The phenomenal success of the "Twilight" franchise has opened a lot of doors for all its actors - with almost everyone from the cast snagging roles left and right immediately after the first movie came out. However, the fame and fortune that came with the project also required the stars to become public property, thereby relinquishing the control of what should and should not be exposed in their personal lives a futile aspect of discussion.
At the height of the franchise's popularity, fans and followers of the actors could not seem to get enough of their idols as every move and decision made in connection with the stars made it to the headlines. Such was the life led by Kristen Stewart at the time - a life that she eventually "lit on fire and watched it burn." In an interview with Marie Claire magazine, the "Twilight" star reveals just how much the fame affected her life and the manner by which it altered her personality.
"Between ages 15 and 20, it was really intense," Stewart shares, referring to her newfound popularity following the release of the "Twilight" films. It could be recalled that she played the lead role in the franchise as the human turned vampire, named Bella Swan. "I was constantly anxious," the actress recalled, reminiscing on the days she played alongside Robert Pattinson, who landed the role of the heartthrob vampire Edward Cullen. While they started out as onscreen lovers, it did not take long before Stewart and Pattinson developed a romantic relationship off screen.
Stewart went on to remember, "I was kind of a control freak." She added, "If I didn't know how something was going to turn out, I would make myself ill, or just be locked up or inhibited in a way that was really debilitating."
Following the success of "Twilight" was Stewart's key role in "Snow White and the Hunstman," where her fans and followers from her days playing the love interest of Pattinson got their hearts broken as rumors of an affair between the actress and direct Rupert Sanders began to surface. Although both parties kept mum on the alleged infidelity claims, pictures of the two looking intimate started to make headlines. The reports further gained traction when Pattinson, who was then the boyfriend of Stewart, moved out of their home despite earlier stories regarding their plans to get married. Almost simultaneously, Liberty Ross, the then wife of Sanders, also hinted on divorce from her alleged unfaithful husband.
"I lit my universe on fire," Stewart shares, "and I watched it burn." According to Inquistr, the actress could be alluding to the period of her life when everything seemed to have gone down the drain as she was labelled and persecuted as a homewrecker and a heartbreaker. Stewart continues to say, "Speaking very candidly, it was a really traumatic period in my early 20s that kick-started something in me that was a bit more feral."
The more mature version of her, however, is now more in control and capable of handling all the things Hollywood throws her way. "I'm really proud that I am able to move forward and not fall into every mental crater," she admits. Stewart add, "That's a new thing for me. Age has made me smarter and calmer. And it is [expletive] awesome."
