Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson as Bella & Edward on the Cover of "Entertainment Weekly"

massive toene · August 2012

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It’s been — let’s just say —an eventful couple of weeks for Team Twilight. Bella and Edward may find eternal, immortal bliss in Breaking Dawn — Part 2 (out Nov. 16), but costars and (only recently confirmed) couple Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are having a much harder time since incriminating photographs of Stewart and her Snow White and the Huntsman director, Rupert Sanders, surfaced late last month. “The fact is, these are actors playing parts, and maybe it’s not such a bad thing that people be reminded of that,” Bill Condon tells EW. “Both of these actors gave heart and soul to the Twilight movies, not only during shooting, but also by navigating so graciously the whole life-in-a-fishbowl aspect of the phenomenon. Above all they have always shown great respect for the fans who made these movies such a success. Now it’s time that some of that respect be returned to them.”

But beyond the intense media and public scrutiny into these young actors’ private lives, the turn of events also creates a real challenge for Summit, the studio releasing the film, as it gears up to promote the final installment. In other words: what happens during an international press tour and red carpet premiere when the two top-billed stars may or may not be speaking to each other? Nancy Kirkpatrick, the company’s head of worldwide marketing, tells EW, “While it is studio policy not to comment on the personal lives of actors, Summit is moving full steam ahead.”

In more innocent times (read: a month ago), the Twilight stars sat down for a roundtable interview and talked about the film, the ending of the series, and what they’ve learned from the Twilight experience. Pattinson marvels at Edward’s unflappable ability to stay rational. “It’s strange,” he says with a laugh. “All through the series it’s like, ‘Hey , this guy is trying to be sensible! Let’s think this thing out.’ And everyone is like ‘F— you’”.

Stewart presses him, curious to know what he learned from playing the role. ”Don’t be pragmatic. Be an emotional idiot.”