Fansite Lunch With Stephenie Meyer

The ladies over at the Lexicon have a pretty good summary of all the fansites who got to meet with Stephenie Meyer for a 4 hour lunch interview. Check it out!

The websites Twilight Source, Twilight Series Theories, TwiFans, and Letters to Twilight spent a 4 hour lunch with Stephenie Meyer yesterday. They have tons and tons of information, some of which they can’t share until after the movie comes out so it doesn’t spoil the movie,but they can release some tidbits starting next week.Twilight Series Theories have plans to put some of the material into their podcast as well as have transcripts.

Matt Britton from Twilight Source said via Twitter. “NEWS: Imprint LIVE: Saturday, June 19th at 8 PM ET to talk about our meeting with Stephenie! http://bit.ly/dsM2wY

Alison and Kim from Twifans summed things up here releasing the questions that they asked but not the answers:

“Here’s a little teaser of the questions Twifans.com (Alison & Kim) asked Stephenie Meyer during our 4 hour Q & A. Some questions are Bree Tanner spoilers so we’re not going to post those in this teaser:

1. What rule did Bree actually break according to the Volturi? (Fan question credit to – jencwu)

2. When will The Official Twilight Guide be released?

3. What do you think about Fan Fiction?

4. How do you feel about creating a fictional character all men are measured against?

5. Edward’s movie Volvo (hatch back & mom mobile) &is different then the book Volvo, what do you think about this?

6. Based on the clips, Hot Angry Edward seems to be a fan favorite. Why do u think the fans seem to be so excited about this?

7. In the book Eclipse Bella jumps between Edward & Jacob in the tent scene to stop them from fighting. If Bella hadn’t done that, our members want to know who would win – Edward or Jacob?

8. During the motorcycle scene in the parking lot Bella leaves Edward & rides off with Jacob. Our members don’t think book Bella would ever treat Edward like that, what’s your opinion?

9. What made you put your producer hat on for Breaking Dawn & what will you bring to the table?

10. Do you have a message for the fans?

These are just Twifans.com questions. Each of the 4 fansites ( Letters 2 Twilight, Twilight Source & Twilight Series Theories) asked their own great questions so there’s a lot more info coming your way. We’ll be posting a little more on Monday but can’t post anything Eclipse movie related until after the is released. Stay tuned! “

Letters to Twilight stated: “We have so much to share. SO.MUCH.TO.SHARE. We interviewed Stephenie Meyer yesterday. No, scratch that- we hung out with Stephenie Meyer yesterday for four hours. Yes. You heard that. FOUR HOURS. We have amazing photos (We’re pretty sure the photographer got some good ones of us stuffing strawberries in our faces & feeding each other grapes) and H-O-U-R-S of conversations to pour over.”

4 Fansites to Interview Stephenie Meyer

 

Four lucky Twilight Fansites found out today that they are going to get to interview Stephenie Meyer. She released the news on her website earlier today!

I want to do something different with publicity for this movie release. For Twilight, I did the normal press junket, for New Moon I got to go on Oprah. Both of these were fun, exciting experiences. However, they both had the same drawback—the interviews were designed for a very broad audience, and because of that, most of the questions were about things you guys have known the answers to for years. I feel like all of the basic questions have been answered, and for Eclipse I want to focus on the more specific questions of the readers. To accomplish that, I’m hosting my own mini-junket with a few fansites. It will be held on Friday, June 18th, the week before the L.A. premiere.

Unfortunately, I can’t talk to every single site, and I want to keep this as low key and enjoyable as possible. So I put all the U.S. fansites in a hat (for logistical reasons, we had to keep this in the country) and drew out four names.

The names I drew were:

• Twilight Series Theories (twilightseriestheories.com)
• Twilight Source (twilightsource.com)
• Twifans (www.twifans.com)
• Letters To Twilight (letterstotwilight.wordpress.com)

Each of these sites is invited to send two members of their staff (or one member and a guest) to our fan-centric mini-junket. You will be contacted shortly by my assistant, who will give you all the specific information. In the event that any of the sites is unable to send representatives, I’ve already drawn four back up sites, which I will post if it becomes necessary.

I’ll answer all of your questions (and your readers questions, if you want to poll them) about the Eclipse Movie, and the Bree story, as well, which will have been out for a few weeks by then. We’ll have lunch, hang out, and hopefully have a fantastic time. I hope you all can make it!”

Fansites Interview With Kristen Stewart

Q: Obviously New Moon is a really emotional journey for Bella. How did you prepare yourself for shooting the scenes in which she was really depressed and distraught?

Kristen: Right. I wish that there was a more solid way, prep for an actor, I mean just in terms of being sure that you’re ready to do what everybody expects you to do, but there’s just not. I was so completely intimidated by that scene. I mean in the book there’s nothing there’s literally nothing like it that I can think of in the real world that I could relate to. You know what I mean? Like I’ve been broken up with, I’ve had my heart broken whatever, like I think. But it was still higher than that. Like “oh, oh you think you know what it feels like to hurt? Have you ever died? You don’t know what you’re talking about.” You know what I mean? Yeah, so it was about being really comfortable with Chris and knowing I could say anything to him, ever. Chris is great and he is the most, like, I just feel very comfortable around him and he made us feel really safe and considering those parts of the book I actually don’t have any of the other actors to play off of so I was very much alone and terrified, absolutely intimidated by the material and he made it so much easier.

Q: We have heard so much about the physical activities that the guys had to go through, and the way they had to build up their muscles and just prepare for all their stunt work; but we haven’t really heard much about you. You’ve been cliff diving and under the water, and I was just wondering what sort of preparation you got to go through and then what stunts did you get to do yourself.

Kristen: I didn’t do any preparation for any of the stuff. I did have to go into like the scuba tank at some point to basically make everybody feel comfortable with me being in the water that I wasn’t like a total you know, stupid who’s going to drown as soon as they get put in – it was a ridiculous session that I was like “I don’t need this, I hate water, I’m supposed to look scared”. But I did all that stuff in the water myself. There was like a semi truck of water that was released like onto my actual- there’s one shot right after I jump off the cliff, it’s supposed to be this moment of elation like I get what I wanted for a split second. I turn around and I’m smiling and BOOM, another wave comes. That was like a semi truck full of water that was released onto me. It was really scary. And other than that I don’t really have any. I probably should have been in better shape, the amount of running, the amount of desperate ravaging through crowds and falling down that I had to do. By the end of the movie I was completely bruised, like all over my arms and legs I was covered in bruises because I’d just gotten back from Italy and I had to go do the MTV awards. I looked like I was a battered housewife and I was wearing Chucks because I couldn’t walk because I had sprained my ankle running in Italy. The only reason I wore flats was because of that and people like freaked out. And that’s it, so like if I had prepared maybe I would have been more able to, but I’m just not like an action hero. But I think that’s kind of the cool thing about Bella is that she’s so sort of incapable until she needs to be and then she’s like “alright, I will do anything”. And I feel like it sort of comes across in the physicality maybe.

Q: I want to know what your favorite scene is from the movie since you’ve seen it, and what you think the fans will most enjoy from the movie.

Kristen: What’s my favorite scene. I think I have to pick one with Jacob and one with Edward. My favorite scene with Jacob is when he comes through her window and they have the talk about the fact that she doesn’t know what’s going on, but she does know already and it’s right after this big sort of blow-out fight that they have and somehow they’re able to just not say anything – instead of actually talking about the fact that they were just so mean to each other and like they had this big fight, they don’t even say anything about it just instantly becomes – the second she sees him, just okay. And he’s totally like it’s so clear that he’s in a different place, it’s just sad. That’s my favorite scene in New Moon between Jacob and Bella. Then I think between Edward and Bella oddly enough sort of like the same sort of, the same but completely different. When I go to Italy and I push him back, well I mean when Bella pushes him into, out of the light I mean and they’re able to reconcile their relationship without even saying anything. And they just look at each other and it’s done. And it’s like so you left me for a year and I have a million things to say to you but not right now. Those are my two favorites. I like it when people know can each other without having to talk. Words sort of fail me consistently so those are my two favorites. What was the second part of the question?

Q: What scene do you think the fans will be most surprised by?

Kristen: I’m not sure.

Q: Or enjoy the most?

Kristen: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I always try to answer the question way too specifically. F***! I don’t know. I think maybe what’s most important to them; because this was definitely the most important thing to me, was the breakup scene – period. I mean like that was what I was the most scared of and hopefully if we did it justice enough, what they’ll be most excited about. And then probably when we get back together. Those are the highest points of the movie.

Q: We talked earlier about getting into character and having all that grief from your character; I’m wondering how did you let it go at the end of the work day? How were you able to just separate yourself from all that pain that the character is in?

Kristen: Right. Sometimes you just don’t. Sometimes …it’s funny, when I was at Comic Con I said – one of the questions was what was the best point, what was the best moment of New Moon and I said without explanation which was stupid, that it was when we were finished. But that wasn’t, I totally understand how that could come across as like ‘oh I couldn’t wait to be done’, but it wasn’t like that. I can’t alleviate the pressure until I’m done, like literally. Because you shoot out of sequence and you can’t just take the normal like emotional ride that you think you’d have to as an actor portraying a character who has to go through whatever she does. I have to know the story every aspect of it at all times and be able to split back and forth from being with Jacob and happy and alive to with Edward and questioning our relationship to without him and dead. I’m a crazy person when I’m working literally, and especially on these movies. It’s just there’s like a lot of tension. So at that moment once we were all in Italy together the last shot we did… Sorry this is a stupid long winded answer, I hope this is ok.
(No it’s great)
Okay cool. So it was, I’m running around the corner, it was just like one of those little shots in the montage where I’m going through Volterra and they don’t, it’s like you’re not sure if I’m going to get to him or whatever. And so it wasn’t that big of a shot but I could feel the end coming and I knew. I’m not allowed to be off until I’m literally done so it’s like all of a sudden throw me into the middle of space, like I’m nowhere suddenly. But it was the coolest sense of like united accomplishment. Basically I cannot alleviate that pressure at the end of the day. But that’s what keeps me going, that’s why I can go to work the next day, because it’s like I haven’t gotten it off my chest yet. So that moment came at the end and it was so cool, so amazing. I literally like broke down and I couldn’t – yeah it was great.

Q: Last year’s premiere you said you really liked the fact that Bella is like a strong-willed person, and that she’s confident in her decision making. I was just wondering with the events of New Moon did you play her that way or was there more give in her resolve for this film?

Kristen: Yeah, the only way that I can play Bella is if I could justify every decision that she made and stand behind it as well as, as much as she did. And the cool thing about New Moon is it is literally taking that and saying “No, sorry! Do you think you know something little girl? You know nothing!” And that’s the story, that’s why she – I mean people call Bella fickle all the time to me; people are always saying like “Oh, you know you’re playing a really immature girl that doesn’t know what she wants and she’s sort of in love with this mythical creature”. It’s like who are you talking to? This girl is willing to put herself through the most asinine – and so not selfish, with a really great perspective. You have to be a pretty strong natured person to do that. And then to, I think in New Moon she becomes sort of hardened and cynical because she’s been told that her whole world that she was willing to spend eternity in was just wrong. And the fact that she can from there, even in the same movie you believe that she’s of the mind to make a decision to go back from that. You have to believe that she’s lived enough and that she’s mature enough and knows herself well enough to make decisions like that. And I feel like in Twilight she doesn’t have that and in New Moon she gains that. Like she’s been through it so it’s like okay actually now it takes a strong person to say I was wrong and that I’m willing to forgive you and hopefully if you can forgive me, we can be together now. That’s why I really love her.

Q: I’m not going to ask a question, but I just wanted to thank you so much for joining us tonight. I know you obviously had a very busy day.

Kristen: Oh no, this is the most important interview. I can’t believe they set this in the twenty minutes in-between the time that it takes for me to get touched up and go over to Jimmy Kimmel or whatever. It’s like wow; I wish I had more time because this is actually like a much more fun interview.

(Thank you!)
Kristen: No problem

Thanks again to Twilight Lexicon for posting!

Fansites Interview Nikki, Kellan, and Jackson

About 10 different Twilight fansites had a phone interview with Kellan, Nikki, and Jackson. The questions are from the following websites: Twilight Examiner, Twilight Series Theories, Twilight Facebook, Twilight Moms, His Golden Eyes, Twilighters, Twilighters Anonymous, Twilight Superfan, Twilight Source/Imprint, Bella and Edward.

Q. How do you think, the questions are all ‘New Moon’ focused so I’m going to get right into it, how do you think Rosalie in ‘New Moon’ is going to be different from Rosalie in ‘Twilight’? Are we going to see more of Rosalie’s other side?
Nikki: The Cullens aren’t really in ‘New Moon’ as I’m sure you guys know because of the books and Chris Weitz making it very clear that we’re going to stick to the storyline. So, we’re not really in ‘New Moon’ all that much, but I did have an opportunity in the voting scene to show a different aspect of her personality, just because we were sort of setting up for ‘Eclipse’, because that’s really my opportunity to explore Rosalie as a character. So I guess, I guess in the voting scene, I worked really close with Chris to make sure that the speech that I give conveys exactly what I want it to. I don’t know if that answers your question, I’m sorry.
[No, no; yeah.]
Nikki: It’s been a long day. I think that when you have eight hundred pages in a book you have the time to explore each character, and so although Stephenie didn’t write one –dimensional characters, I mean all of our characters are very full and colorful; when you’re trying to execute that in a screenplay it can be really difficult because they have to focus on the love story between Bella and Edward. So in ‘Twilight’, you know, Rosalie was written, I guess the few opportunities I had to be on screen I was angry or bitchy and I don’t think that that’s what Rosalie is. So I’ve been trying my best to incorporate other aspects of her personality.

Q. Following up on what you said about incorporating the different aspects of her personality, where do you find your inspiration to portray a character that is in some senses somewhat of an unlikeable character, but she has that other you know, really human side to her? Where do you find your inspiration to bring out some of that from?
Nikki: I think, I guess years of exploring my own personality in terms of understanding that most of the time anger is actually just a way to hide insecurities or you know, fear or sadness. And so I knew, I knew immediately sort of where Rosalie was coming from and I also have two siblings that I’m very protective of, two brothers. So I guess it sort of stems from that.

Q: Can you tell me how much the atmosphere, the overall atmosphere and work style has changed from Catherine Hardwicke to Chris Weitz?
Kellan: I think they’re very much just different directors. And Catherine’s energy was very prominent and needed in a way to start the ‘Twilight’ franchise and get it off the ground. And with ‘New Moon’ it’s a different type of style in the book, which means the movie’s got to be a different style. And Chris was, had it all just prepared for us actors to step in there, he made us a packet of pages and papers on how he saw the scenes, and just really had everything organized. So when we had questions as actors he had the answers ready and it was very just in both cases just different. It was just such a well oiled machine with ‘New Moon’ and just very easy.
Q. What was your favorite scene to film in ‘New Moon’?
Jackson: I’ve got to say my favorite scene to film was in the trailer and you got to see a glimpse of it. And that wasn’t even quite the entire scene so hopefully you know, people are still going to be surprised by the scene of the birthday party whenever. In my mind it’s kind of the catalyst for the entire idea of ‘New Moon’, and the Cullens kind of getting out of Dodge, if you excuse my tongue there. It’s kind of the idea that you know, finally Bella is really having to face the idea of what it is to be in a relationship with a vampire and the downside of it you know, what happens when you get something as simple as a paper cut and how that can screw everything up. And suddenly the Cullens are gone and we take off in order to protect Bella and it’s one of those things where she doesn’t really feel protected, she feels abandoned, but luckily she’s got her good friend, Jacob Black, who starts to become a little bit more than just a good friend. You see that whole side of things, the wolf boys.

Q: As many of the cast members are musicians yourselves, what sort of role do you think music plays in both ‘Twilight’ and ‘New Moon’, both the songs from the soundtrack and those from the score?

Nikki: That’s for you J.
Jackson: I’m sorry, can you repeat the question?
Q. Sure, since so many of you are musicians yourselves outside of acting I was wondering what sort of role you think the music plays in the movies. There was so much emphasis placed on the soundtrack and the score in both ‘Twilight’ and ‘New Moon’, I just wanted to kind of get your perspective.
Jackson: Ah, yeah as a musician myself, I’ve done soundtrack work, it’s one of those issues where the music has to be really closely tied to the movie you’re watching. It’s one of those things where music can really draw an emotion; it can really evoke a certain feeling within you like you know sadness or despondency. I mean how many times have you heard a song on the radio that makes you cry. I mean it happens, there’s a lot of emotion in music, it can be used really well and I think ‘Twilight’ did that extremely well. After watching ‘New Moon’ I mean….
Nikki: Yeah I think more so in ‘New Moon’, only because I think in ‘New Moon’ there are a lot of moments, there are a lot of long, I don’t want to say long dramatic pauses, but moments where you sort of need the music to communicate with you because of the subject matter and really to bring it all together with Bella’s traumatic emotional journey.
Kellan: Yeah I definitely agree. I mean when I read ‘New Moon’, being a male, you know it kind of was a little slower for me because I really couldn’t grasp what a female would go through in a way. And I know, I’m not trying to talk for most men but I feel like Bella did go through some characteristics that a lot of females do. And kind of on a relationship-basis you know, with growing up and there are parts of the book where there are a lot of pages of that, and watching ‘New Moon’, Chris found a brilliant way to captivate that and make it; I mean there’s a lot of pages say he made thirty pages of just sitting there as Bella did and showed it within like a minute of film. It was really cool and I think music really you know, is an important part to when you do see those beats in the movie where you don’t need dialogue. You can express a lot just with expressions and not words that the music helps motivate those feelings with the audience.
Nikki: Just helps you feel it.
Q. These movies have been made and put out pretty quickly so far, and have you guys been able to just really step back and enjoy it all of the hype that’s going along with it, or do you feel that you’re kind of just caught up in a whirlwind?

Nikki: Wow that’s very, that’s very loaded, that question. I guess a little bit of both. We’ve certainly felt, I think, you know the push and the exposure from the series and I think we’re all really grateful to be a part of it, but I guess things are moving quite quickly. We’re turning around and pumping these, I mean it’s only like four months ago that we wrapped ‘New Moon’ or less than that actually three months ago. We’re already here training and getting ready for the next, two weeks into the next. So there isn’t a lot of time to reflect I would say. I spent a lot of this year traveling and the end of last year just because I grew up really fast and I spent most of my childhood being really concerned about like what the next job was going to be and working and working and working. And so when I sort of recognized that that’s what was going to happen with this series, we were going to have just a few months in-between to do whatever we wanted, whether that be like work and focus on another project or take a break, I chose to take a break. So I did a lot of traveling and writing and stuff.

Kellan: I think it’s very cool. It’s kind of a happy medium. I couldn’t imagine being you know, the guys on say ‘Lord of the Rings’ spend a couple of years in New Zealand you know pumping those bad boys out, that’s a whole other life. Where we’re blessed enough to be a part of this magic carpet ride in this fantastic roller coaster thanks to the fans with all the love and support. But that we do, we are allowed to have breaks in-between and you know really do other films or take a break and go see family or travel the world and then come back and do the next one. And you know it’s kind of sad knowing that there is an end, unlike, you know, ‘Harry Potter’ in which I mean there was an end but they had so many books to look forward to and to grow with. I mean we are pumping these out quite quickly and to know that ‘Breaking Dawn’. (Call is interrupted) But yeah again to reiterate, just knowing and praying that we get to do ‘Breaking Dawn’. And we all you know would wish that she would make more books because this is a part of our lives as actors and us as individuals being a part of this. It will be sad when that day comes to close a chapter on it, and it’s not really closing a chapter because we’ll still have the memories and friendships. But you know it’s tough and I really compare it to my football years when your coach says this is your last football game for most of you guys who played high school football and you kind of laugh at it and just want to do it, but then you look back at all the good times that you spent with those other, those players and those friends that you made and it’s never the same.

Thanks Twilight Lexicon for posting!

Fansite Interview With Michael Sheen

This weekend several fansites were fortunate enough to have phone interviews with Michael Sheen and Kristen Stewart. Below is the Michael interview. Look for Kristen tomorrow.

Michael: Has every one seen the film yet, or has nobody seen the film?

Us: No, we haven’t!

Michael: Right, ok. So I can say anything and you won’t know if I’m telling the truth or not!

Us: Laughing

Michael: I promise I will tell the truth!

Laura from TwilightSource: What is your perception of Aro as a character? DO you think he shows some blurred line between good and bad given that he puts an ultimatum on Bella becoming a vampire rather than killing her?

Michael: I think that Aro thinks that he’s a really good guy. I love the idea that Aro thinks that he’s just a sentimental old fool and a romantic at heart, and he’s totally unaware of how vicious and violet and psychopathic he is. And I think that’s kind of makes him more creepy in a way, more scary that he’s not even aware of how frightening he is. And I think he thinks he’s just doing the right thing and doing what’s best for the world of the vampires. I don’t think he thinks that he’s being cruel or mean in any way. I think he really thinks of himself as a really old, cuddly grandmother type.

Lauren FB: I actually did get to see the film yesterday.

Michael: Oh, now you’re going to know if I’m fibbing!

Lauren: Were you inspired by anyone or anything to kind of channel yourself into the role of Aro?

Michael: Well, the first thing was obviously Stephenie’s book – Stephenie’s description of Aro. There’s one line that really stood out to me where she says that Aro’s voice was like feathers. That sort of set me to thinking and became the key to everything really. That someone who had a voice that sounds like feathers, that’s soft and warm and comforting and very pleasant. Sort of lulling you into a false sense of security kind of thing. And then I found myself, as I was starting to use that kind of a voice, I found myself thinking of things that when I was a kid, films that I’d watched and characters that had stayed with me that were really disturbing, unsettled me as a kid and stayed with me. I thought of things like the child catcher from the film Chitty-chitty Bang Bang. Like “Lollipops!” trying to lure the children, and the Blue Meanie from Yellow Submarine (breaks into singsong, mellow voice)who talks like that and has a very comforting voice, and yet is really mean and evil. Things like that really that kind of set my imagination going. But it all really came from what Stephenie had written originally.

Evie from TA: How did you prepare yourself to look like you were using your ability to read minds? It’s a difficult power to make come across on screen.

Michael: Fortunately I had a lot of time before hand to spend time with Kristen and Ashley and Rob, and we developed a telepathic link that became really useful when we were filming then. Cause then I just could read thoughts so I didn’t have to act. Cause I don’t like acting. I like doing it for real. No… I’m… I’m… er… The important thing was to really – and I always feel like this. As an actor when you’re doing scenes, I have to be totally committed to what I’m doing and really believe what I’m doing. Because if I don’t believe it then the audience aren’t going to believe it. So I had to really believe that I could see and her inside their heads when I was doing this stuff, and really see it. Not just acting seeing things or hearing things. I had to really really see it. So I had to work out exact images that I would see, just let my mind kind of go and try and really let things come into my head. Try to forget about the cameras and forget that I’m acting and all this make up on and wearing these contact lenses and all that. Just really try and see it. Hopefully that come though.

Lori from TLex: You have played lots of real life people. Is it more difficult to play a real life person where everybody knows their mannerisms and their voice and their personality, vrs an imaginary character that so many fans have embraced and read about and contemplated? Which one is more difficult to take on?

Michael: Well, in some ways playing a character like Aro is more difficult because like you say, there are so many – and I know this because my own daughter as well. My daughter had a very specific idea of what Aro was like, and it was completely different to what I was doing. When I first asked my daughter about Aro she said, “He’s bald” which freaked me out a little bit. I thought I was going to have to go bald for the film, but fortunately I wasn’t. Some ways it’s harder because at least when you’re playing a real person that people are familiar with, you know, I know what they look like and I know what they sound like and everyone else does. And I’ve got to get as close to that as I possibly can. With a character like Aro – I mean it would be different if it were a character form a book that not that many people knew. But when it’s a character that so many people have such a particular idea about, and these are character that the audience have really taken to their hearts and mean a lot to them. So there’s a big pressure to – I mean you’re never going to get it right really, because everyone will have a slightly different idea of who their Aro is or who their Edward is or their Bella. But I hope that I do justice to the character. And hopefully people will be okay with it even if it is slightly different from the way they see it in their heads. Because the best stories and the best characters are the ones that are in our heads, really. No one can do justice to that. But hopefully it comes a close second best.

Amanda TExaminer: How did your daughter received – if she hasn’t seen the movie yet she has at least seen the clips – how has she received your work? Has she been approving?

Michael: The greatest compliment that I could have had from her – you know her room is covered in Twilight and New Moon pictures and posters and things, and the greatest compliment I could have got was when I went in there one day and there was a little picture of me in the corner. I do slightly think that she did it out of pity just to include me in it as well. But that was a great compliment. She hasn’t seen the film but she’s seen the trailers, and she said that I look really creepy, and she said that it was really creepy when she saw me taking someone’s head off. Apparently her street credit has gone up enormously in school.

Kimmy from HGE: I was wondering about your stunts for the film because the Volturi scene is very action packed.

Michael: Fortunately I didn’t have to get too involved in the fighting because Aro thinks that it’s all a bit messy and dirty and doesn’t like getting involved. It’s all a bit rough and tumbly for him because he’s a very delicate creature. So he sort of keeps away from all of that unless he absolutely has to get involved. So I just kept to the side slightly. But I wanted to get more involved, having done all the Underwolrd films I get to do a lot of the stunts in that and get really physical in it. I love doing all that. But as Aro – I think Aro feels that he’s a little bit squeamish. Doesn’t like to see the sight of blood, just likes to drink it.

Amanda from TMoms: Did you have any hesitancies of accepting the role in New Moon having already done a supernatural film with the Underworld series?

Michael: No. Well it meant that I got to see how the other half lives, or the undead lives, or whatever. Having been a lycan for many years now and having to watch those dark vampires walking around in their finely tailored suits with their lovely hair styles and their high cheekbones, I finally got to see how green the grass is on the other side. So I had no qualms about that at all, no. I was lsightly conserved for anyone who had seen the Underworld films as well whether they would find it difficult to accept me as a vampire now and not as a lycan. But I think I look so different in the two films obviously that’ snot going to be a problem for people.

TST: Are there any other literary characters that you would like to portray?

Michael: Oh, there’s so many aren’t there. I’m a big fan of Neil Gaimon’s writing, his graphic novels and stuff. The Sandman series of comics is a big favorite of mine. To play Sandman would be amazing, that’s a great character, but I don’t know how you’d ever make that into a film, really. I’m a big fan of Stephen King’s writing as well, so any character in a Stephen King novel would be great. And I was also a fan of – back in the day when I was a kid I was very into Elric who’s in a series of stories by a writer named Michael Moorcock. And Elric is an albino, sort of drug addicted, melancholic prince and I always loved his character. They always tend to be character form sort of science fiction and fantasy. Which is not the main thing I’m known for, I suppose, but I always love those characters. There’s so many of them, but those are the ones I’d be most into doing I suppose.

Mirium from MSN: If you could play any other role in the Twilight movies without gender or age limitations, who would it be?

Michael: Oh, that’s a very good question. Let me think. Oh, that’s a tough one. Oh gosh. Well I suppose I’d like to stick with the vampires, I suppose. I like Ashley’s character. That’s my daughter’s favorite as well. So maybe I’d want to be Ashley Greene.

Lauren FB: If Aro could have a theme song, what would it be.

Michael: Of it would probably be something lush and romantic. Probably something by Barry Manilow. I Write the Songs. Or Mandy. Maybe it’d be Mandy by Barry Manilow. It would be something that would always reduce Aro to tears cause he’s such an old sentimental fool. Or maybe – Oh I know what it would be. That song by Michael Jackson when he was a kid – Ben, about the rat. “Ben, the two of us…” OH! Or even better Season’s in the Sun. I don’t remember who sang that, but I think, yes, that would be it. “We had joy, we had fun. We had seasons in the sun.” And then it’s all about someone dying. And it’s such a really romantic, lovely, beautiful summer’s day song, but it’s actually about someone that he’s probably killed.

Lori TLex: Charlie Bewley mentioned that the Volturi looked like a bunch of pansies in their costumes until he had the eyes put in for his contacts. He said it was really that moment that he understood the character of the Volturi. What was it for you?

Michael: The moment you put the contacts in does have a big effect. Cause up until that point I had the hair and the white face and the black clothes. And you put the red contact lenses in and it’s just like ugh – it makes you suddenly – it suddenly becomes unsettling and creepy looking. So I like that. So I’d probably go along with it. And also having the big thrones. You know to sit on the thrones in the room there. That helps as well to be able to sit on the big thrones.

Amanda Bell: With New Moon it seems that they are trying to branch off a bit with what kind of demographic would be interested in this picture. I was just wondering if you think Aro is the type of character that is esoteric to the Twilight fans or if it’s something that people universally can appreciate?

Michael: In some ways he somewhat fulfills the role of a kind of bad guy in the film, I guess, even though I don’t think he is a bad guy. So I think everyone kind of relates to the idea of this sort of powerful group anyway, the Volturi. I suppose he’s esoteric in so much that – I like the fact that there’s sort of something about him that’s different from everybody else and that’s different from the characters that everyone has come to know in the first film, first book, that there’s something that slightly sets him apart – and the other Volturi – sets them apart. And I wanted him to sort of have a quality of sort of “otherness,” of something that’s slightly unknowable and hidden. So I like that and I think it’s important for the story because you have to have someone who represents that kind of a thing so that the stakes are high. So that it matters – that there’s kind of an element of danger and mystery.

Amanda TMoms: I was wondering what you favorite most memorable Twilight related moment has been since you started on New Moon?

Michael: When I was filming in – cause I didn’t get to go to Italy unfortunately because all our scenes were interiors, so I didn’t need to be in Italy for that. So I filmed all my stuff in Vancouver. And I would have loved to have been there because Dakota was just telling me this morning about being out in the square in Volterra and like 5,000 people showed up to watch, and that would have been really really exciting. And I’ve been working and I’ve been away a lot, so I haven’t really had a chance to get involved with any of the kind of Twilight madness stuff. But I did have one little moment where – I was buying a pair of jeans in Los Angeles and I went into the little cubicle to try them on. Came out quite tentatively of my little cubicle to have a little look in the mirror, you know worried about that moment. And as I pulled back the curtain there was a woman on the other side holding various items of clothing, shaking, and saying, “You’re Aro, aren’t you?” So I went back in my cubicle and hid. That was a slightly scary moment. So if that’s anything like what’s about to come, I might have to go around with a bag over my head.

Evie from TA: You mentions that you took inspiration from the Blue Meanies for Aro’s voice. What made you think of them for Aro?

Michael: Just because I remember listening to the Blue Meanie in the film when I was a kid. For someone who is supposed to be like the bad guy and the scary person, I always thought of those people would have very powerful, authoritative, scary voices, but that character had a really soft, gentle voice that made it even more creepy and frightening. And thinking about what Stephenie had written about Aro’s voice it just kind of occurred to me. So I went a bit further with it like that to make him have this very soft, gentle voice. Because you know what he’s capable of and what’s really going on underneath, somehow that combination makes it so much more unsettling.

TST: If you could have any one vampire super power other than Aro’s what would it be?

Michael: We were talking about this earlier on and I’ve now being obsessed with totally useless superpowers. I was thinking a good useless superpower would be to have the ability to blink invisibly. Earlier I said, I was asked what super power I would like to have, and I said I would like to have the ability to always look like I’m standing three centimeters to the right of where I actually am. So now I’d like to start a tread of people thinking up completely useless superpowers.

Us: Thank you Michael!

Michael: Thank you. It was really lovely talking to all of you, and for those of you who haven’t seen the film yet, I hope you really enjoy it and I hope I get to see you again some time.

Thanks Twilight Lexicon for posting this!!!