Kristen Stewart covers the latest issue of InStyle to promote The Happiest Season, her Christmas movie (you heard me) about a lady who brings her girlfriend (played by Stewart) home for the holidays, but the lady hasn’t even come out to her parents yet. The point is that K-Stew is playing a queer character and she’s 30 years old now, and more willing than ever to talk about her sexual identity and more. The past few years have been great for Kristen professionally and personally – while few of her recent films have been “hits” in any sense, I get the vibe that she’s just happy with work and her personal life. She’s been in a relationship with her girlfriend Dylan Meyer for about a year and they seem very happy and lowkey. You can read the full InStyle piece here. Some highlights:
Turning 30: I woke up that day [April 9] and was like, “You need to get your ass in gear.” I was drinking too much in the beginning [of the pandemic], so I stopped drinking and smoking. I’m embarrassed because it sounds really cliché, but, whatever, it’s true.
A typical day during the pandemic: “I walk my dogs and take walks with people. I feel horrible about the state of the world, so I’m donating money — but I’m not marching, and I’m feeling weird about it. I’m a frustrated optimist. I’m always thinking, “It can’t be as bad as this.”
The story of The Happiest Season: “It deals with very poignant things that, for me, are extremely affecting and triggering — even though now the word “triggering” triggers me more than anything in the whole world. But the movie is so funny and cute, and I loved the couple. They’re both people I really felt protective of in different ways, because I’ve been on both sides of that dynamic where someone is having a hard time acknowledging who they are and the other person is more self-accepting. I [personally] came into the more complex aspects of myself a little bit later. I never felt an immense shame, but I also don’t feel far away from that story, so I must have it in a latent sense…. I don’t want to aggrandize my own pain, because I know that others’ pain has been so great. Living in this world, being a queer person, there are things that hurt constantly.
Her own experiences drew her to the story: “Yeah. The first time I ever dated a girl, I was immediately being asked if I was a lesbian. And it’s like, “God, I’m 21 years old.” I felt like maybe there were things that have hurt people I’ve been with. Not because I felt ashamed of being openly gay but because I didn’t like giving myself to the public, in a way. It felt like such thievery. This was a period of time when I was sort of cagey. Even in my previous relationships, which were straight, we did everything we could to not be photographed doing things — things that would become not ours. So I think the added pressure of representing a group of people, of representing queerness, wasn’t something I understood then. Only now can I see it. Retrospectively, I can tell you I have experience with this story. But back then I would have been like, “No, I’m fine. My parents are fine with it. Everything’s fine.” That’s bulls–t. It’s been hard. It’s been weird. It’s that way for everyone.
Her political engagement: “People need to vote… I read the news every day, but I don’t fixate on it. I have some friends who won’t stop, and it’s all they talk about. I’m not saying I don’t want to confront these things. But in terms of how involved I am, I’ve never been the face of anything. I don’t even have a public Instagram. I really do like to support people who are already doing it and have been for years.
On social media: “It’s just not natural to me. It’s never been a question. I’ve never been like, “Should I do it?” It’s literally just been like, “No, my god.”
Playing Princess Diana: “We don’t start shooting until mid-January. The accent is intimidating as all hell because people know that voice, and it’s so, so distinct and particular. I’m working on it now and already have my dialect coach. In terms of research, I’ve gotten through two and a half biographies, and I’m finishing all the material before I actually go make the movie. It’s one of the saddest stories to exist ever, and I don’t want to just play Diana — I want to know her implicitly. I haven’t been this excited about playing a part, by the way, in so long.
What makes her happy: “I really do wake up happy. I feel so blessed. I love my friends and my family. I’m a happy motherf–ker.”
There are a bunch of other “K-Stew” moments in there, where she tries to talk about fashion but basically admits that she’s either in a robe or jeans most of the time, and her Christmas tradition for herself is getting Thai food on Christmas morning, which seems… kind of crazy, but okay. She talks even more about queerness and being comfortable with showing her relationships now so she can make it easier for queer kids who might be struggling, but she still doesn’t think of herself as a spokesperson. And I agree with her there. She’s not, like, Politically Gay. Which maybe isn’t a thing, but you know what I’m saying? She’s just living her life and figuring it out as she goes along. This is the most she’s ever said about her queer identity and all of that. I’m proud of her. As for not going to marches and just donating… I mean, that’s fine with me? Not everyone has to march. Some people can just support from the sidelines.
Cover and IG courtesy of InStyle.
Oh so she is still doing the Diana biopic,i try to never judge before seeing a performance but i really dont have a good feeling about it. I think there are certain people who can be portrayed without being identical with the actress eg(Tina Turner-Angela Bassett)but you better be a damn good actor. Even Naomi Watts failed miserably.
Hate to say this, because I love her and she’s a really great actress, but I’m scared this Diana thing is destined to fail. Mainly due to the more edgy, serious, emo-like roles of the past. I can’t wait to see it though and to be really, pleasantly surprised by an amazing performance. I wish her all the best, she sounds like a lovely girl and very down-to-earth.
I (mostly) like her as an actress but same thing about the Diana biopic….Pablo Larrain is an amazing director & I get why she wanted to work with him but this project is a potential misfire.
Her new Christmas movie looks so good I can’t wait! She really has made some interesting career choices.
I believe everything she says here. I really like the person she has become!
So do I. I never get the feeling that she’s trying to project herself as anything other than what she really is. I’ll definitely be watching her Diana, for sure.
This movie has a lot of amazing people in it. I would watch it for Dan Levy alone. Sign me up Hulu!
I’ve kind of always appreciated her because of her authenticity – she seems just really herself and that self has changed over the years since she was a teenager. I also think she’s beautiful.
i watched the trailer and the movie looks cute, i just wish that it was about something other than coming out to your family for the 1st time. seems a little dated but it’s a start for big-budget gay holiday movie!
I always knew things weren’t as uncomplicated as she made them seem, ‘girl meets boy, girl has affair with director cheating on boy, girl then dates only girls.’ I mean, what was that? Lol. Now we know. Or I kinda always knew.
She tried to make herself seem really fluid and unconventional and not wanting a ‘label,’ but look girl: IMO, no one is supposedly in love with Rob Pattinson and leaves him/cheats to date other men who are middle aged married with kids. That’s sociopathic almost, lol- unless something else , something deeper and a bit tormented is going on.
That’s when I knew she was lesbian, and just hadn’t come to terms, leading to all that fckery.
Which is kinda what she’s saying in this piece. Obviously, she’s done some real work on herself and had help from the women in her life I’m guessing.
As a straight woman I don’t like saying silly stuff like ‘gaydar was pinged,’ but from the time I saw her in Panic Rm, where she was more like a young Jodie Foster than Jodie Foster, I had an inkling she might be lesbian. But the Rob/Twilight love story threw me. I figured, hey, she’s just a Tomboy. But nah, it was pretty inherent looking back.
I’m guessing one reason why she and Rob didn’t break up right away, was that she told Rob what her real deal was, that she liked women, and maybe the director was her experimenting to be sure. Rob loved her and didn’t want her beat up more in the press so he hung by her for support. Noble. As he must have been in great pain too.
I get what she means when she says she hasn’t experienced pain like a lot of queer young people (bashing, being disowned, etc) but she still has had her share, which she is only recently coming to complete terms with.
Wow you figured out her life before she did.
Wow
This whole comment. I’m speechless.
I didn’t mean to upset Kristen or her fan.
Obviously I’m reacting to what SHE has revealed to the press and public in these recent articles, so slow your roll.
Why are you so po’d at me?
Weirdness.
No, Cari, you didn’t mean to offend. You just called a young person who was “in a relationship” with a HUGE power imbalance a borderline sociopath…or did I read it wrong?
I am not a Kristen apologist by any means. The whole thing was a sh*tstorm and she reaped the cosequences tenfold for her ‘indiscretion’, as well as her immaturity. But I do know that finding yourself and making peace with your queerness is a painful process and a bumpy road for most people. It’s just that not everyone has to deal with it in the public eye like she does. Her love life is a mess still, but I feel like she has calmed down a little bit, so I’m happy for her and hope it stays that way, lol.
Mrs.No, has Kristen ever intimated that she was exploited or taken advantage of? I think the power imbalance was evident the moment the director was 86’d from the Snow White films and Kristen’s career carried on like gangbusters. Nobody knew who that guy was, nor cared. Kristen was the reason that movie was made. Was she impressed or had hee own personal insecurities that made her vulnerable to the guy- yes, which is what I went into in my OP.
Also, the sociopathic comment was followed by an “lol” – as in joking, (to me, it seemed an ice cold detached manipulative thing to do to someone you claimed after the fact, to love. It was a humiliation of another human being, so while sociopath was harsh, and I was joking– I will call her self absorbed, manipulative and maybe a bit of a narcissist.
People who hate “triggered” are always dubious to me. I have not once heard anyone who’s NOT an asshole talk about being opposed to trigger warnings or people who are triggered. Honestly she strikes me as having Republican mentality.
LOL she’s very progressive & even popped up on her gf’s instagram to talk about voting because we need to fight against systematic racism, bigotry, etc.
She’s so stream of consciousness and back and forth and very navel gazing sometimes. I find her very annoying in interviews and in films but I like what she seems to be as a person – has integrity. She has very “indie” parents (like another child actor who has done really well, Leo DC) and she said she had the best childhood so I always assumed her parents were 200% supportive of her when she came out. Anyway, Rob is a fantastic actor, really unbelievably good in every single role. I avoid Kristen’s films so maybe she’s improved since Twilight. She’s more of a celebrity to me.
I mostly like Kristen and she seems to have grown up nicely. She made her mistakes in the past & had her obnoxious moments (to be fair, the media was insanely harsh on her back in the day) but she survived child stardom & massive fame at a young age (I think she was only 16/17 when the first Twilight came out) & I imagine dealing with her sexuality when she was probably pressured to be in the closet must have been tough to deal on top of all of that. Honestly, there was defn. a misogynistic angle to the coverage since Shia did worse than Kristen and yet the press coverage was generally a bit more sympathetic & a lot was brought up about him being a child star.
It’s weird that she said she’s donated money but hasn’t marched since I recall her being photographed at a BLM march…maybe the march was after the interview occurred? Anyway, I appreciated that she hopped on her GF’s instagram a while back & talked about how voting was important because we have to take stand against systematic racism, environmental destruction, etc. I remember reading an article in People about it. I get that stars are quite private in some ways like her but it was important (and good) to speak out in this particular case. I’m still salty Kim Kardashian said nothing in support of Biden until after the election when so many celebs (even super private celebs like Kstew) tried to encourage their fans to vote.