If you’re reading this, I assume you either know or are a fan of the Twilight saga – and if you’re not, then shame on you! But in any case, it’s well past time for you to move on from these books, which have now been immortalized in Hollywood movies. To celebrate the end of an era, let’s have a look at the changing bodies of our favorite Twilighters.
Robert Pattinson
We’ll begin with the man himself, Robert Pattinson. You might know him as the pale, scruffy-looking kid from Twilight, who meets his future wife, Bella Swan, at a crowded teen party and falls in love right there. After their wedding, Robert continues to develop as an actor, gaining a considerable amount of weight for his role as the sad, pensive Edward Cullen. In the months and years that follow, we see Robert gradually transform his body into that of a more mature, steely man.
In the final movie in the franchise, Breaking Dawn – Part 2, we see Edward finally putting his pacifist ways behind him, learning to fight and, quite literally, grow a set. In the movie, Bella is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her family, who are determined to keep her safe from the bite of a vampire. It’s clear from this point that she’s made her decision and the couple share, what is probably their last intimate moment together, before heading off to separate living spaces to begin new, independent lives.
Bella Swan
Moving on to Bella, we see her grow from a shy, sheltered schoolgirl into the strong, independent woman she is to become. In Twilight, we see her shrugging off her father’s tyranny and finding love, security, and confidence in Edward. It’s clear that Robert Pattinson’s performance as Bella’s husband, Edward, had a profound influence on her as a person, helping to transform her into the strong, independent woman she is to become. In the Twilight movies, she goes from a plain, pale 16-year-old to one of the most recognizable faces in the world. Her beauty and vivacity are a testament to the transformative power of love.
Casting Call
Finally, let’s not forget about the rest of the cast, which, as we’ve established, has changed quite a bit over the years. In the first Twilight movie, we meet a gaggle of quirky, quirky teens, who engage with the audience through quirky, quirky banter. The first sign of the movie becoming something more is when the kids start auditioning for parts in later installments. In the first movie, we don’t see any of the kids in the second installment, yet they all show up for the third. Similarly, Victoria’s casting in Twilight is clearly a mistake, as she looks nowhere near her age in the movie. In fact, we see a lot of kids in that one.
Victoria’s Secret
One of the most interesting things about the Twilight saga is the fact that it managed to transition from screen to screen with such cinematic fidelity. Even the clothes and the make-up of the characters seem to have been designed with a designer’s eye for detail. Similarly, the way in which these clothes and this make-up are worn gives them a timeless quality, as if we could drop them into any film noir drama from the ’40s or ’50s and they’d still look fresh.
Is Edward’s Character Deviation Scam?
So, is Edward’s choice of character deviation a scam? Let’s take a pragmatic approach to this and consider the facts. In the first place, Edward is not a vegetarian, as we see in the 2016 movie. In the books, he’s never eaten meat, although he enjoys fish and fowl. This makes it highly unlikely that his character would be interested in eating something so foul. More importantly, even in the first movie, Edward does not go from being a blood-sucking monster to a vegetarian in a matter of minutes. In fact, in the Twilight saga, vampires are generally depicted as quite bloodthirsty and having a rather high fat intake. This is in opposition to the popular image of vegans, who are often portrayed as skinny and anemic. So, although it’s a nice touch that Edward has now become a vegetarian, it’s not exactly a major transformation.
As for the rest of the characters, they have all undergone some changes that we couldn’t really have anticipated when watching the movies as adolescents. In particular, Michael Sheen’s performance as Mike Newton turned out to be rather pivotal, as it gave the character a depth and dimension we never saw before. In earlier drafts of the screenplay for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Mike was originally going to be more of a comedic relief. In other words, we were going to see more of the Fezzik character from the novel, The Princess Bride, with his zingers and his quick wit. However, Michael Sheen’s portrayal of the downtrodden, bullied, and generally sad teen, with a very limited range of emotions, endears us to the character and makes him a memorable sight in the saga. In the end, he saves the day and is rewarded for his heroism with the girl of his dreams. In turn, this inspires him to fight for the women in his life, which leads to him becoming a superhero and, ultimately, the ruler of the town. For his efforts, he is granted everlasting life by The Great Oz, who transforms him into a immortal being, known as simply.., “He.”
Although the Twilight saga isn’t perfect, and some of the dialogues (for example, between Jacob and Victoria) are quite cringe-worthy, it’s an interesting study on body transformation and the effect that media and good storytelling can have on shaping our perceptions of beauty and making us fonder of those we deem beautiful.