Chris Weitz: The challenge of Twilight

When Chris Weitz was hired to direct New Moon, he wasnt the fan favorite. Twilight fans were still reeling from the success of Twilight and were shocked when loved-Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke was replaced with a male director. As a franchise that is being taunted by most people catering to the female population only, the hiring of this Brit-educated director wasnt that welcomed.

However, after the first New Moon trailer aired out, fans began to warm up to him especially when he brought the CGI effects to a whole new level compared to the first movie. Now, as the film is less than a month’s away from its release, director/producer/writer Chris Weitz talked to The Hollywood Reporter on why he took the challenge of Twilight. Here is an excerpt of his interview:

The Hollywood Reporter: Why did you want to do a “Twilight” movie?

Chris Weitz: The tonality of the movie, which has a lot to do with heartbreak and longing, depression and reunion and ecstasy — these were emotions that struck a chord in me. I really loved the cast; Kristen (Stewart) and Rob (Pattinson) both are exceptionally talented. And I wanted to get my hand back in the game. There were a lot of things in this movie that I knew how to do: A combination of telling a character-based story but also handling special effects and working with young actors.

THR: And adding another genre of film to your resume?

Weitz: It gets a bit boring to be in a particular zone. I like the idea of switching genres and different types of stories to keep things interesting. But it might be the way to become unmemorable as a director, I suppose. There aren’t that many dilettante directors who get remembered. John Ford did all kinds of movies. Billy Wilder did too, but they get remembered for one particular kind.

THR: So how do you want to be remembered?

Weitz: I’m not sure. I don’t think I have to be remembered. I’ll be dead anyway (laughs).

THR: How much did you interact with Stephenie Meyer?

Weitz: A lot; we’ve had a real good collaboration. Crucially, she approved me as director, and she didn’t have to. We had some discussions that were very important — my convincing her that I didn’t want to take her baby and run away with it, or tell a story that was counter to the spirit of what she was trying to tell. I see myself, in the last few movies I’ve done, as adapting literary properties into film, so that’s how I treated this one. We got along like a house on fire.

THR: What kind of suggestions did she give you?

Weitz: It would normally be me e-mailing her and running things by her when I felt I was on the edge of getting a detail wrong, everything from the powers of a given vampire to the look of a particular scene or what she imaged a location looked like. And sometimes, when I felt that I was creating something new within the framework she had set up, making sure she was aware of it and that it didn’t make her sick.

THR: For example?

Weitz: A good example is the headquarters of the Volturi. The oldest vampire family lives in Italy, and it was important to me there be nothing in their surroundings that reeked of any other vampire movie. So the interiors are done in a very classic Renaissance style and are very crisp and very bright, which you would not normally expect from a vampire movie.

THR: Speaking of Italy, how have you dealt with the problem that your heartthrob is gone for most of the book?

Weitz: There are two heartthrobs in this movie, not just Rob but Taylor Lautner. Part of the point was that Edward was away. Readers of the book know this and appreciate it. The story is about loss and heartache; he is present as an absence. Bella is always thinking of him and affected by him. His return to the film is really powerful and made more so by not having millions of “back at the ranch” scenes. And the middle of the movie is sustained by Kristen’s amazing performance and by Taylor doing a lovely job as her best friend. There are people who would like nothing more that two hours of Rob Pattinson standing there, and I sympathize with them. But I think they’ll appreciate getting him back after the second act.

To read the rest of his interview, click on the link above.

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