'The vampire world, the make-up...in the wrong hands, it could have been a farce'
Peter Facinelli aka 'Twilight's' Carlisle Cullen tells Ed Power about the making of 'New Moon'
Sitting by the window of his swanky Dublin hotel suite, a smouldering cigarette between his fingers, Twilight star Peter Facinelli is reflecting on life inside the Hollywood goldfish bowl.
"It's kind of invasive when you're getting your picture taken all the time," says the 36-year-old actor, who plays vampire father-figure Carlisle Cullen in the big-screen adaptation ofStephenie Meyer's blockbuster novel and forthcoming sequel, New Moon.
"With the second movie, it definitely became harder for us to travel in groups, because we're much more recognisable that way."
Of course, the pestering he receives pales compared to what Twilight's two leads must endure by dint of becoming this generation's pre-eminent 'are they/aren't they?' screen couple. When pictures appearing to show Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson -- aka the virginal Bella and hunky, blood-drinking beau Edward -- in a romantic clench surfaced, the global entertainment industry went into overdrive. Those insane levels of scrutiny would test anyone's sanity, agrees Facinelli.
"Fans of the book want to see those two characters together. There's a real longing for that. They carry that into the outside world. And so they want the two actors to be together too."
Living in the media glare is something Facinelli is well placed to comment on. "My wife is [Beverly Hills 90210 star] Jennie Garth. When we first met, it was in the middle of her 90210 career. So I'm used to that kind of tabloid banter."
Facinelli admits he does sometimes heave a sigh of relief when he looks at Pattinson and Stewart.
"To go through that at their ages must be terrifying. I don't know if I could have handled it. Especially Kristen, who is only 18. When I was 18, I was very self-conscious. I give them a lot of credit for how they have coped. I feel I kind of lucked out because I don't have that magnifying glass on me. I get recognised, sure. However, I can walk down the street and get a latte and not be harassed by paparazzi."
He's good friends with Pattinson but says he does not regard himself as an older brother figure to the British actor 13 years his junior. "I always looked at Rob as more of a peer. As an actor I never looked at ages or how much work someone has behind them as a testament of how good they are. Early in my career I worked with Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito on a movie called The Big Kahuna. I was the newbie on the block. Not once did they make me feel I knew less than they did."
In New Moon, the vampires have to share screen time with a tribe of werewolves. That's not the only change. Last year Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke was controversially replaced by Chris Weitz, who made American Pie and whose last film, The Golden Compass, was an unmitigated flop.
"It's not better or worse," says the diplomatic Facinelli. "It's just different. As an actor, you get used to working with new directors all the time."
When he agreed to star in a vampire movie, Facinelli admits he felt some apprehension. He was a fan, he says, of Meyer's vision. At the same time, he was painfully aware that, if handled clunkily, a film about emotionally conflicted creatures of the night, could have ended up as bad pantomime.
"It was a very delicate subject matter," he confesses. "The vampire world, the make-up we had on... In the wrong hands, it could have been a complete farce, very comical. It could have come out really bad. There was a nervousness there when we were shooting (the first film). At the end of the day, however, we have no control over how it's going to be put together. When it finally came out I was blown away and so appreciative."
As the creator of the series, Meyer has a large say in the look and feel of the movies. Contractually, she didn't get to choose Stewart and Pattinson as romantic leads -- but had she objected, the producers were unlikely to have gone against her wishes, says Facinelli.
"She comes to see the shoot. It's always great to see her. She's very respectful of the actors. I mean, here's the person who created the roles that I was allowed to go and play. They did respect a lot of her ideas. I knew she was very vocal on giving the thumbs up and thumbs down."
Though the first Twilight movie was a huge commercial success and New Moon seems certain to do just as well, critics have been notably leery towards the franchise. One of the most common criticisms is that, when you strip away the supernatural element, Twilight is basically glorified Mills and Boon. Facinelli smiles when this is put to him.
"At the end of the day, it's got mass appeal. And that washes away what one or two critics might say. There are tonnes of things critics might like and the rest of the world doesn't care about. So I think it's quite nice that the fans came out and supported the movie."
- Ed Power
Irish Independent
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