Kristen Stewart revisits Twilight from an out and queer perspective 16 years after the original release of the movie.
In an interview with Variety in preparation for the Sundance Film Festival premieres of “Love Me” and “Love Lies Bleeding,” Stewart reflects on the evolution of her career and the impact her queerness has had on it in the years since she publicly came out, especially due to how queer Stewart feels “Love Lies Bleeding” is in comparison to her other work.
This reflection caused her to rethink both her role in Twilight and the movie as a whole to view it through a queer lens. She told Variety, “I can only see it now, I don’t think it necessarily started off that way, but I also think that the fact that I was there at all, it was percolating.” The actress adds, “It’s such a gay movie. I mean, Jesus Christ, Taylor (Lautner) and Rob and me, and it’s so hidden and not OK.”
While an objectively straight movie, Twilight contains several themes and hallmarks of other queer-coded movies. Stewart describes it as “all about oppression, about wanting what’s going to destroy you. That’s a very Gothic, gay inclination.” She suggests this has to do with the background of Stephanie Meyer, the author of the original books, stating, “I mean, a Mormon woman wrote this book.”
In contrast to the repression of Twilight, “Love Lies Bleeding” promises to be more explicit and unabashed with its depictions of desire. Stewart’s character in the new film, Lou, is described by Variety as “masculine, scrappy and unmistakably horny.” This is exceptionally different from Stewart’s portrayal of Bella in the Twilight franchise, who is feminine, timid, and deeply repressed. While Stewart has played a variety of roles throughout her career, Lou promises to be a character that Rose Glass, director of “Love Lies Bleeding,” describes as “a bit closer to who (Stewart) is.”
