‘Twilight’: The Iconic Baseball Scene Was ‘Chaotic’ for the Cast

Though there are plenty of memorable scenes in Twilight, the iconic baseball sequence has always struck a chord with fans. The scene, which features the Cullen family engaging in America’s favorite pastime, occurs right before the climax of the film. From the vegetarian vampires showing off their super speed and strength, to the music, to the overall cinematography, the scene is truly one of a kind.

But while most Twilight fans have always found the baseball scene to be the pinnacle of cool, shooting it was anything but that. Though the cast committed to giving the scene their best effort, some of them even injuring themselves, they didn’t know what the final product would look like. That, coupled with the fact that it was actually the very first scene that was shot, made it particularly baffling for the actors to film.

Ashley Greene reveals that the ‘Twilight’ baseball scene was difficult for the cast to shoot

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ashley Greene, who portrayed Alice Cullen, got candid about what it was really like to film the baseball scene. “It was a little bit chaotic and it was raining,” the Twilight alum revealed. “We were, as a cast, kind of like, ‘What is this going to be? Is this going to be good?’ There was a bit of uncertainty around it. I lied, I don’t know how to play baseball and I’m like, ‘Is this going to look good?’ Wouldn’t you know it it turns out to be this kind of iconic moment for Alice.”

Part of what made things so chaotic for the cast was that they couldn’t clearly see Catherine Hardwicke’s vision. Hardwicke, of course, directed Twilight and felt that nailing the baseball scene was super important. And while her approach made things muddy for the cast at times, ultimately Greene was pleased with the final result.

It was hard for the actors to see Catherine Hardwicke’s unique vision

“Catherine is brilliant, but she’s an artist, so it’s a little bit chaotic and less structured on set so we couldn’t see this finished version,” the Twilight star shared. “That scene in particular for me is one that I’m just like holy s***, it turned out fantastic and I never would’ve envisioned it on the days that we were shooting it. Part of that’s editing, part of that’s music, part of it was the genius that is Catherine.”

For her part, Hardwicke had her work cut out for her. One of her biggest challenges for shooting the baseball sequence was the weather. In an interview with Insider, the Twilight director explained why the rain was such a difficult element to deal with.

The ‘Twilight’ director explains the challenges of filming the vampire baseball scene

“We were filming in the winter because that’s when you have the most overcast,” Hardwicke shared of shooting the first Twilight scene. “We couldn’t have bright sun because then the vampires would have to sparkle. We didn’t want them to be sparkling all the time, we couldn’t afford that. CGI sparkling cost a lot of money. The weather did not cooperate. And you can’t have pouring rain [because of] all the makeup drips; the hair. They just don’t look like the cool vampires in the pouring rain.”

Though there may have been a lot of challenges for the Twilight cast and Hardwicke, they more than pulled the scene off. The baseball scene remains one of the most memorable in the massive franchise.