Kristen Jaymes Stewart (born April 9, 1990) is an American actress and filmmaker. She rose to stardom for her lead role as Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga film series (2008–2012), which collectively grossed over $3.3 billion worldwide.[1] The world's highest-paid actress in 2010 and 2012, she is the recipient of a César Award, the only American actress to win it.
Born and raised in Los Angeles to parents who both worked in the entertainment industry, Stewart first gained notice at age 12 for her role as the daughter of Jodie Foster's character in David Fincher's thriller Panic Room (2002). She subsequently starred in Speak (2004), Catch That Kid (2004), Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005), and Into the Wild (2007). In 2010, she was awarded the BAFTA Rising Star Award. After starring in the fantasy film Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), Stewart eschewed roles in big-budget films in favor of independent productions in the years following. She took on roles in the dramas Camp X-Ray and Still Alice (both 2014), and the science fiction romance Equals (2016). In 2015, she garnered critical acclaim for her performance in Olivier Assayas' drama film Clouds of Sils Maria, which won her the César Award for Best Supporting Actress. Stewart reunited with Assayas the following year in the supernatural thriller Personal Shopper (2016) and made her directorial debut with the 2017 short film Come Swim. She returned to mainstream Hollywood with leading roles in the action films Charlie's Angels (2019) and Underwater (2020).
Early life
Kristen Jaymes Stewart was born on April 9, 1990, in Los Angeles, California,[2] to parents in the entertainment industry.[3] Her American father, John Stewart, is a stage manager and television producer who has worked for Fox[4] and on the Comedy Central show @midnight. Her Australian mother,[5] Jules Mann-Stewart, is a script supervisor and also directed the 2012 film K-11.[6] Jules was adopted by a Jewish couple in California, Norma and Ben Urman, in 1953; a DNA test showed that one of Kristen's biological maternal grandparents was Ashkenazi Jewish.[7] Stewart has an older brother, Cameron B. Stewart, and two adopted brothers, Dana and Taylor.[8] In 2012, her mother filed for divorce after 27 years of marriage.[4]
Stewart attended local schools until the seventh grade. As she became more involved in acting, she continued her education by distance until graduating from high school.[9][10]
Career
1999–2003: Career beginnings
As she was raised in a family who work in the entertainment industry as non-actors, Stewart thought that she would become a screenwriter/director, but never considered being an actor. She recalled, "I never wanted to be the center of attention—I wasn't that 'I want to be famous, I want to be an actor' kid. I never sought out acting, but I always practiced my autograph because I love pens. I'd write my name on everything."[11]
She began acting at age eight, after an agent saw her perform in her elementary school's Christmas play.[12] After auditioning for a year, Stewart got her first role with a small, nonspeaking part in the Disney Channel television film The Thirteenth Year.[13] Her next film was The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, where she played the "ring toss girl".[13] She also appeared in the independent film The Safety of Objects (2001), as the tomboy daughter of a troubled single mother (Patricia Clarkson). Stewart also played a tomboy, diabetic daughter of a divorced mother (Jodie Foster) in the thriller film Panic Room (2002), directed by David Fincher. She was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her performance.[14]
2008–2012: The Twilight Saga and worldwide recognition
On November 16, 2007, Summit Entertainment announced that Stewart would play main character Isabella "Bella" Swan in the film Twilight, based on Stephenie Meyer's bestselling vampire romance novel of the same name.[23] Stewart was on the set of Adventureland when director Catherine Hardwicke visited her for an informal screen test, which "captivated" the director.[24] She starred alongside Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen, her vampire boyfriend. The film began production in February 2008 and finished filming in May 2008.
Twilight was released domestically on November 21, 2008.[25] Stewart's performance garnered mixed reviews with some critics describing her as "the ideal casting choice" and praising her for conveying "Bella's detachment, as well as her need to bust through it;" others criticized her acting for being "wooden" and lacking variety in her facial expressions, which they described as "blank".[26][27]
She received praise for her role in Adventureland (2009), a comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola, and co-starring Jesse Eisenberg. Critic James Berardinelli said, "Stewart is more than merely appealing in this role – she makes Em a fully realized woman, and some of the most intricate development results from what the camera observes in Stewart's eyes."[28] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times said Stewart was "beautiful, enigmatic and very experienced".[29] and MSN Movies' James Rocchi stated, "Stewart's vulnerable, spooky power is used to nice effect." [30]
Stewart reappeared as Bella in the Twilight's sequel, New Moon, once again receiving mixed reviews for her performance. Jordan Mintzer from Variety called Stewart "the heart and soul of the film" and praised her for giving "both weight and depth to dialogue...she makes Bella's psychological wounds seem like the real deal."[31] On the other hand, Manohla Dargis from The New York Times said Stewart's "lonely-girl blues soon grow wearisome,"[32] and Bill Goodykoontz from The Arizona Republic stated "Stewart is a huge disappointment... She sucks the energy right out of the film".[33] She reprised this role in the third Twilight film, Eclipse.
2019–present
Stewart returned to mainstream Hollywood with starring roles in the action comedy film Charlie's Angels (2019) and the science fiction film Underwater (2020). Both films were poorly-reviewed by critics, but her performance in the former was well received.[98][99] Stewart wrote and directed a short film titled Crickets, as part of the anthology series Homemade which follows stories from 18 filmmakers from around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic isolation. It was co-produced by Pablo Larraín's production company Fabula. The series was released on June 30, 2020 on the Netflix platform.[100]
Stewart later starred opposite Mackenzie Davis in Happiest Season, a LGBT holiday romance film directed by Clea DuVall, which was released on November 25, 2020.[101][102]