As filming wraps up in Vancouver for the upcoming Twilight sequel New Moon, Twilight stars Robert Pattison, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Nikki Reed, Peter Facinelli and the other Twilight Saga actors will soon be looking ahead to their time in Italy where the New Moon production comes to a close. After the first Twilight film, based on the popular Stephenie Meyer series of novels, New Moon opens up the characters even more as they evolve into more diverse and emotionally concrete figures in the Twilight Saga. How each handles their characters for a second time, namely Robert Pattinson, is a powerful question surrounding the anticipation for New Moon.

The nature of New Moon, however, sets a different tone than Twilight with its darker and more painful layers while an element of despair runs throughout the story. Edward Cullen, Bella Swan and Jacob Black each battle their own inner turmoil as they struggle with adolescence, love, the changes within themselves, and the dynamics of how they fit into the Twilight world with and without each other. Given how New Moon takes shape, the once upfront and visible Robert Pattinson in Twilight steps into the shadows for the sequel to make way for Taylor Lautner whose Jacob Black character becomes the major visible male presence.

New Dramatic Diversity

[spoilers]

In the sequel, Edward leaves Bella for her own safety, which sparks deep, emotional turmoil and pain in both characters but also opens up a new form of conflict. Although Jacob makes a physical transformation in New Moon, Edward is not far behind with a change of his own that’s directly related to Bella. New Moon becomes a turning point for Edward in his view of Bella. Pattinson has already proved to the world that he can play the brooding vampire but he will need to focus on expressing another side of the character in Edward’s distress. Interestingly, given how Pattinson is still in the early stages of his career, the emotional complexities within Edward in New Moon will require more of the actor than in previous roles he’s taken on in terms of dramatic diversity.

The Evolution of Edward and Robert

New Moon showcases the delicate balance between Edward Cullen and the ancient Volturi Vampire Clan. [spoilers] Their presence and the consequences that they bring forth to Edward and Bella set up the beginning of the next novel, Eclipse. Love and life are tested in New Moon so it’s up to Robert Pattison and his second interpretation of Edward Cullen to illustrate the actions of an immortalized hero with a new sense of self-realization in regard to how he feels about Bella Swan. Again, given how Robert Pattinson is at the early stages of his career, fans will also get to see the evolution of Edward Cullen along with Robert Pattinson in “near” real time as he develops as an actor.

In many ways the question of Robert Pattinson keeping the presence of Edward alive in New Moon is directly related to Pattinson keeping alive the presence of himself, the actor, to venture into new territory and accept the challenges of Edward. There’s no question that the New Moon production is under an enormous amount of pressure to produce an even more visually stunning and fan-connecting translation of its literary counterpart than Twilight. That pressure also trickles down to the actors and everyone contributing to make New Moon.

You can read the full feature article here.

~Angel

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