Kristen Stewart has had a great year. While American Ultra bombed, Kristen didn’t have to wear it, and she continues to garner critical praise and awards for her performance in Clouds of Sils Maria. Earlier this year, she became the first American actress to win a Cesar Award (the French Oscar), and just in the past few weeks, she’s picked up Best Supporting Actress Awards from the New York Film Critics Circle and Boston Society of Film Critics, plus she was the runner-up at the LAFCAs. Of course, Kristen did not get a Golden Globe or SAG nomination, but if someone put a little time and money into it, I bet she could be an Oscar nom contender. It’s not surprising that Kristen understands that too, which is why she sat down with Scott Feinberg for a podcast/interview with the Hollywood Reporter. This stop is a must-do for serious Oscar campaigners! You can read the piece here. Some highlights:
Why she signed on to Clouds of Sils Maria: “As somebody who’s dealt with the more absurd, really surreal, oftentimes insanely superficial, empty circus of what the media can be — and perception versus reality — I thought it was really funny and appropriate for me to play that part… There was just nobody who could say those things with more knowing, and people know that. I wanted those words in my mouth.”
Her life after Twilight: “I did Twilight when I was 17, it came out when I was 18 and my life was never even remotely the same… [it was] a huge lifestyle shift” which wasn’t easy to deal with. Even so, she says she doesn’t regret her decision to sign up for the series: “A whole lot of other baggage — really heavy and really cool baggage — came along with it.”
The nature of celebrity, fame: “It’s weird because it does shape the way I have to approach my everyday life. I’ve never fed into it. I’ve never had a public Twitter, I’ve never had a public Facebook or things where people go on and look at your every move, like Instagram and stuff like that, because it’s just so empty and distracting. I don’t understand how so many people don’t view it as what it is, which is nothing at all. It’s just nothing, all of it — it doesn’t exist. And so yeah, it’s weird — but it makes sense.” Meaning? It supports a demand from a lot of bored people, she explains, and also produces “a lot of money, a lot of hits on websites.”
Advice for Daisy Ridley: “Focus on the fact that you’re stoked ’cause you’re doing the work that you want to do. It’s literally mainly just about focusing on what makes you happy. And if losing your anonymity or whatever doesn’t make you happy, then focus on something else.”
She also said some brief words about working with Woody Allen for the first time, saying he was like a cool grandpa or something, and that he is an actor’s director. As I was reading this, I was just struck again by the fact that Kristen is not the most eloquent of actresses, but she’s gotten a lot better in the past few years. When all was said and done, the Trampire/Mini-Coopering debacle was actually just what her image needed. I think she’s incorrect about not feeding into the celebrity machine though – I remember those Twilight years and she was very much a cog in the machine. Then she burned it to the ground and rose from the ashes like a lip-biting phoenix.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
I know she’s hated around here and she’s not a Meryl or Winslet but I like her.
I saw the twilight movies and till date I dunno what they were on about because I was too distracted by her face. this girl is insanely beautiful; her skin, hair, legs, lip-bitey and all. I literally can’t. Lol I’m sounding like my teen daughter now. For me, she’s up there with Rachel McAdams, Beyoncé, Gugu Mbatha Raw, Leighton Meester etc as the most beautiful around right now. when I’m watching her I forget she’s not a great actress.
I have the exact same opinion as you! I think she’s stunning, and I actually really enjoyed her in the Twilight movies. I don’t think she’s that bad an actress at all from her other stuff.
She really is stunning. She is growing as an actress.
she’s ridiculously pretty, i agree.
Not by me. I like her. She is different.
I think she is very average looking and there is nothing wrong with that.
I actually think that’s why she was so successful in the first place, people could relate to her looks (hey, probably why she was hired to play Bella), she wasn’t a threatening sort of beauty, just average like most girls.
ITA You can go to any mall in America and see girls prettier than her. Everyone is pretty when they are an actress. They have the best make-up and hair stylist in the world. We all would be stunning given that much attention and money
When Twilight first came out, I thought she looked pretty average too. But as her face has matured, I think her bone structure and eyes are really striking. Her eye color and the half-lidded shape are unique and beautiful, IMO.
But honestly, there are a billion types of “beautiful”, so I don’t really think of it like a contest between her and girls in malls. They can all be beautiful at the same time.
I’m in the minority, but I think she is stunning! Even after minicooper-gate, I knew she had staying power. I’m glad she’s metaphorically risen from the ashes and emerged more poised, polished and aware it would seem.
I don’t think she is stunning, but she is pretty, and I know I am in the minority on this site but I think this girl can really act. I remember her as Jodie Foster’s kid in Panic Room and she was good back then. James Gandolfini’s runaway in Welcome to the Riley’s she was good in that too. I think we should give all the Twilight actors a pass and not judge them for that drivel. I thought the books were light weight but fun, and I didn’t think it was possible to make them less light weight until I saw the movies. Those were the worse scripts and eliminated the best interactions from the book. Unless you are Michael Sheen and can pretty much act well reading a phone book I think you are seriously out of luck with those scripts. I also can’t wait till Kristen manages to get her words together as she has some good ideas and she is right about social media. Even if I do comment on gossip sites and other things.
I think she is condescending just like her go to co-star Jesse Eisenberg. They think they are superior to anyone else. Jumping on the Star Wars bandwagon was pathetic, it obvious the question was planted by her PR rep.
@guest +1000 Bingo! She and Eisenberg are the same kind of tool, IMO.
..and to @nches – I wouldn’t say ‘insanely beautiful,’ that’s a bit much, but I’ve often thought her looks were underrated and that a lot of the criticism she got was misdirected because of her relationship with EdwardCullen/ChristianGrey/RobertPattinson, Lol – women hated her because of that, let’s be frank.
It was like Angelina Jolie levels of hate at the height of the tabloid triangle nonsense due to Brad Pitt. They schemed against Stewart, threatened her life, threatened Pattinson – it was insane jealous rage 24/7/365
My tendency was to stick up for her because the vitriol was so undeserved and she was just a kid.
But then….
Her personality just began to grate because she can’t stop being JUDGEY. Try this: read a handful of her ‘interviews,’ you’ll find that 9x out of 10, in some way, form or fashion she is always boasting about how what she believes is the best, most erudite, genuine and artsy…while something, some way or someone else…sucks and is not.
You can set a clock by her predictably obnoxious self-absorbed eye-rolling and painfully torturously expressed judgey opinions.
Someone demonstrated this here in this thread: ‘EVERYONE knew,’ she says and for instance, that *she* was the only one who could understand the foibles of fame and play a part about the foibles of fame. (That is if Clouds of Sils Maria was known by anyone in the general public and if they cared about her indie career which 9 of 10 people don’t)
Or her opining about ‘social media.’ Yes, nevermind the Arab spring that started on Twitter, or #BlackLivesMatter, or crowdfunding, Kristen Stewart thinks ‘social media,’ is a big useless ‘nothing,’ ball. That settles it.
The difference between Stewart and the few more emotionally mature and intelligent people in her business is that they recognize that there’s may not be the last and final word, so while they will tell you what is not right for them, they don’t judge others for doing something. Cate Blanchette may say she doesn’t have a facebook because she’d rather call someone up, she won’t then tell you you’re wasting your life because you DO have one.
It’s gotten to the point you can count on Judge Stewart to call something an a-hole, and profess her way is supreme in most of her interviews.
As for ‘Grandpa Woody,’ for once I wish someone as judgey as her (about the wrong things) would get their feet held to the fire about working with accused child molesters. I think she added the ‘Grandpa,’ b.s. to try and deflect from his having dressed her as Lolita in lace anklets in this latest film of his. #sayhername #dylanfarrow. <– not that Stewart knows what that is.
That wasn’t judgy at all…
Very judgmental, BossyKat, of a young woman of 25. She is still finding herself. I am 51 now and thinking back on my earlier self I can surmise that I was a know it all sometimes. Put my foot in my mouth a time or two, spoke for a group instead of just myself. Were you never brash in your 20’s? With all due respect, with a name like BossyKat, I daresay you probably were. Cut the young woman some slack.
lol, your reaction to her is very intense. She seems to be less horrible and less amazing than both her detractors and champions state – that’s my opinion. She’s got some talent. She probably needs to be better formally educated and work on her vocabulary and her lingering child star entitlement issues. But overall she’s pretty harmless.
Since when is 25 super young? I’m younger than her and I don’t think someone has to “cut me some slack”
I don’t think she’s unattractive, but her most stunning moments seem to come when she’s wearing a tone of eye-make-up. When the make-up comes off she looks more like everyone else who is not ugly.
I honestly quite like Kristen. I don’t know why, I think part of it is how people seem to have some kind of instinctive loathing of her and I find it amusing.
I think it’s funny when people call her out for being socially awkward and for being rude to the press when the exact same people will defend Jennifer Lawrence peeing in a sink, talking about farting and flipping off both the press and paps.
She also actually can act, which is great. Sure, she gets kind of pretentious at times but what celebrity doesn’t, really? I also can’t help but get behind anyone who refuses to participate in social media.
I like her too. She seems to have quite a bit of awareness of the Hollywood machine that she became a part of when she was too young to realize all the shallow machinations of it.
She has private social media accounts. Notice she used her words carefully.
she is a very naturally striking girl with great facial structure and features – it’s just easy to not notice them when she’s walking around dressed down like a normal college kid.
Re: social media. The Sixer view! If you are a vapid, empty celebrity with limited horizons, it is entirely likely that you will find social media empty and “nothing”. Because what social media actually is, is an echo chamber. It reflects you back on you. If you are a curious, engaged person with wide interests, you will find social media reveals endless joys, inspirations, interesting people and new ideas to think about.
So y’know, Kristen, it doesn’t matter how deep you think you are. You ain’t. You’re shallow.
That’s my Happy New Year everyone curmudgeon comment of the day!
It’s an interesting way of looking at social media, Sixer, I don’t think I’ve ever really thought of it exactly that way. But I don’t think it’s as simple as if your social media content is empty and shallow then you are shallow and if your social media is engaging and deep then you are engaging and deep. It’s more nuanced…but the bottom line for me is that it does feel more empty than enriching most of the time. I feel like more and more people are “curating” their feeds to appear more intelligent and cultured than they are — or to put out whatever image they want to put out that might not really reflect reality — and that’s depressing to me. It does feel empty and meaningless sometimes, even when I’m reading about really cool and interesting things.
Although I agree that K Stew probably isn’t as deep as she thinks she is. 🙂 Cheers!
Posted in wrong place.
hmmm I’m not so sure. I have a Facebook and Twitter. it’s kinda naive to think that social media is just Garbage In Garbage Out. not even close.
I think you can get a lot of legitimate news from Facebook and Twitter. People will post socially conscious articles and such. Maybe actors like Kristen wouldn’t do that so that’s why she thinks there’s nothing there. Some of social media is dumb, but I ignore those parts. To be fair to Kristen, maybe she’s only seen Kim Kardashian’s Twitter, and if that’s what you’ve seen I can see why you’d hate it.
So Sixer obviously thinks she’s the bee’s knees because she has social media. You’re SO cool!
lol
I guess it all depends on whether you’re looking at as drawing people in or a way to find interesting stuff outside yourself? I’m the latter. So I use it to find people to talk to who I find interesting or simpatico but who I wouldn’t encounter IRL, or to follow trails for interesting stuff for me to consume (social comment, books, music, art, humour, whatever). I have Facebook and Twitter but both just consist of me talking to other people, as we do on here. I’d die of boredom if I used either to document my life. My life is not of any interest to me because I live it so I know it, KWIM? And because I use social media like that, I never come across anyone else documenting their lives either, aside from a few rellies.
Like I say: it’s an echo chamber. Social media will be whatever you want it to be. What you do on it will be what you see done on it.
ETA: Lou. Ha! But no; on the contrary. I think I am boring. Which is why I don’t document me on social media. That’s my very point!
I stay anonymous online too, but i still state my opinion on twitter and stuff — which can be taken for being ‘boring’ or ’empty’ depending on your perception. We can’t all be exciting and amazing like the Jenners!!!
But i have no problem with what she says at all.. there is a lot of truth to it.
Yeah, I don’t document my life on FB either, I think my profile pic is from 2009. I’m on it mostly because of work contacts and while I can find some interesting things I am mostly astonished and sometimes frankly appalled at how much some people want to share.
Sixer, if I ever dust off my social media accounts (which are all inactive and scrubbed as much as they can be) I will come looking for you! 🙂
I tend to agree that it is what you make of it, and I absolutely think there’s a bunch of vapid egomaniacs on there who think the world needs to know what they and their children had for dinner last night. But there are also some really cool people with some really fascinating interests too. I went down a Pinterest wormhole the other day looking at old Worth gowns from the 19th and early 20th century. The workmanship and style was incredible!
i don’t think it could be physically possible for me to disagree more. social media is incredibly self centred, vapid and frankly quite useless. i’ve yet to meet anyone who’s even remotely interesting on social media, in fact, i’ve met people i liked in person but they failed me the moment i met their social media persona. one of the best things i’ve ever done was getting rid of facebook and the likes.
This.
I got pressured into making a FB profile a few years ago, but deleted it after a few days, once I realized it would not add anything positive or constructive to my life at all… There are so many better places out there to find healthy inspiration, independent of the current trends, and it’s definitely not the place to learn much of substance about the people around you. I get that it’s an easy way to keep up with people and all of that, but I figure if out relationship isn’t significant enough that it makes sense to even give eachother a text or a call, what’s the point if not plain voyeurism/exhibitionism?
That all depends on how you use it. As a former expat who spent seven years abroad, social media began as advanced email for me. I used it to share pictures of my kid and our family with my family…all at once rather than having to send individual emails every time I had a thought or event I wanted to share with them.
Now that I’m back home, I have friends and loved ones on four continents that I can’t afford to travel and see. We share with one another. We laugh with one another. It’s instant access to people when a phone call is unnecessary or inconvenient. When you and your friend live 8 time zones away from one another, social media is the ticket.
If you use social media to communicate with strangers, then yeah…it can get useless and vapid really quickly.
If you use it to connect and stay connected with people you love, it’s a miracle of tech. So…I guess that’s my two pennies.
I love Facebook and I’m grateful for it. If it adds nothing constructive or positive for others, then I encourage them, by all means, not to use it. That said, it is extremely positive and constructive in my life.
I agree with you, Sixer (and Happy New Year). Those friends i follow on Twitter and etc post fascinating tidbits, viewpoints, and links related to politics, the state of the orchestra in America, charities they are concerned about, scientific ideas they work on/follow, books they love, plays they saw overseas, etc. No one I follow is pouting into the camera or describing their breakfast.
Social media is like a car: you can use it to drive the Dalai Lama to a speaking engagement, or you can stuff it with old takeaway wrappers and dirty laundry and discarded panties, and belch.
So here is an engaging tidbit for THIS bit of commentary: “My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.” – the current Dalai Lama. ….Cheers, everyone, and here’s to 2016.
That’s a religion I can get behind.
Cheers!
Happy New Year to you too, darling! And bluhare!
And exactly, that’s what I’m trying to say. My social media pretty much looks like a set of Celebitchy comment threads, except the topics are chosen by me, you know? At the moment, it’s got a very heated conversation about reforesting and rewilding British uplands and whether it would cut down on flooding; a proposed BAME literary event that I am contributing contacts for that may help as I work in the industry, co-ordinating with relatives about Mr Sixer Senior’s upcoming birthday, and an extremely childish punning competition over the latest Britisher politician to be caught in a sex scandal.
A stranger looking at it may well conclude that I am boring, obnoxious, an arse of the highest order or whatever, I accept that. But it doesn’t matter because I am enjoying it and if they aren’t, they can easily pass on by to camera pouting or pictures of breakfast.
All’s I’m saying is that there is an alternative answer to arriving on social media and saying “I don’t like what I see, I assume that is what everyone sees, so I’m leaving,” and that’s to change what you see. It’s easily done because EVERYTHING in the world is on social media. Just find what you like.
I’ll go with Obama – “Be kind and be useful”. I really like that.
… But Kristen has an private Instagram account (@suck_upon) on which she has over 900 posts. Hypocrite.
She has talked about this. She says its a private photo stream so she can keep in touch with friends and family while she is away so much. Whats bad about that?? Even Tina Fey has a private IG account and she hates social media too. Sienna Miller – same thing. How is it hypocritical? They do not allow anybody besides close friends to see what they are posting — No drama, no promoting, no attention seeking.
Why be bitchy about that?
Liberty, this is the best description of social media I have read yet!!
Well said, Sixer. The moment I read her views I thought, it’s empty and distracting just like her. Love the echo chamber analogy; it really fits.
The internet has been such a godsend for knowledge junkies (like me), although one has to wade through a Sargasso sea nowadays to get to it. There are jewels out there but you really have to work at finding them.
She seeks her own level. She’s right in that it can be empty and distracting. But there is so much more out there, so much more.
Yes! But the working at it is also fun – on good days!
Agreed, Sixer. Mining for jewels is often a pleasure :).
At the same time, though, on social media if you are looking at someone they have the ability to look back at you. It doesn’t seem to scare Rhianna or the Kardashians, who regularly fight with the public in those forums, but I could see why Kristen would be wary.
Being wary and bashing others to engage in social media are two different things. She’s so full of herself that it doesn’t even cross her mind that she could be wrong or just didn’t discover the good side of it.
You’re right, she did go a little too far in judging those that engage in social media. I can’t fault someone who doesn’t open an account for not fully understanding what it is about, but she didn’t need to make judgments.
Great point. I mean things like the green revolution happened in the Middle East over social media, but yeah Kristen, it’s just for celebrity gossip.
She needs to be told she is not as smart or deep as she believes herself to be. But then again if she is pals with arrogant douchebags like Jesse Eisenberg then it won’t get any better.
Disagree only bc I know tons of quote “deep peope” and they dont use social media and prefer physical experiences over digital. It’s bc they’re beung themselves and are no where near shallow.
I can see where she’s coming from – like others said, a lot of people (particularly celebrities) use social media as a means of showcasing themselves and trying to show everyone how *happy* and *wonderful* their life is/they are. I think she’s saying that it can be way to communicate without actually connecting.
I don’t use social media much and almost always anonymously. However, I can see where people would like it and even find it a lifeline (e.g. people who are isolated for whatever reason and want support/community, social uprisings, etc.).
I’ve tried Facebook about four times and have ended up deleting my account every time because I too found it distracting and pointless. I prefer internet forums that are specifically focused on things I’m interested in talking about rather just everyday chit-chat. So I visit here, a film website, a fan forum for my football team and a progressive politics site. That’ll do me. I couldn’t give a toss about people’s holiday photos. When I was growing up watching people’s holiday slides was considered the height of tedium and as far as I ‘m concerned it still is even though they’re shown on a computer screen rather than a slide projector these days. I also think real friends call each other and see each other in person.
I am an intelligent, educated person, and I also find social media to be vapid and boring, as well as ridiculously narcissistic. That said, I am not a fan of Kristen.
Bravo response!
I don’t follow her, and having read these interview excerpts, I can hardly understand her.
Sounds like she is not very deep (much less eloquent), but thinks the public misunderstands and she’s has had a hard time with fame, don’t ya know.
I must not have understood the true meaning of those photos when she was entwined with a married director. My bad.
Kristen will be 68 and promoting her new movie and people like christin will still be all ‘but that time in the mini cooper…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!’
zzzz
Did you read the part where I said I don’t follow her? I know she was in a vampire movie and was caught up in a scandal. Her comments about being the only one who could portray someone who had media/public perception issues was a bit over the top*. That was my point. Sorry you didn’t get that.
* Her quote was: “There was just nobody who could say those things with more knowing, and people know that.”
I thought that particular quote was really weird. She isn’t the only actor or actress to express worldwide fame. I guess she could have been referencing the mini-Cooper incident, but a lot of female actresses have had the media in their private lives in an intense way, especially when going through a divorce or when someone cheats on them. The only reason the mini Cooper incident might stand out is because most actresses aren’t dumb enough to a) get photographed in a mini-Cooper with a married director whose wife turns out to be the height of class and b) run to People magazine with that weird letter asking her boyfriend to forgive her (wtf).
I think the girl is very smart and has original thoughts but lacks education to express them. I find her interviews interesting to read for the thoughts and observation in them.
A couple of things she said seemed egotistical and maybe even a tad ungrateful, but now that I’ve re-read them, maybe that wasn’t as she intended.
Those who immediately understand her better may know more of her background though other interviews, whereas I don’t. Her comment about social media (as the headline captured it) is why I clicked the post.
I don’t think her thoughts are original or insightful. She just talks about herself a lot.
Most people talk about things that are within realm of their personal experiences and influences. And her interpretation of these experiences is insightful,
I definitely think her lack of education is the reason she comes across as so inarticulate. I don’t know if she’s all that original or smart but she’s not a vapid shallow starlet IMO. Just inarticulate.
When I saw Clouds of Sils Maria I thought it was overlong, and I left the theater thinking that I didn’t really like it but that Kristen was very good. Since then, I’ve frequently thought about the film, to the point of wanting to see it again. Juliette Binoche is also excellent.
I can’t believe it. I just saw Snowwhite and the Huntsman again and she’s absolutely horrible in it. She really ruins the film. I liked her when Twilight came out, so I’d be glad if she got around and learned how to act.
Liv, she’s winning awards all over and is constantly well reviewed, even in movies that don’t do as well. She can act, accept it! She’s getting hired and praised by the best in the business. She’s just not your cup of tea!
A lot of those bored people who had nothing else to do made you very wealthy when they purchased tickets to see those vapid Twilight movies. You’re not going to be young forever and your groupies will disappear so I’d suggest you don’t bite the hand that feeds you little miss. Happy New Year!
I didn’t hear anything like that — if anything I thought she sounded gracious about Twilight. Maybe I missed something.
Advice for Daisy Ridley?! Less energy! Less presence! Try to suck the joy out of your performance. 😉
Sorry but that made me laugh. Star Wars made more than the highest grossing of those silly vampire movies in less than a week. They’re not remotely in the same league.
Yeah, it’s totally outrageous for Scott to ask for input from a girl who went through probably the most intense franchise experience of them all …
WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, SCOTT???????
Most intense franchise experience of all time??
Umm, Carrie Fisher called and couldn’t stop laughing.
My mother wouldnt know a Twilight character/actor if she tripped them; she and even my grandmother know Star Wars. Comparing the two is click bait and…well, not comparable!
Intense to tweens at the time, maybe. Star Wars had a much broader (and highly successful) demographic reach.
Let’s split the difference.
I don’t think that Twilight was in the top 5 most intense franchises of all time, but you still have to admit it is at least in the top 15 of the most die-hard fans. The Twilight fandom was HUGE and so incredibly overboard with their ownership of the characters and the actors. Also, they fans weren’t limited to tweens. There (sadly) were a LOT of middle aged women who were also really into the franchise.
LMAO you are comparing the Twilight attention to the OG Star Wars of 30 years ago? Are you for real? Where was twitter then? Where was TMZ? The 487983 tabloids? The 473973 blogs all talking about Carrie’s hair, looks, love life, family, facial expressions, accent, vocabulary, likes, dislikes etc. It didn’t exist! How was the attention in any way comparable? What a clueless comment. Carrie can’t even handle the scrutiny she is getting NOW, calling people out for their sexism and ageism. Lets see how she would have dealt with the scrutiny of superstardom today!
My point stands, Scott asked a girl who knows franchise stardom inside out. It’s stupid of you to say anything other!
Dang, Lou. Kristen’s not going to sleep with you.
I think she is very pretty.
Her thoughts regarding Social Media is understandable. I had some similar feeling. I don’t have any of those things either; twitter, facebook or instagram. Mainly because I would imagine it would be exhausting trying to keep up with them all. It just seems to require so much of your time. Reading all of it, replying to all of it; updating it. I would rather actually spend that time enjoying my life and being in those moments. For me it just feels like another JOB. And it is always shocking to see how much of every moment people feel they need to share. That they have to stop and take a picture and then post it on their social media things. Just too much.
Do you ever encounter people who ask if you have social media and when you tell them no, their expression or comments speak so loud? I always get a surprised face, followed by, “wow! I don’t know how you do it!” Well, it’s easy to forget about that kind of stuff
Hahahah.. YES YES YES.
They act like I’m a dinosaur. like I don’t understand the concepts. I DO.. I know how all of it works and if I wanted to I would. I have such a time with my friends. They all want me on facebook or instagram. They all want to “Follow me”.. that is the part that creeps me out.. People are “following me”.. they snap pictures of me at social events then post them Then they tell me how everyone was so excited to see me and want me to join. I have tried banning them from posting my pictures. Maybe I’m just being a rebel. But I like people not knowing everything about me. And I like being UNPLUGGED. There is something very freeing about not being attached to a device or social media. Empowering actually.
Agree. I once had Facebook but it became exhausting in every sense of the word. I prefer to be “mysterious.” Ha.
thing is, i actually think that taking the odd picture and sharing it is cute. however, it never stops at that, and it does become a job. i have some friends who are literally glued to twitter or facebook, and it’s nagl. i guess, if people can moderate themselves and not overshare it can be a nice experience, maybe?
also, i hate people prying and i like to be able to choose who i’m sharing my personal life with. privacy is so underrated.
That’s the thing isn’t it.
“Privacy is Underrated”..
As someone said above I like being mysterious. I like people having to actually TALK to me to know me. I like living a life that is MINE. And that I share what I want. People just feel they need to know too much. and there is too much “sharing”. The mystery of learning about each other is gone. And there is something really beautiful about that journey in a relationship; friends or otherwise.
“it just feels like another JOB”
Yes!
I have a facebook and instagram account, but I rarely post. Most of the time, I spend about 2 minutes every few days and start scrolling through the posts. Sometimes there are things I am really glad that I got to see (old high school friend’s child has serious illness, old co-worker got a promotion, my friend’s amazing vacation pictures, etc.)…and then other times it is just two minutes of meaningless crap. There are pros and cons, but I have limited patience to get to the pros a lot of times.
I didn’t have a Facebook until last year , and…eh, I could live without it, but I would dissent with the idea that it necessarily detaches you from real life experience. If it’s your only source of stimuli, sure, but a lot of people use it to enhance and record experiences, not replace them. Technology is what you make of it. That means some people will use it to talk about what they ate that day while others will discuss social justice issues. It’s the same bullshit you wade through everywhere else, just on a different platform.
I was on Facebook when my girls were 3&4 and even my husband commented on the time I spent on it. I’m completely unplugged and spend all my “extra” time with my girls who are now 8&9. No regrets. I see how it affects others lives and I am perfectly happy to live life with my family, rather than update Facebook, take a selfie or post a pic to
Instagram.
i have twitter and facebook and i will readily admit to thinking that a lot of what i see is BS. The way people represent their lives when i know the reality is so different. Even my best friend who moved away to a new job has made a big deal about how happy she is and how she is getting on great in her job… when in reality she hates her boss and has been on the verge of quitting many times. It’s DUMB! Living for how many likes and retweets you get is empty, which is why there has been a slew of instagram celebs who have quit and outed how false the platform can be.
But then there are positive parts, but it’s not like Kristen can really enjoy the positive parts because its not like she can just go and shoot the sh#t with her friends because the tabloids and blogs will twist everything she says. I think the big stars like her and Jlaw really don’t need to have a social media presence as the press will do the work for them just from their regular promo. Maybe one day she will feel differently, if the tabloids leave her alone. If she has a cause she wants to promote like Emma Watson does with her He/She campaign. But i doubt it.
Also don’t get why so many claim to not understand a word she says……………. ever think the problem is with you? I think she describes the perception v reality thing very well. Either way, her career is going great. Very happy for her!
“Also don’t get why so many claim to not understand a word she says……………. ever think the problem is with you?”
some people just have an intense dislike of her, so no matter what she says. i have no trouble understanding her either.
ITAWT. If some celeb that is liked had said the same she would be praise out the butt. But yes she like a few others I can name get attacked for every word or action. She has really been under the radar; I don’t get why people act like she is all up in everyone’s face. I don’t see her parading around with her “friends’ or on every talk show. She seems to only be seen when she is promoting something.
so yes she gets a lot of hate. I know she made some bad mistakes; but funny how it is only a certain few that can never be allowed to move on. They have to wear their mistakes like a Scarlet letter.
“it’s not like Kristen can really enjoy the positive parts because its not like she can just go and shoot the sh#t with her friends”
I agree. Celebs are limited in ways that us normals aren’t. 😉
Just to touch on the social media comment, I couldn’t agree more about that.
I am the same age as her and I find social media irrelevant. Not to say that it’s the devil work, but for myself, it serves me no purpose. Plus, I like connecting the old fashion way, in person
i’m a year older than kristen, and couldn’t agree more.
Same Social media that breaks news gives a platform for social Justice movements, connects people to support groups and aid and is ahead of the curve on social matters and takes people away from their terrible circumstances at home/the news?? Links us up to relatives we can’t see/spend time like we’d like to?That’s Irrelevant? mmmkay
I mean sure if you are in fb following Sue going on and on about her bf and her baby or following the #VSCO #blessed crew… but let’s not all conflate THAT type with “all social Media”
Agree QQ.
I have chronic health issues and I’ve been able to connect with other patients through social media, learned so much through them and with them about how to cope with it, and participated in advocacy together. (Social media has platforms of advocacy that didn’t exist ten years ago.) It’s been invaluable to my quality of life.
I’ve also learned so much from other people in different walks of life, people who I might not normally know socially or that would feel comfortable talking to me or vice versa, who write about their experiences on social media. It’s definitely broadened my horizons and made me think about and challenge my own outlook at times.
Arab spring aka the twitter revolution, people connecting with loved ones during disasters or acts of terrorism, etc. People recording inappropriate behavior or even violence and victimization by authority figures and uploading them. I am older and I marvel at these things that would have been impossible.
YES Your story is a Prime example! Humans of NY fb Page is another overwhelming one, GoFunds for victims of disaster FB Check in during Paris bombing, Black Twitter Coalescing around one another in our times of grief, befriending people during the blogspot days ( which is how I have 5-6 BEST women friends who still make a point to travel together once a year and chat daily
Agreed. Social media is a very valuable tool and it isn’t going anywhere. Instead of bemoaning its perils people need to think critically about what role it plays and adjust accordingly. Like all aspects of culture and technology social media and our relationship with it is evolving. There’s a push back to privacy and that’s a good thing. We need less social media and more real world social interaction.
I think it’s absolutely silly when celebrities bitch about social media. By design they are often over connected and over stimulated with social relationships. The average person does not experience social engagement like a your average celebrity. Celebrities aren’t experiencing any great insight into social media, they just have very little need for it when their social connection needs are met elsewhere.
I agree with her. Social media is addictive and fun but there is also so much poison and negativity and plain meanness on it. So many squabbles between different camps as if they matter in real life. Empty and pointless. It is much better to connect with real people.
But then again, so addictive …
It really is a mix of things, at least my experience with it. I use the behind-the-scenes message tool more than anything else. It’s a quick way to connect with old classmates and relatives who use it.
It fascinates me to see how people portray themselves on social media. Some seem authentic; others have truly fabricated an identity that appears far from reality. Random example — One person I know has a huge rift in her family. On social media, she portrays her life as a united family (through old photos) online, rather than make efforts in person to heal that rift (which was caused by her own actions).
I totally agree with what she says about social media. I am same age as her, had MySpace, Facebook, etc for bout two years. I couldn’t stand it. People are so self absorbed. Haven’t been on now for years and I don’t miss it at all. If I want to see/know what you’re doing, I will call you. People are shocked when I say I don’t have one! It’s very bizarre to me.
I love Kristen and think she is stunning.
I thought you might mention that she was papped with her girlfriend again on Xmas eve – the first time in a few months. I kind of thought they might be done, but I suppose shooting a movie in Europe would necessitate some separation.
This is a topic (social media) I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. I decided to stop doing Facebook a few days ago. There are good aspects to it but, for me, the negative is worse. You can waste so much time, it is a breeding ground for negative self-comparison, and there are some significant privacy concerns. More recently I’ve been privy to the passive-agressive mean girl drama that can go down. (A “close” friend consistently likes everyone’s updates and family pics but yours.) It can really be a junior high narcissism train on a bad day. Besides, I still have the awesome CBs to chat with! It’s also good timing to get off with election season upon us. I have some friends on the far right I’d rather keep. Sorry for my tangent!
I really liked Kristen’s work in Still Alice. I was impressed.
Wow, this discussion has left me even more conflicted than before… which I didn’t think was possible. I haven’t had a Facebook account ever, but now that I’m trying to build a clientele, I had decided to get one just so I can have a page for my business (I’m a massage therapist). I figured that’s where I need to be to be seen by people, but I’m not comfortable with Facebook’s ever-shifting policies. Now I’m thinking I should stick to my guns and focus on my own web site rather than set up a Facebook page.
I like her actually, and I agree with her about social media.
Me too. She has grown on me recently.
I hate this trend of pissing on social media. Social media can be essential for people who don’t have offline resources. People always say “oh social media sucks, the internet sucks, why don’t those people switch off and go for a walk in the park with their friends” and that ignores the fact that plenty of people simply don’t have access to a good offline life. Plenty of people, because of poverty or disability or social/mental health issues have no friends or family offline or struggle to see them in person. If it wasn’t for the Internet they’d be entirely isolated.
I completely understand. But people are bringing the negativity with them to the social media and it is more viral because of relative anonymity.
On balance all the negativity (or snark as it is called on CB) and infighting and shallowness turn me off.
People can argue that you can ignore it all and only take what you want from it and associate only with those who you want, but it still seeps through. If you are not on it all together you don’t have to spend your energy on keeping these things out at all.
For this reason I prefer blogs. I know the milieu I am going to find there, I can control it better and if becomes too toxic I simply leave for greener pastures.
Well said! That comment about the negativity increasing due to anonymity is so accurate.
Online life is not reality, instead they should be encouraged to create an offline life, trust me I’ve been there and it’s not healthy.
Online friends are not real friends*, spending hours online creating your own world is not healthy and not good for your mental well being.
I get what you are saying but it’s not the way to go. Focus on creating an offline network, go out and meet people by using meet ups and other resources that are available via therapy and help organizations.
*By friends I mean people who care about your health enough to support you emotionally as well as physically, at the end of the day you don’t know everything about someone you have never met in real life. Would your online friends actually be there when shtf? Be realistic.
Creating a real life network is important and every adult should have a small netwrok of trusted friends, now more than ever you need people who you can count on and who can help you when in need.
(Happy new year! May the force be with you all!)
Online life is reality. I have met some of the most amazing people first through online blogs/shared interests. Because we built a strong foundation online, we were able to take the next step to meeting in person. I see some of these women every year and others I chat with daily online.
I’m thrilled to bits you were able to push through your introvertism and establish a life on the outside, but for some people that’s just not possible. The anonymity afforded them online allows their natural reticence to be pushed aside and they flourish. So, while it’s great that you were able to accomplish so much, your advise reeks of ableism that is shielding you from respecting the issues faced by many others.
Here’s the thing.
I agree that you get out of social media what you put into it. So, for me, I love being able to catch up on what a lot of people are doing, see pictures, and laugh at some of the quips.
I can go days without posting and then post a whole bunch of stuff, if a lot is going on. Anyone who finds it “exhausting” is not doing it right. I don’t feel pressure to post or not to post. I use it as I would catching up with old friends/family I don’t get to see, perhaps because they live too far away.
For instance, there are people who HATE television. They rag on it. Say it’s filled with nothing but reality shows and Kardashians.
But here again, you can use TV as empty junk food, or you can use it to learn about a whole bunch of stuff in a more interesting way than you did in school, which taught you a skewed view of history anyway.
Hell, the entire internet itself can also be viewed that way.
Anything can be turned empty and meaningless if you choose to make it that way.
+1
Exactly. That goes for both public and private individuals. I actually enjoy several celebrities’ social media profiles. It’s all about what you choose to do with it.
Yep!
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are for people who want attention or are seeking attention. Period. I got offline when I realized I had no interest in the lives of other people and I had no desire to bring attention to myself by “posting” I keep in touch with real people in my life who matter and everyone else can catch me on the flip side.
This is not a fact. It’s an opinion, which is fine.
But many of us do not see it that way. I certainly don’t. Are there some people (Kardashians) who don’t think anything is real unless they put it on social media? Yes. But regular folks who just have a good time and talk about common interests are not just in it for attention.
Sometimes there are a lot of friends and family who live all over the world you can’t call up every day to find out what’s happening to them, so you get a taste of it on social media. I, personally, have friends in other continents and countries, so catching up with them “in real life” is a bit difficult.
I do have interest in the lives of other people, and I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with that. In fact, I view it as kind of healthy.
I used to think Twitter and the rest of social media was silly, but I use it kind of like a newsfeed to get information regarding a lot of my interests, e.g., youtube chefs, cats, charities, science organizations, local cat charities, cats, news orgs, literature, major news happenings, cats, local community orgs, local police network, mayor, people who have a lot of interesting things to say about things that are going on (@HeerJeet is a good example) and one friend who does interesting things. And I’ve found it useful; sometimes I’ve found out about things going on that I never would have known about otherwise. Whenever an event occurred in my city (e.g., flooding, power outage, massive snowstorm), it was a good way of staying on top of information that was quickest and easiest to find out about. I NEVER share anything about myself; the only thing I’ll post are cat videos or interesting music videos and I’ll sometimes like or retweet something I feel strongly about. I used it to share information for a friend who needed help when an emergency situation occurred for her, which ended up working out in a really great way. I almost never use it on my phone; usually via my PC. And that’s good enough for me. So, I think you get out of it what you put in. I can see that a lot social media is empty and vapid and it doesn’t surprise me that someone in KS’s world would think so, but really, there’s a ton of good out there, people who are putting their own names on the line (e.g., making themselves vulnerable to online hate and abuse) in the name of social justice for so many causes, I just can’t discount it outright anymore. I don’t like Facebook much, but I have family members and friends who do and they live far far away and well, they’re family and it’s the only way I can stay in touch with what’s going on in their lives, so I roll my eyes, check the feed every once in a while and make the odd comment here and there and that’s good enough. No one’s twisting my arm to do read stuff or overshare so no damage done. Besides, the internet is made of cats and we must feed the engine.
I like her and I understand her viewpoint but I think social media is more of a mixed bag. I consider it a tool that can be used for good or ill.
This girl-woman still doesn’t understand that acting is NOT about playing yourself or showing YOUR truth. It’s taking on a different person. Why don’t the interviewers challenge her!?
Her people would never grant an interview to anyone who would challenge her. So she gets to play the “I’m so real. I’m realer than any real person, because I’m so honest and REAL” card, and the interviewer fawns all over her as if what she’s saying is a fact.
Meanwhile, she ignores that she’s doing half of the things she puts others down for.
@source THIS.
Maybe because they are not going to ‘challenge’ an actress who wins awards is constantly well reviewed. It’s her process and its working for her. Don’t like it, then don’t watch her. But don’t presume to think you know more than her when you are not even an actress yourself!! Sit yourself down
Well, there are plenty of interviewers who “challenge” actresses who win Oscars and are way more consistently well-reviewed than she has been, or will ever be. She doesn’t get a free pass because she’s a special snowflake flower.
I don’t presume to know more than anyone. And this is the comments section about celebrities, so I’m entitled to my opinion and do not have to sit anywhere.
Looks better with her mouth closed. Kinda attractive in that slightly more than plain Hermione Granger kind of way.
I admit I roll my eyes when celebrities complain the superficiality of social media. A little self-awareness would go a long way where that’s concerned.
Stewart isn’t an idiot, she’s just young and uneducated, and it often shows. She’s getting better simply because she’s getting older and has a little more perspective.
She was so young when all of that occurred. Being seventeen is hard enough and we’ve all made mistakes and had a tough time navigating through the teen years. I blame him more than her. I didn’t see any of the Twilight movies but I loved Snow White and the Huntsman. So she doesn’t like social media, I don’t think that makes her a bad person. I don’t know her enough to dislike or love her but I think she’s evolving.
She is not wrong about social media. Twitter is drivel and Facebook is often hijacked by emo adults for banal updates. People are better off reading novels/comics, anything other than social media.
This girl really never washes her hair.
Serious Actress. Don’t like the insanely superficial and empty circus-like media? Ride it while you can. She has acting credits from 1999.
I dont think that Daisy Ridley needs advice about fame. Because lets face it – she will be female version of Henry Cavill. Henry is Superman, but no one cares about him between those movies. No one is stalking him, cares about his interviews or other movies.
Daisy Ridley will do Star Wars movies but will disappear between them. Its not like she is interesting by herself. I dont believe for a second that she will become star on her own and do other movies that will become successful.
I was so right about the good in this girl. The assumptions made on this site used to make me so angry. She was not ungrateful for the twilight fame..she’s just one of the few actresses left that want to maintain focus on the art of acting, not the fame of it. I genuinely adore this girl.
I see what I want to see on my FB/Twitter and I can guarantee there’s not one Kardashian on my feed. So people who act like everyone on FB/Twitter is following those twits and others like them obviously don’t understand that it’s a choice of some people to do so and for others to avoid them like the plague. I follow my alma maters, fave sport teams, news organizations, social justice blogs/media, Angry Birds, etc…
Social media is what you make of it, Kristen. If it’s not for you, just state that. Stop trying to belittle it and those who use it under a veil of I’m so much better and enlightened than the plebs.
There’s no simple and definite answer to what social media really is. It all depends on the perspective.
Kristen was talking about social media regarding entertainment. I think she is absolutely right, it’s empty.
I find it’s very interesting how some commenters here are so quick to jump at her opinion and disregard it completely. Social media can be helpful and meaningful but not
in her case or entertainment at large. Is it really meaningful part of social media, when thousands of accounts are used to harass and abuse her family, friends and colleagues?
Also the part where social media is mirror of
who you are. It’s only true for what you put
out there, for what you are using social media for.
It’s absolutely not true in case when social media is simply using your name. Social media is often used to abuse and harass people. Do they deserve it? Because it’s mirror, right?
I think social media for entertainment PR can be empty and distracting, but then so is a lot of what actors do in general (a small percentage are doing only quality work all the time). I guess whereas before you had studios doing the PR for their clients, you have social media. But if you’re participating in any kind of media to promote your movies, which Kristen does, a lot of it is useless, not just social media. It’s not like Entertainment Tonight has much value either. Or In Style magazine. But for some reason actors like Kristen seem to see that as more valid. Anything which involves promotion is empty and meaningless, and actors spend more time than anyone else promoting themselves, including Kristen (maybe she gets somebody else to do it for her, but I don’t see how that’s more meaningful or less empty. Even appearing in a magazine doing photo shoots is kind of meaningless — they might be more fun to do and seem more legitimate, but that doesn’t necessarily make it less distracting — but that doesn’t stop her from doing them anyway).
The way I look at it, you can continue to make movies while complaining about stuff like this, or you can actually do something about it. If I got paid $10M for roughly two months’ work, I think I might be tempted to get over myself.
Empty, distracting and nothing.
Since pretty much every role she’s ever played has been like watching a constipated fence post try to emote, I figure that quite nicely nutshells her entire career up to this point,
She’s a homewrecker. That is all.
Hilarious!!