‘Twilight’: Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart Were ‘Vibing off of Each Other’ Despite Being ‘Nervous and Awkward’
When it comes to creating a believable on-screen romance, casting leads who have chemistry is of vital importance. Casting Twilight was no exception to this rule, especially since the core of the film centered around the love story between Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. But chemistry was something that Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart had in spades from the very beginning. In fact, Catherine Hardwicke (who directed Twilight) shared that it was palpable from the very first time the pair met.
‘Twilight’ director, Catherine Hardwicke, got to cast most of the actors in the film
Because nobody was expecting Twilight to be such a success, Hardwicke was practically given carte blanche in the casting process for the film. She quickly brought Stewart on board to play the vampire-obsessed teen. However, casting the perfect Edward was a little more difficult. There were several contenders who she brought in to audition with Stewart. But it was clear, early on, that the Spencer star had tangible chemistry with Pattinson.
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart had chemistry right away
While speaking with PEOPLE, Hardwicke recalled Pattinson’s audition with Stewart. “It was funny because they were both pretty shy and kind of a little bit nervous and awkward,” the Twilight director shared. “I said, ‘Okay, let’s go do the biology scene where you guys first meet.’ So we went to my kitchen table for that scene, and you could see pretty quickly that they were vibing off of each other.”
Continuing on, Hardwicke shared that the chemistry between the pair could be felt. “It was pretty positive,” she recalled. “After the end of their audition, I could tell that there was a lot of electricity and chemistry.”
Stewart credits herself for Pattinson joining the ‘Twilight’ cast
And it seems that the Twilight director wasn’t the only one who felt the synergy. Stewart herself admitted that she immediately felt Pattinson was the right person to play Edward. She recalled feeling like none of the other actors could play the role like Pattinson could. In fact, when Hardwicke asked her about who her top choice was, she immediately named The Batman actor and advocated for him to get the role.
Hardwick warned Pattinson off of Stewart
Hardwicke agreed with Stewart that Pattinson was the right person for the role. And while the Twilight director appreciated that the pair had natural chemistry, she also took care to warn Pattinson away from Stewart. Since the pair are three years apart, Hardwicke made sure to remind Pattinson of Stewart’s age and the illegality of things if he were to make a move.
“And I remember I told Rob, separately, I went, ‘Listen, man, you gotta remember that she’s under 18 and in our country, you can get in trouble!” Hardwicke. “He went, ‘Okay, okay, jeez, calm down!’” Clearly, there were some visible sparks between Stewart and Pattinson from the very beginning. It’s no wonder that the pair dated for years in real life.
