The year is 2015, and actress Kristen Stewart is starring in the highly anticipated romantic comedy, Robot–Sleeper—a futuristic comedy about a lonely robot who falls in love with a human woman. The movie is based on William Gibson’s 2011 novel, Neuromancer, which in turn was inspired by the rise of the internet in the late 20th century.
Stewart plays Mia, a cyborg who is a passionate lover of literature and words. She falls in love with a human man named Robert Pattinson’s character, Morrow, a cocky, yet soft-hearted robot who is obsessed with his own sense of self-importance. The movie is set in a near future where robots have started living their lives on the surface, while people continue to live in basements, rarely interacting with each other.
In the year 2020, Stewart is now an established actress, having starred in blockbusters including Twilight and Birders (with Alfie Winkleman). Alongside her on-screen roles, she continues to carve out a name for herself in the world of literature. She is the author of Darling, a collection of short stories told from a woman’s perspective, and the recent release of Sober, her semi-autobiographical debut novel.
The daughter of writer Dana Wolter, Stewart was born and raised in Los Angeles. She spent her formative years in a household where the literary arts were encouraged.
Her father was a professional writer who specialized in historical romances, such as The Man Who Loved Cat (1974) and To Love and Protect (1984), and her mother is an actress and literary agent.
After graduating from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts in 2008, she began her career in television, making appearances on shows such as Gossip Girl and The O. C. Before You Know It.
She was first noticed for her portrayal of geeky, bookish teen Ava Leigh on the MTV series, The O. C. Her breakthrough performance came in 2012, when she starred in Twilight, a four-time Blockbuster hit that is now considered a cult film.
After graduating from the U.S. Cannes School of Film in 2015, Stewart began work on Robot–Sleeper. The movie was her second feature film, following her debut in The O. C. and was produced by her company, Snowdance, in association with Echo Lake.
Sleeping Beauty (2015), her next movie, was another critical and commercial success, earning her a Spotlight Slam at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. It was directed by Mark Romanek, who previously worked with Kanye West and Jay-Z, and written by Kelly Marcel, who also worked with West on Yeezus, his follow-up to The Swift Translation.
In the fall of 2015, Stewart and her co-star, Benji Black, were named Forbes 30 under 30, a list of the world’s top 30 rising stars under 30, and IGN’s 2015 list of Most Influential People in Games Technology.
Black, who plays Stewart’s love interest, Nick, is also a rising star. He appeared in the Marvel movie Black Panther, playing T’Challa’s bodyguard, Brawn. He will soon be seen in the highly anticipated Solo: A Star Wars Story (in theaters December 18), playing the role of Blue Max, a young pirate who befriends Lando Calrissian, played by Donald Trump Jr. Black is also the CEO of Cloud 9, an app development company focusing on the education market.
The Early Days
The pair began dating in 2013, after meeting at a dinner party in Los Angeles hosted by Vanity Fair executive Vanity Fair Vogue editor-in-chief, Candace Cannon.
Pattinson, who is known for playing the robot Krogan in the film Prometheus, and for his love of Harry Potter, proposed to Stewart on Christmas Day 2014, saying, “I got an idea. Let’s do this right now.” And so they did.
The wedding took place at the end of March 2015 in a private ceremony in Santa Monica, with a reception to follow at the Chateau Marmont in Beverly Hills. Guests included Beyoncé and Rihanna, alongside Barbra Streisand, Naomi Campbell and Marjorie Merriweather Post.
Forbes recently proclaimed that Stewart and Pattinson are currently the most popular celebrity newlyweds, followed by JLo and Benjamin Bhaskar (who married Kardashian in October 2015). The couple is known for being private and selective about the details of their relationship, which has been the subject of much speculation and gossip.
The Early Days (Cont.)
Not all of it has been smooth sailing, however. Rumors have circulated regarding Stewart’s past indiscretions. In August 2015, it was reported that a video allegedly showing the actress bound and blindfolded, being whipped with a cable was circulating on the internet. It was later said to be a hoax.
Shortly after their wedding, the couple had a falling out, and in April 2016, it was revealed that Pattinson had filed for divorce from Stewart, citing irreconcilable differences.
While the details of their split remain private, the two have publicly revealed that they reached a settlement amicably in October 2016.
The divorce was finalized in March 2017, with both parties maintaining their confidentiality to keep an edgy public profile while they navigate the challenging world of love, marriage and parenting.
The Professional Life
Despite the rumors that swirled around her after her split from Pattinson, Stewart has continued to act and produce films. In fact, she has so much on her plate that she barely has time to breathe. Forbes has ranked Stewart as one of the most powerful women in entertainment, and she currently ranks as the 21st most influential celebrity on the Internet based on Google Analytics.
In 2019, Stewart and Pattinson reunited for the fifth installment of the fantastic Robot series, Robot—Sleeper Fever. The movie is set in a post-pandemic world, and follows a group of female robots who live together in a dilapidated neighborhood. Robot 5, played by Stewart, acts as the de facto matriarch of the group—a role she has often played on film and TV, most notably in HBO’s The Golden Hair (1991).
Alongside Stewart, other well-known faces in the Robot franchise include Michelle Yeoh (from The Inexpensive Apartment (1977) and A Live Co-Worker (2019)), Andrea Rizzo (as the first factory robots in Westworld (1973)) and Dori Manchot (in I, Robot (1975)).