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 Cam Gigandet (james):
Do you like playing the bad guy?
Yeah. It doesn’t really get any better than that. They just have more freedom with everything - they can do things that the good guys just can’t. They survive by a different set of rules, and they can have fun while doing it.
What’s your favorite ability to have?
The coolest thing for me was quite simple: something called the “Magic Carpet.” We’re just walking on the grass, and we’re actually walking on a 5-by-50-foot plexiglass thing. It’s attached to a wench, and it’s being pulled 15 mph and we’re walking normally. We had to practice because it’s kind of weird, but once we start walking and then they bring up the speed, you’re just flying by and walking at 25 mph. It’s pretty cool.
Was there any falling?
I didn’t fall. Well, the only time people would actually fall is when the thing stops, because then your body’s still going forward. So that’s when it got a little messy.
Are you into this whole genre?
I love vampires and I love love stories. At the end of the day, all that really matters - to me at least, it doesn’t matter if it’s horror, thriller, sci-fi - is that the story being told is something relatable and interesting, and then I enjoy it.
How was it working with Catherine?
From the very beginning, she had this energy that was infectious. Even on days where we had such weather problems and so many problems with mud, no matter what, even if it’s 25 degrees, her energy made you want to push forward and keep powering through and gave you that extra lift. You just wanted it. She could say two words, and even if I didn’t understand, I would do everything that I possibly could think.
How long was the shoot?
I think it was two and a half months. I only actually worked for the first three weeks. All of my stuff kinda got jammed in that first three weeks, which was physically tough.
What was it like going from a martial-arts movie to these fight scenes?
It’s such like a rollercoaster ride. Once Never Back Down was done, I would easily stay away from the gym by at least seven miles. That was like the closest I could get. And once this happened, even mentally it’s hard to get back on that commitment.
How cool are the vampire element to the fights?
Literally, I went from a mixed martial-arts movie to a movie with people who had superhuman speed and strength. It was very different. There was a lot of wire work because these people, they can’t have normal fights because every punch and every kick would cause the other to go up into the rafters, really. All the wire work and all the planning, we had to be very specific: If someone’s gonna hit someone here, what would that actually do? You’re looking at every little thing whereas with a fight with humans, it’s just a fight with humans. Every last thing was judged and turned around and upside down and just tried to figure it out. And then once we actually executed it all, the wire work was 90 percent of the fight. Even watching it, it’s unreal. It’s real but it’s extreme. Everything looked real in the entire movie, all those fights.
Have you read all of the books?
I haven’t read all of the books. I’ve read Twilight and New Moon - I read them so long ago. I don’t know why I didn’t read any of the others. Are they good?
What is it about Stephenie’s writing that appeals to so many people?
For me at least, it’s so relatable. It’s overcoming something to be with the person that you love. These characters have so many obstacles to overcome, it’s so relatable. You want so desparately for him [Edward] to win. Maybe it’s the hopeless romantic in everyone in the world.
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