Like the late John Hughes, who discovered the teenage actors who became the Brat Pack, Hardwicke has created many of this generation’s tween idols. Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen), Emile Hirsch (Lords of Dogtown), Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner (Twilight) all got their big breaks in a Hardwicke film. She dishes about them like an older sister; how Hirsch was too lazy to do sit-ups and drew abs on his stomach with mascara or why Pattinson had to pluck his eyebrows. “They were a bit bushy,” she says. “We needed to see some eyes!”
For Twilight, Hardwicke had trouble finding an actor otherworldly enough to play vampire Edward Cullen. Then she got a call about a guy in London. “I looked at a couple pictures and was like, ‘I’m not sure,’?” Hardwicke says. “He had been fired from his last job, he was unemployed, he was in debt.” Pattinson flew to Los Angeles on his own dime to read with Stewart. “I have footage of their first meeting at my dining-room table,” Hardwicke says. “Kristen was like, ‘It’s got to be Rob!’ She felt connected to him from the first moment. “That electricity, or love at first sight, or whatever it is.” Hardwicke gave him the part, but he had to make a promise. “You’ve got to realize that Kristen is 17 years old,” she told him. “She’s underage. You’ve got to focus, dude, or you’re going to be arrested. I made him swear on a stack of Bibles.”
When Hardwicke auditioned Evan Rachel Wood for Thirteen, she had her get into her bed with Nikki Reed. That’s also where Pattinson kissed Stewart for the first time in his Twilight screen test. “That bed made Pattinson who he is right now,” says Reed. Asked about her lair, Hardwicke laughs. “MTV came and did an episode in my house filming the bed. It’s legendary,” she says, flashing a wide—dare we say wolfish—grin.
Read the rest of the interview at Newsweek
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I believe Rob knows he owes both Catherine and Kristen a big thank you for where he is today. He has thanked Catherine numerous times for giving him his re-start into the movie business. Thank you Catherine and Kristen personally as a film lover. I have admired both these women's work even Lords of Dogtown that I thought I would never love, it was quite compelling. Also a big shout-out that Rob did not receive a Razzie award last night. I just hope he is never on the list again.
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ReplyDeleteRobert ya agradeció la parte que le corresponde, la oportunidad; después todo lo demás es gracias a su esfuerzo, empeño y NO tiene porque arrodillarse antes ellas el resto de su vida, bastante se beneficiaron ellas y la serie con la presencia de Robert, el ha hecho mucho por la serie, si no fuera por Robert la saga hoy seria otra cosa, no digo que no tuviera exito pero no al nivel que tiene ahora, creo que Catherine debe sentirse dichosa de que Robert tomo ese guion ese día y fue a esa audición.
ReplyDeleteITA @iluvthemovies, Catherine and Kristen helped launch Rob. I remember an interview with Kristen where she said Rob was the only actor looking at her, the others were all focused on looking handsome and Adonis-like. I have no doubt he would have been successful as an actor eventually, but I am happy we did not have to wait.
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