Quick Bits: Pattinson, Stewart and Taylor at the 'New Moon' TV press day

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner at the Hot Topic event Friday in Hollywood.

Credit: AP Photo/Dan Steinberg

Summit Entertainment ran a wonderfully smooth TV press day today for "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."  The talent seemed calm and carefree even after a full day of TV interviews in rooms that can get as warm as a sauna because of those pesky hot nights.  Video interviews of all the talent should begin being posted tomorrow evening and Monday, but in the meantime, here are some quick impressions and recollections from a busy few hours with the "New Moon" crew.

- Robert Pattinson was sipping tea while we spoke.  He still insists he's floored by how bit the "Twilight" franchise has become.  He also doesn't expect to take a break from shooting films until after "Breaking Dawn."  He seemed to assume "Dawn" would occur after he finished "Bel Ami" and "Unbound Captives."

- Having had a strange one on one print interview with Kristen Stewart last year, it was stunning to see how much she has grown in 12 months.  Calm, confident and still as sharp as a tack.  When asked whether she'd want to do a comedy next after such a busy year, she said she expects to keep taking challenging roles.  If the role doesn't speak to her, she's not interested.

- Walked in on Taylor Lautner having one of his many protein shakes of the day.  Lautner said it was more difficult to keep the muscle on for "Eclipse" and he wants to make sure he doesn't have to go through such extremes for the next installment.  He also said he's going to take a break after promoting "New Moon," but expects to have a project he's "very excited about" to announce soon. He also looked incredibly dapper in a black tie and white shirt. 

- Director Chris Weitz went into depth about the CG animation that was required in such a short production time.  It just wasn't the wolves, even the sparkle effect for Edward is not something you can do quickly.  He discussed why what is essentially the "Empire Strikes Back" of the book series appealed to him, say rather than "Eclipse" and he's looking forward to sleeping for a month after the premiere.  He'll then tackle a lower budget drama "The Gardner" which he will be both English and Spanish language.

- The Wolfpack crew were an expected rowdy bunch.  A few of them had their shoes and socks off (it's unclear why) and they said they knew exactly what they were getting into when they signed on for the roles.  So, being shirtless for most of their scenes in the cold rain was completely expected.  The quartet also said they did less stunt work in "Eclipse" than in "New Moon," but hinted that Chaske Spencer (Sam Uley) has a big fight in the third installment.

- The Cullens admitted they watched the other vampire franchises "True Blood" (Elizabeth Reaser loves it) and wished they could change their hair styles like those vampires can.  It appears being eternal has its aesthetic disadvantages.

- The Volturi honestly had the least to say and that might be because they aren't in the movie as much. Michael Sheen discussed his inspiration for Aro -- mostly the book -- and Dakota Fanning talked about how fun it was to shoot in the Italy.

And that's the best this reporter can recall from the busy day at this time, but all of the talent had a lot more to say.

Look for much more "New Moon" coverage including video interviews tomorrow on HitFix.

Get tickets and showtimes and find archived exclusive "New Moon" set visit stories here.

For constant updates on awards season and entertainment news follow Gregory Ellwood on Twitter at Twitter.com/HitFixGregory

 

Gregory Ellwood
Editor-in-Chief, Co-Founder

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With over a decade of experience in the movie industry, Ellwood survived working for two major studios and has written for Variety, MSN and the LA Times. A co-founder of HitFix, Ellwood spends his time relaxing hitting 3’s on the basketball court and following his beloved Clippers.