A special thanks goes out to Kari Lane for reporting for us from Comic-Con ‘08 and to Brian Truitt for the transcripts of the Q&A roundtable sessions. The following is from the roundtable discussion with Edi Gathegi (Laurent) and Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black):
We asked Rob how he did his hair. How do you get your hair like that?
Taylor Lautner (L): Everybody thinks it takes a while, but really I just splash some water on it, gel and spray it down.
But you wash your hair, because apparently he doesn’t.
L: Oh! That’s nice. No, actually, Jacob does wash his hair. Once again, more human-like.
Laurent is a smaller role, and one would assume it’s bigger in the movie.
How does it get fleshed out in the film?
Edi Gathegi (G): Well, because it’s a movie there has to be dramatic tension so you’re aware of the conflict earlier on. In the book, you don’t meet the characters till page 300, but in the film, it’s a film so you have to know that there’s conflict out there.
What are the highlights of being a vampire?
G:There’s something really cool about having super strength, super speed, being immortal, never dying - that’s sexy. And that’s what’s cool about playing one. Otherwise, they were all humans at one point, so you’re just human with all these other attributes. So I attack it like I would address any other role.
Is there more werewolf stuff in the movie than in the book?
L: No, I wouldn’t say so. I’d say the script is very identical. The only sign of werewolf you get is Sam Uley walking up for a split second. They did a very good job at staying true to the book.
G: And one of the ways they ensured that is by having Stephenie consult the movie all the way through. She actually has a cameo. We honored her story very well, and I think the fans are going to be very happy with what they see in December.
L: That was Catherine’s big thing. She did an excellent job having Stephenie on there and staying true. The fans are definitely lucky to have Catherine. She did the best job possible that any director could have done.
G: She has a history of working with young talent - Lords of Dogtown, Thirteen - so she knows how to work with young artists and she’s always dealing with the human aspect of characters. She’s perfect for this film. And she’s so enthusiastic and spontaneous - she’s got a great sensibility. I loved working with her,
Were either of you familiar with the books?
L: I was not familiar with them before, but as soon as I realized, “Wow, I’m Jacob Black, let’s check into this thing. WHOA! These fans are amazing! This is huge!” It’s very cool to be a part of this, I’m excited and just looking forward to bringing their character to life.
Are you a fan of vampires and werewolves?
L: I’ve not seen much vampire and werewolf stuff, but definitely I’m a fan now.
G: Before, I would say that I wasn’t a fan of vampires until I read this one. This isn’t your typical vampire story - it’s about a girl who falls in love with a vampire, so it’s a romance. It’s got that vampire element to it, and once you believe their true human story, you go along for the vampire ride. I love this story, I want to be part of this story. So now, I’m open to the world of vampires! So if something else came along, I’d be curious and I want to see how somebody else does a vampire. It’s a pretty cool genre.
L: The cool part of this film is it has everything for everyone: It has the romance, it has the action. The romance because the girl falls in love with a vampire, but because of the vampire aspect, it has nonstop action and is very dark. That’s what the fans and everybody will love about the film: It has everything.
G: For the girls and for the guys.
Are dudes gonna like this movie?
G: Yeah, I’m a testament to that because I’m a Twihard now, which is what the online fans call themselves. I’m a grown man, and I love this story. It’s human and once you believe them, then you believe the vampire world. And there’s action in it too for me.
Is there blood and guts?
G: Blood. [laughs]
Is there a lot of blood? Given your audience, you probably don’t want it to be rated R.
G: I wish I knew. I only know from the scenes that I was in. It’s realistic - when you bite somebody, they bleed. But I don’t know how much other blood there is.
Are you guys having weird fan experiences now that you’re getting recognized?
G (to L): Didn’t you have one like 10 minutes ago? He got here like 15 minutes ago, and as soon as he steps out of the limo: “TAYLOR!”
L: Yeah, there’s girls wearing Team Jacob and Team Taylor shirts. So yeah, it’s weird but it’s fun. All the fans are awesome so it’s really cool to be a part of this with the fans behind this thing.
Any discussions of sequels?
G: No decisions have been made. I personally am gonna put in my bid for The Laurent Chronicles. I’m gonna pitch that to Stephenie tonight. I think they’re gonna have to figure out whether or not this movie does well, which I hope it does. I hope it’s as big as Harry Potter. They did really well, so if we have that kind of success, I think we’ll all be very happy.
4 Comments, Comment or Ping
Jaden @ Screenwriting for Hollywood
Great Q&A.
Lords of Dogtown and Thirteen are great indeed. I am so happy to see female director Catherine Hardwicke kick butt in Hollywood.
Jul 29th, 2008
Stephanie
Us Twihards will do everything in our power to make sure there is a New Moon, Eclipse & Breaking Dawn!!!!
Jul 30th, 2008
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