The huge fan base that the Twilight series had for a while enabled the books to turn into a movie series. Catherine Hardwicke was the director of those films. Although the films caused a great sensation, they could not escape criticism.
In a podcast he participated in, Hardwicke cited Jenna Ortega and Jacob Elordi as “perfect” choices for the roles of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. Speaking about Elordi, the director said, “I mean, he’s great. He’d probably be Edward today.” he said. For the role of Bella, Hardwicke said, “There are a lot of really cool young actors today. You just mentioned Jenna Ortega, she’s amazing.” said.
Jenna Ortega as Bella
The famous director also made statements about his past casting choices. Stating that the studio did not believe him when he chose Robert Pattinson for the role of Edward, Hardwicke stated that Pattinson was overweight at the first stage and therefore the studio acted distantly. He even explained that when he sent videos from his audition to the studio, they asked the director if he was sure. Hadrwicke also said that the actor’s jawline played an important role in choosing Pattinson.
While the Twilight series consisted of five productions in total, it managed to leave a total of 3 billion dollars behind at the box office. Although the reactions from critics were mixed, the Twilight series also brought great fame to Pattinson.