Stewart, who was honored with the American Riviera Festival award, joined IndieWire’s Ann Thompson for an extensive talk about her career.
Kristen Stewart was the guest of honor at the 37th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival this weekend. The “Spencer” star received this year’s American Riviera Festival award, a coveted trophy awarded for excellence in film. Past recipients of the award have included Robert Redford, Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino.
At the festival, the “Spencer” star met with Ann Thompson of IndieWire to discuss her career. Stewart recalled that she knew that she succeeded after the first meeting with the paparazzi.
“I remember two days before Twilight came out, I was sitting on the front porch with my dog and I got my first pat,” Stewart said. “I’m sitting there, smoking a cup… I remember that moment fondly.”
Stewart followed the Twilight franchise with a series of bold artistic choices that made her a serious actress. She has worked with foreign authors including Olivier Assayas, Walter Sakura, Pablo Larrain and Walter Salles. She became the first American actress to win the César Award, the French equivalent of the Oscar, for her role in Assayas’ The Cloud of Sils Maria. Stewart praised the experience of working with the French director and said that she liked the way French audiences and critics reacted to the films.
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“The weirdest thing about this movie is that it’s not flashy at all. Most people get awards for playing historical figures or shaving their heads because they are very sick,” she said. When she won her Cesar, Stewart says: “I was very surprised. It definitely speaks of a French sensibility.”
Stuart keeps pushing himself. Last year, she received an Oscar nomination for her role in Spencer, where critics praised her ability to capture the legend of Princess Diana despite Larraine’s film refusing to live up to the conventions of biopics. When asked why she loves to act and continues to look for difficult roles, Stewart laughed. “I’m kind of a masochist,” she said. “I love how scary it is.”
As for her next challenge? Stewart is eyeing the director’s chair. She told the public that she was trying to develop a project that would be her directorial debut. “Right now I’m trying to put together a film… I have a couple balls in the air,” she said. “I’ll tease you with this, but I’m very excited.”
Following the call, Charlize Theron was on hand to present the award to Stewart and praised the actress’s Oscar-nominated performance as Princess Diana in Spencer, stating “it’s not an easy task to take on the most iconic figure in modern history.” but you let us into this character. You allowed us to look into her soul in the most tactful and heartbreaking way.
Watch an excerpt from Stewart’s conversation with Ann Thompson below:
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