Young Aussie actor Xavier Samuel is getting a lot of attention these days, first in the award-winning Aussie horror film “The Loved Ones”, and coming up in the third of the “Twilight” films, “Eclipse”.
In “Eclipse”, directed by David Slade (”30 Days of Night”), the 25-year-old actor plays Riley, a good-looking college student who joins the plot of villain Victoria (Bryce Dallas-Howard) to murder protagonist Bella (Kristen Stewart).
Moviehole had the chance to quickly discuss the film with Xavier.
Question: Did you know anything about that particular franchise?
Samuel: To be honest, not really. Like, I watched the film on the plane. And at that stage, I hadn’t read the books, but I have now. I knew very little about it. I knew that it was extremely popular, and people kind of go crazy for it.
Question: Crazy is an understatement.
Samuel: Yeah. Like, you know, this notion of eternal love, and danger, and – you know, the thing that you love could kill you – that sort of stuff is, like – I guess it’s intoxicating for a lot of people.
Question: And you play a vampire in Eclipse?
Samuel: Newborn vampire.
Question: A newborn vampire. Do you do any research on something like this?
Samuel: Sleep in coffins at night, and stuff like that?
Question: Or look at classic horror films that explored vampire culture.
Samuel: I think that I’ve resisted that temptation, because the vampires, in Twilight, are very different. I think there’s a crucial element to portraying something like that is retaining some sort of humanity, and if you can do that, then hopefully it can work, in less of a stereotypical, clichéd kind of way.
