‘Twilight’: The Hilarious and ‘Creepy’ Way Billy Burke Introduced Himself to Kristen Stewart
Though Billy Burke doesn’t have the biggest role in the Twilight cast, he certainly made a mark on the franchise. Burke portrays Charlie Swan in the movies and serves as both Bella’s father and the police chief of Forks. Though the character of Charlie is a bit more intense in the books, Burke managed to bring a sense of humor to the films that they desperately needed. His facial expressions and general discomfort with his daughter’s love life certainly make him fun for fans to watch.
For his part, Burke seemed to enjoy working on the Twilight movies as well. Though he wasn’t familiar with the books prior to being cast as Charlie, he enjoyed bringing the role to life and working with his fellow actors. Burke particularly liked the working relationship that he developed with Kristen Stewart, who played Bella Swan. In fact, the pair seemed to hit it off right off the bat after Burke made a bit of an awkward introduction.
Billy Burke introduced himself to his ‘Twilight’ castmate in the most hilarious way
“The first time I met her, we were both on the plane up to Portland,” Burke shared with MTV about meeting his fellow Twilight co-star. “She didn’t know who I was but I recognized her and I went up to her and said, ‘Hey, I’m your dad!’ I think she thought that was entirely creepy. From that point on we got along really well. She and I work the same way. We do what we do and kind of get out of the way and let it happen. On set there were a number of times when, if we were having difficulty with something, we could take solace in the other. I think she’s wildly talented.”
There certainly does seem to be a type of synergy between Stewart and Burke and the way that they approach their work. In fact, the Happiest Season star once described her relationship with her on-screen dad in a very similar way. She even used the word “creepy” but shared that Burke could never be described that way because of the way he approaches acting.
Kristen Stewart reflects on working with Burke
“I love working with Billy,” Stewart revealed to MTV about her Twilight castmate. “He’s just very no BS and obviously as an actor that’s what you need. He’s really good at knowing if the scene works or doesn’t work. I think he really understands the dynamic, the Charlie/Bella thing. It’s not a normal father/daughter dynamic. They haven’t known each other very long. She just moved to Forks and literally has a few memories of him as a little kid. But I love the gradual trust thing that happens. He’s really good at that because he doesn’t force it, and it’s never creepy, and a lot of times it gets weird when some guy is playing your dad. It feels weird to you. It feels like they’re forcing sentiment. It’s disgusting, and I never feel that with him. I think he’s great, and I love him.”
It’s pretty cool that Stewart and Burke were able to develop such respect and appreciation for each other while working on the Twilight movies. Clearly, their natural dynamic served the story and their on-screen father/daughter relationship well.
