no American Gigolos. They can be annoying (Hello CW harem), or they can be mesmerizing (Julia Roberts, Sophie Marceau, Billie Piper, Monica Belluci, Lupita, Jared Leto.....J Law). Sometimes they grow, sometimes they stay the same. Just like the ugly people. Difference is, they don't have to be nice to be invited. They just have to be nice to be invited back.
Get real. We need all types to keep life interesting. Even people who look like the people who wouldn't dance with you at prom.
Say it loud Henry!
She was breathtaking in Into the Wild. All sensuality and yearning coupled with a palpable excitement about Life, capital L. She lends herself well to Penn's vision of the story. She knows the brush and she knows the tones, and that lends the work its effortless energy.
Mia Wasikowska. After her dull dull performance in Alice in Wonderland I was done with her but she won me back with Jane Eyre.
Before TWILIGHT, Stewart was also really good in THE SAFETY OF OBJECTS. And even during that TWILIGHT phase she had THE RUNAWAYS, which only improves the further away from its "whoa! shocking!" release.
I'm gonna plug my own work here, and link to this piece that I literally wrote last night and went up before Jose's piece did. I discuss Stewart predominantly in CAMP X-RAY, but also Mia Wasikowska and how it's possible in today's film landscape of wider news cycles about films with smaller reach (CX-RAY for instance is on one single screen, yet a lot more people have heard of it and can see it thanks to VOD than would have been able to years ago) for actors to be more autonomous about their careers than ever before. Mia Wasikowska is another. "One for them, two for me" may become more of the norm with actors who genuinely love to act, and aren't just in it for the fame/money.
http://glenndunks.com/2014/10/20/kristen-stewart-finds-autonomy-in-self-and-character-with-camp-x-ray/
Glad that a lot of hollywood stars are making gr8 career choices.
As YA franchise girls, give me Kristen Stewart over Lawrence, Watson, or Woodley any day. She seems to be following in the footsteps of another Kiki (Dunst) by sticking to her guns, cobbling together admirable work under the radar, and answering haters with soulful, complex turns in movies she really doesn't care if people go see or not. Neither of them have anything to prove or anywhere to be.
Her filmography is full of experiments and little gems, and I thought Snow White and the Huntsman was a fine blockbuster. If she's good enough for Binoche, she's good enough for me.
What a compliment, reads 'I'd just like to tell you that for an ugly horribly disfigured woman that dress looks good on you'. My condolences to your significant other if that's how you hand out the flattery. Crystal Ball says a lifetime of apologies and Hallmark cards in your future.
Haven't seen Sils Maria yet - but I've seen Camp X-Ray and really enjoyed it, which never sounds right in my head given it's a movie about Guantanamo Bay. Kristen's face is luminous, reminds me of Into The Wild that way - no makeup, just pure (sometimes conflicting) emotion reading like a ticker tape across her face. Like a Greta Garbo but without the vanity. She doesn't think of herself as pretty you can tell, she doesn't have a hint of that self consciousness that "pretty" actresses do. Great performance in CXR. Her and Maadi kill it.
@Hayden W : Preach it. Though I have to say J-Law is at least talented. The one I really dislike is Watson. All she does is calculated PR moves, and yes, I include that UN speech. Having said that, I can't blame her. She has no talents. Maintaining her positive image (that she didn't create herself since she just uses Hermione for that) is literally the only thing she can do.
I find Stewart really strong when the character she plays is inline with her real life personality. I've seen Sils Maria and I agree she was solid in it. It surprised me that she could spar with Binoche who is a very good actress. I don't think she's that talented or has a wide range, but I've always thought it's unfair to judge her capability from Twilight alone. Not when before that, she was ranging from decent to good.
Sadman,
To be fair to Mia, she was pretty awesome in In Treatment. Very talented but subtle. I don't think she had much to work with in Alice in Wonderland. So lifeless and bland.
Emma Watson for sure! But my absolute queen, Kristen, I love her to death, always, no matter what people say, no matter what press say, for me she is, always has been and always will be the best and the number one, she is not just twilight, she is a magnificent actress with 30 movies, if you judge her for twilight saga you're an idiot for not give her a chance, to her and her movies
Some of her best work:
the cake eaters
on the road
speak
welcome to the rileys
still alice
clouds of sils Maria
panic room
camp x ray
the runaways
... AND MANY MORE!
I think we are having a pretty great generation of young actresses: Jennifer Lawrence, Kristen Stewart, Shailene Woodley, Emma Stone, Elizabeth Olsen, Mia Waskiowska.. those are the first I thought of, I am sure there's a lot more.
Of course, some of them have had lows, like Kristen in Twilight & Snow White, Mia Waskiowska in Alice and recently Lawrence starred in a disaster called Serena and her performance was messed up too (at least, I felt it was), but I think they are all very talented and those 3 has pretty high moments too.
Anyway, I was going a bit off topic, but yeah, I've never been a fan of Twilight (as well as her performance in it), in fact, I thought it was pretty bad, same for Snow White, but to be fair, even the amazing Charlize Theron was kind of terrible too (she just had the worst accent and felt WAY too forced and threatical). But a few years ago I fell in love with a movie called Adventureland and I liked her very much in it, and I remember going like "wow, is this the actress a lot ppl say is terrible?! cause she was pretty good and very charming and also charismatic, she's is not terrible at all" so it kind made me dig her filmography. I was very impressed by her acting chops in Speak and The Cake Eaters, I think she did a great job with Joan Jett in The Runaways considering how hard it is to play someone so iconic, not to mention, the movie was weak and the script didn't help her at all.. and despite everyithing, she did Jett justice. I remember being skeptical about her nailing Jett, but now I can't see any other actress doing better in that part.
I like her very much, maybe not enough to be considered a fan since I haven't even seen her newest movies yet but now I look forward too and I might be becoming a fan very soon as well, at least, based on your article
I think the good thing about Stewart being overexposed and disliked in her Twilight days is just that will make her comeback really powerful, a total event. Hollywood just loves a comeback and an actor reiventing himself/herself.
She seems to be in the right path, first doing indies that will probably stay slightly under the radar, supporting acting gods like Moore and Binoche. It's a slow process but doing this, she's first reconquering love from critics, moviegoers and even more from her peers as well as letting mainstream audience misses her or at least ask themselves "where is that Twilight/Snow White chick?". Of course, she's also growing as an actress in the process and getting ready for when she gets a lifetime role like Monster, The Accused, Black Swan... then, she'll able to knock it out of the park, and by then, critics will support her, Hollywood (major awards) will embrace her, the press will got nuts, mainstream/average audience will get curious and go watch her (like, that twilight chick giving an oscar worthy performance? I have to watch it), in the end of the day, she'll have all kinds of acclaim, BO sucess, spotlight and she will be one of the top movie stars. Her comeback is gonna be a total event, something like Bullock or Mcconaughey (but I do think it will be sooner for her, given how well she has started her career post-Twilight) .
This kind of transition is a slow process, but it's just a matter of time, we'll just have to sit and watch her in the meantime, and let me tell you, it's been a pleasure. I really liked the movies (sils maria, still alice and camp x-ray) as well as her performances in them, it's easy to notice how much she's growing and that she does have a great potential. However, she still has a lot growing up (as an actress) to do , but I do think she'll reach it just fine, I mean it's impressive to see how much she grew in just like 2 years after Twilight.