As a newly crowned rising industry star, will Kristen Stewart be able to lay the fang-frenzy to rest and continue down the path of prosperity?
US humorist Erma Bombeck once wrote, ‘Don’t confuse fame with success. Madonna is one; Helen Keller is another.’ perhaps this years winner of the Orange Rising Star Award, Kristen Stewart, had read this before. The only award voted for by the public at the prodigious BAFTAs has since its inception been a clear indication to both the public and the industry of stand out young talent, one to keenly watch in most simple terms.
Miss Stewart in all fairness is one of these; an exciting actress who’s CV is rapidly increasing in strength; nominated by a varied panel of experts just to be in for the running. Her performances of late are noticeably entering maturer waters; in forthcoming drama The Yellow Handkerchief, indiewood piece Adventureland and as Joan Jett in Floria Sigismondi’s upcoming rock-biopic The Runaways.
With the likes of Eva Green and James McAvoy winning in the past and Cary Mulligan and Adventureland co-star Jesse Eisenberg also up for this years coveted trophy you would be forgiven for thinking that Stewart would be all smiles and weepy speeches on being named this years winner. Alas no. Her reaction was closer to shocked grief, like being told Fido had unfortunately escaped the yard and now lay splattered on the street due to a speeding motorist: “I can’t believe this…”
Presenter Edith Bowman opened the post-ceremony interview with platitudes of how special it must be to be voted for by the public and to her alarm got an honest answer in a world were much more than the films are scripted.
“Hmmm… yeah, I dunno… Ah, I guess, of course.” Was Stewart’s initial response. “I’m very thankful for the fans of Twilight and ah… Not just exclusively the fans of Twilight, ah you know, it’s a pretty cool thing.”
Stewart seems to be under no illusions; she more than understands the cult like intensity franchise fans can possess. Indeed, that very night herself and co-star Robert Pattison had to arrive separately to save working the crowd into frenzy. Soon turning into a fast paced ramble as Stewart continued to fumble through putting her finger on it, the interview ended strangely with previous years winner Noel Clarke repeatedly reassuring her that it wasn’t ‘just about Twilight’ and she should be proud.
While you could argue it’s hard to sympathise with someone gaining success and fortune from a dedicated fan-base, the attention must get tedious. As seen before with Star Wars and Harry Potter, successful franchises can often be more of a curse than a blessing to an actor’s career. Harrison Ford may be remembered for playing Han, Indy and the President but alas, Mark Hamill will forever be Luke Skywalker to millions. Perhaps learning from the aforementioned, Daniel Radcliffe has wisely taking steps out of the wizard realm with roles in the stage play Equus and Rod Hardy’s low-key drama December Boys both going some to way to changing his image.
Stewart, herself the same age as Radcliffe, has even more varied features to her name, making sure to attempt something vastly different between every Twilight release. Despite how she may or may not of come to gain the Rising Star Award the honour will no doubt further boost her credibility and standing in the industry. At very least it’s a good omen, one glance at Green and McAvoy’s skyrocketing careers post win and you can’t help but visualise how Hollywood with soon be carefully placing ‘BAFTA Winner’ in trailers and on posters for future Stewart featuring titles.
It will be most interesting to see were Stewart finds herself as an actress when the fang-loving frenzy has cooled down. Yet standing at the podium for the entire world to see last week, Stewart was all twitch, hair stroking and lip biting; far from lapping up the glitz and glamour like most of her contemporaries happily do. She seemed to want to be anywhere else in the world, uncomfortable with her own celebrity, desperate to get back to her seat, back to the hotel, back to normality. At this juncture it’s a tough one to call. Let’s just hope for her sake it won’t be a case of Bella forever.
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