Summary

  • Kristen Stewart's diverse filmography post-Twilight showcases her acting talent, disproving critics' initial assessments.
  • Bella Swan, the character Stewart portrayed in Twilight, is the main issue, not Stewart's acting abilities.
  • Stewart's notable post-Twilight roles include Still Alice, Spencer, and films Sacramento and Flesh Of The Gods.

Kristen Stewart's career proves one Twilight movie criticism has always been ridiculous. Stewart has a lengthy career with 50 films spanning more than two decades. Even before her breakout role as Bella Swan in Twilight, Kristen already had a few movie roles under her belt, including Sarah Altman in Panic Room and Jess Solomon in The Messengers. However, the Twilight Saga, based on the books by Stephenie Meyer, really made her career take off. The Twilight films premiered at a time when young adult fantasy was making a massive comeback for teenagers.

Along with Harry Potter, these two franchises were the face of teen pop culture and young adult fantasy literature for several years. Twilight was a huge phenomenon that continues to have a cultural impact even today. As time ed, Twilight began receiving a lot of criticism, ranging from Jacob's imprint on Renesmee to the terrible CGI. Furthermore, the movies include many issues that prove the Twilight films have not aged well. One of the most famous critiques revolves around Kristen Stewart, but her post-Twilight career proves how wrong the critics were.

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Some of the Twilight cast were a little too old to play their characters, while others were technically way too young to play ageless vampires.

Kristen Stewart's Career Proves Criticism Of Her Twilight Acting Was Always Way Off-Base

Kristen Stewart Has A Lengthy Filmography To Prove It

Kristen Stewart in Snow White and the Huntsman

Kristen Stewart's career has only developed since the Twilight Saga, and critics often praise her skills as a performer.

One of Twilight's biggest critiques involves Kristen Stewart's portrayal of Bella Swan. Many critics believe Stewart's acting skills are subpar and one of the franchise's problems. However, her career since the Twilight Saga has proved the complete opposite. She has starred in numerous films, ranging across many genres and challenging roles. Kristen Stewart's career has only developed since the Twilight Saga, and critics often praise her skills as a performer. She even has an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in Spencer. Kristen Stewart has proved her talent, which suggests the issue was never Stewart's acting. Instead, it was about her character, Bella Swan.

Kristen Stewart Wasn't The Problem - Bella Swan Was

Bella Swan Is a Two-Dimensional Boring Character

Kristen Stewart was never a bad actress, but the movies' protagonist, Bella Swan, is a deeply flawed character. Stewart did her best, but there is only so much a talented actress can do when playing a role. Despite all the drama of the stories, Bella Swan is a fundamentally uninteresting protagonist. She has no motivations or desires other than being with Edward Cullen. Although Edward and Bella's romance is legendary, with many of the best Twilight quotes about love involving them, Bella, as an individual character, cannot stand on her own. She has no personality outside of her relationship, limiting what Kristen Stewart could do with the role.

The narrative only raises the stakes when it involves Bella's love life, such as Bella rushing to Italy to save Edward from the Volturi or Edward and Bella's relationship being on the line because Victoria wants to kill Bella. Edward and Bella break up in The Twilight Saga: New Moon, leading audiences to see Bella as an independent character for the first time. However, nothing is compelling about her storyline. Bella Swan does not maintain interest without the Cullen Family, and when protagonists cannot stand on their own, it is usually a recipe for mediocre storytelling.

Kristen Stewart's Best Post-Twilight Movies To Watch

Still Alice and Spencer Are Just A Couple Of Kristen Stewart's Impressive Films

Thankfully, Kristen Stewart has a slew of films she has starred in since her Twilight days. Her two most notable performances are in the Academy Award-nominated films Still Alice and Spencer. Still Alice is a drama based on a book about a woman who is diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimer's. Julianne Moore plays the main character, Alice Daly Howland, but Kristen Stewart has a ing role as one of Alice's children, Lydia Howland. Stewart played the lead role in Spencer, a movie about Princess Diana Spencer during her marriage to King Charles.

Kristen Stewart's Selective Filmography Since Twilight

Year

Adventureland

2009

The Runaways

2010

Welcome to the Rileys

2010

Snow White and the Huntsman

2012

On the Road

2012

Camp X-Ray

2014

Clouds of Sils Maria

2014

Still Alice

2014

America Ultra

2015

Certain Women

2016

Personal Shopper

2016

Lizzie

2018

Seberg

2019

Charlie's Angels

2019

Happiest Season

2020

Spencer

2021

Crimes of the Future

2022

Love Lies Bleeding

2024

Although the BAFTAs snubbed Kristen Stewart's Princess Diana role, she was still nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Other films Stewart has participated in since the Twilight Saga include Charlie's Angels, Certain Women, Happiest Season, and Love Lies Bleeding. While Kristen filmed the Twilight movies, she starred in other films such as The Runaways, Adventureland, Snow White and the Huntsman, and On the Road. There is no shortage of roles that Kristen Stewart has played, encoming a broad spectrum of genres and stories. She has certainly proven her talent as an actress, cementing her place in Hollywood.

Kristen Stewart may have faced backlash for her portrayal of Bella Swan in the Twilight Saga, but she has since proved the critics wrong. Kristen has an film called Sacramento, and she will star in the limited series The Challenger as Sally Ride. Furthermore, Kristen Stewart will return to the vampire genre alongside Oscar Isaac in the new film Flesh Of The Gods. These roles, and her post-Twilight career, prove that her performance as Bella Swan will likely no longer be considered a defining role. The Twilight Saga helped Kristen Stewart burst onto the scene, but it does not define her.

Twilight (2008) Movie Poster

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Twilight
Release Date
November 21, 2008
Runtime
121 minutes
Director
Catherine Hardwicke

WHERE TO WATCH

Based on Stephenie Meyer’s book of the same name, Twilight follows Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), who falls madly in love with Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), who she soon finds out is a vampire. Falling in love with her at the same time, Edward and Bella must overcome obstacles to preserve their forbidden relationship.

Writers
Melissa Rosenberg
Sequel(s)
The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1
Franchise(s)
The Twilight Saga