Life Lessons from Kristen Stewart

Welcome to Life Lessons. This week, we mark the release of the Kristen Stewart new film Spencer, in which the actor plays Lady Diana, by flipping through the cover story of our March 2015 issue. In it, Stewart speaks to the musician and author Patti Smith about Twilight, working with Jodie Foster as a 10-year-old, and the joys of growing up on set. So sit back, and grab a pen—you just might learn a thing or two.

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“I’m sitting back and enjoying the benefits of a decision that I made when I was a person who I can still relate to but am not anymore.”

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“I used to say that I always wanted to be the youngest director. But now I’m like, ‘No, I’m going to wait until I’m properly ready to do that.’”

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“People sometimes actually get me to think I take things too seriously, and maybe I’m too earnest and it’s coming across like I’m better than them. But working with people like Jodie [Foster]—we are quite kindred.”

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“I can’t, like, put on the show. I’m not a performer. And it’s hard for people to accept a serious tone from a kid without thinking they’re sort of stuck up.”

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“I start to lose my mind if I’m not working on something, like breaking my back on something.”

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“Say I do a big franchise movie about a vampire that falls in love with a normal girl. It’s like, ‘Now do you want to show them that you can be a real, serious actor?’ It’s like, ‘Was I not being a real, serious actor?'”

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“Anybody who wants to talk shit about Twilight, I completely get it, but there’s something there that I’m endlessly, and to this day, fucking proud of. My memory of it felt—still feels—really good.”

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“Something happened to me and I became really successful at something at a young age, and that stunts you in every other aspect of your life because you feel like that’s what you’re good at and so that’s what you need to stay in.”

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 “I love that feeling, sitting around on set and being like, ‘Ugh, it’s another fucking four hours until we can go do what we’ve been planning to do for months.’”

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“I’m trying to develop a little more faith in my hands because everything that I do in terms of productivity is always really cerebral. So I’ve made a few paintings.”

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“I’m trying to find a crew because I really want to start making my own movies. I just need to find my guys.”

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“People are always comparing shit. Like, comparing Twilight to things and trying to figure out why I’ve made certain decisions that I’ve made, and I always say every single moment that has led me to this moment has made me who I am.”

“Every movie that I’ve done, they don’t stand independently from one another because a little bit of me is in every single one of those, and it’s part of my own personal growth.”

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“I don’t think that there’s much hiding that actors can do. If you’re doing good work, you’re showing a part of yourself to someone, so I can’t say that Twilight doesn’t have anything to do with Still Alice and Clouds of Sils Maria. They have everything to do with each other. They are who I am.”

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