You know who doesn’t get enough credit for being a total pro and a lovely person? Julianne Moore. For real. I mean, most people love her and love her performances, but by all accounts, she’s just a really nice person overall. Whenever Samuel L. Jackson is asked about his favorite costars, he always cites Julianne as one of the nicest people he’s ever worked with, along with being one of the best actresses he’s ever worked with. That alone says a lot! So, what was it like for Julianne to work with Lip-Bitey McGee over here? Well, Julianne just adores Kristen Stewart. K-Stew plays her daughter in Still Alice, and from the sound of it, Julianne did feel very motherly towards her. I’m guessing Julianne’s daughter Liv was a Twihard.
Kristen Stewart knew Julianne Moore way before they filmed their new indie drama Still Alice.
“I’ve known her for a number of years [because] I worked with her husband [Bart Freundlich] on a movie that I did when I was really little called Catch That Kid,” Stewart told me last night at the Still Alice screening at the AFI presented by Audi film festival. She was just 10 years old when Freundlich directed her in the 2004 crime comedy co-starring future High School Musical star Corbin Bleu. In Still Alice, Stewart plays the daughter of a woman with Alzheimer’s (Moore).
“Everyone always says that you want to work with people that you truly have a connection with, but it doesn’t always happen,” the Twilight star said. “That’s the kind of stuff that I really go after when I know that I could play her daughter because it’s not a stretch. It’s something that is so very much in us. The story is powerful and sad and scary, so I was very comfortable jumping into that with her.”
Moore gushed about Stewart, “I couldn’t love her more. She’s such a wonderful actress and she’s so emotional, so full of feeling. She really has it at her fingertips, and I just love her. I love her to death.”
Preparing for the movie involved intense research. Stewart spent time with an elderly Alzheimer’s patient with severe dementia.
“She was quite old, so it made sense that she wasn’t fully with me,” she said. “But I knew, for a second, that she had been dropped into her body, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is rare, and this is very brief.’ I really held on to those few seconds, and I really appreciated it. Cut to two seconds later, we’re hanging out with her and her family, and she’s trying to say something about the dinner or something, and everyone’s just talking over her,” Stewart continued. “I felt instantly that she has so much to offer, and she might not be able to cognitively explain how she’s feeling, but she’s feeling so much. I had a connection to this subject. I judged harshly people who couldn’t deal.”
So, it’s a love-fest. Incidentally, Robert Pattinson also worked with Julianne in Maps to the Stars, and he was equally gushing about her brilliance. 9 out of 10 Twihards agree: Julianne Moore is the bomb. Julianne’s support of Kristen might help with Kristen’s Oscar campaign, hm?
As for Kristen’s stuff about meeting a woman with Alzheimer’s and how she “judged harshly people who couldn’t deal” – girl, you spent an afternoon with a woman. That’s not the same as being responsible for someone with Alzheimer’s every single day, or watching someone you love struggle and eventually lose themselves. Some people can’t deal and they don’t need your “harsh judgment.”
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I like KS but that is not a great thing to say.
Better that than having everything you say scripted & filtered by your PR. People are so fast to negatively judge the judgements of others. A zillion times better someone like her, who expresses their opinions, than a bland, boring & pointless “artiste” like Taylor Swift
Call her all the names you want but Taylor owns the music industry right now. Her Album is selling millions of copies and breaking ten year held records in the industry. So Kristen is completely right making negative assumptions about people that she made after spending ONE afternoon with them. But the people here who actually have dealt with it day in and out are horrible for calling her out on her wrong ASSumptions? Why is Kristen given a free pass to judge harshly on whatever she wants but no one is allowed to judge a word she says, ever? Her fans are soo hypocritical.
Really? You think it’s better to come off as deeply uninformed and incredible judgemental as it’s more real to you? So to give my opinion as that’s more important, her comments seem at best unthinking and at worst unkind.
Boring old Taylor Swift is slaying the industry! Six months ago she was the butt of everyone’s jokes, including mine, and now she’s winning. Maybe Kristen can look at Taylor for some PR inspiration to get rid of the hate people have for her.
So is Kim Kartrashian & her ghastly family, so success at anything in the world we’re living in right now aint exactly a barometer of talent. If anything lack of talent seems to be the defining quality for massive popular success. Even if Taylor Swift sells a zillion copies of her boring album it doesnt make her anything more than bubblegum pop. Fyi i couldnt care less about either Twilight or KS, but a person who speaks without a press filter, good or bad, is preferable to a simpering false talking head in my book
Aaaaand just as I was starting to root for her. F*ck you, Bella Swan.
Yep, she’s an ass. KS claims that she “had a connection to this subject” after spending a couple of hours with someone and their family. Well KS, I “judge harshly” anyone who makes such unkind generalizations about a situation that you don’t know the first thing about or unkind assessments of this family. Shame on KS for proving that her self-righteous indignation about a serious subject is really all about her and her ability to transcend the horrible nature of this disease. KS, you are just so awesome.
When someone is in last stage dementia they are hallucinating and making very little sense to those around them. There can still be glimmers of them that appear but for the most part they are lost under a sea, far from reality. It’s devastating to witness and in some ways “ignoring” them becomes a way for people to cope. I do think her afternoon with an Alzheimer’s patient was probably deeply impact full on her but she should be careful not to judge those who struggle with patients and family members who have it on a daily basis.
Well said. Been there. Done that. Don’t judge until you walk in these shoes. Its effing hard and relentless on caregivers.
I thought Kristen was getting better pr and maturing. Her style, acting, mood had all seemed to be improving. And now we’re snapped back to reality. Same old KStew talking about things she doesn’t understand.
You said it perfectly Sirsnarksalot. To know that person and to love that person as they slip away is heartbreaking to say the least. And even just as a caregiver. They are forgetting how to do the simple task of going to the bathroom. Or where they are. It’s scary and sad. She needs to STFU. I hope someone of an alzheimers charity organization educates her on what she said and why her opinion is pretty terrible.
I can’t judge harshly unless they are mistreating the person. I’ve never experienced Alzheimer’s, but my grandmother had dementia. It was so painful to see such a sweet, loving, dignified person deteriorate mentally and become someone who didn’t recognize any of her family and said unkind things. We all dealt as best we could, and at the beginning, she would “come back” at times. That was almost worse because she knew what was happening to her and it frightened her. There was little you could do to help except be kind and gentle to her no matter how she was behaving. I’m sure we talked over her sometimes, and tuned her out. She lived with my aunt (with help coming to the house) until she died, and I don’t know how my aunt did it. Sometimes she and my mother would laugh about funny things she said, not in front of her of course, but how else do you deal? It lasted for about 6 years. You just do your best.
you know what makes me sad? I have seen that sometimes the relatives ( children of a person with Alzheimer’s) just talk around the person and do not pay attention to him or her. I have seen that with an aunt. I went to visit her and I had to take a buffer (my husband) because they would want to talk to me and disregard my aunt who was interested in the conversation, she tried sometimes to intervene, but was ignored.
I then decided to take someone they would talk to so I could speak to my aunt even if she was in a different time, it has turned out a good strategy. I understand it is no easy. Sadly (or luckily), my father (and mother) died before he developed full on dementia/Alz.. because of falls and cancer.
That is sad. The whole disease is heartbreaking. You’re sweet to visit her and care about how she feels.
This I can’t understand. As a family before marriage I would go with my bfs family to visit any number of relatives in hospice care. It smelled and I could have been doing other things, but I went out of respect. They lead lives that impacted those who have an impact on me. And we would all talk as they would drift in and out of sleep, but shut up the moment they tried to talk to us.
I get the going and talking over them. The company and voices are nice to have. But the continued talking over ignoring the reason you’re there? Selfish.
Just as I judge harshly those who preach about that which they do not understand.
Exactly. And those who assume to know better just because they are “famous”
Yeah, an afternoon is not the same as being there day in and out taking care of them. It’s a difficult disease FOR SURE. And much harder on the family in a lot of ways than the patient, especially in later stages. I think it was rather rude for Kristen to say that. I’d feel a bit differently if she had a family member in a similar situation, and she really fully understood the situation. But an afternoon of chatting is a lot different than months, or years, or making hard decisions, and being there for a family member.
My great aunt had a couple of strokes. The first one, was when I was about 5, and she lived next door. I didn’t understand that she had been sick or anything, so I’d plead and plead for her to go play with me and go walk outside with me. She always said that me demanding attention, and wanting her to be able to play with me really helped her recover physically and mentally. Because I was a little girl. I didn’t understand that she was limited in what she could do at the time, and it challenged her to work on recovering because she never had kids of her own, and I was like a granddaughter to her. She WANTED to be able to get out and play outside, and pick veggies out of the garden with me.
The second stroke was when I was about 12 or 13. She never recovered from that one. It was worse, and it made her immobile and she never regained her speech. She can make some sounds, and sometimes, when really determined, some basic words. My aunt is her executor, and makes sure she gets all of the care she can. Luckily, my great aunt had inherited some money, and receives great care in a beautiful seniors facility with nurses who adore her, but I know it can be extremely taxing on everyone making sure she’s taken care of, and making sure everything is looked after. She’s in her 90s now, and while sometimes I’m not sure if she registers who I am, other times she genuinely lights up and starts trying to point excitedly at me. It’s hard for me to go in and see her like that, she was a super vibrant lady with a potty mouth (though only when she thought we weren’t listening) and so full of life. And to see her in a home, unable to even have conversation kills me. But I really need to make the effort to go visit more. It’s just difficult, and I’m sure, incredibly difficult for her as well.
She’s in good company with Vivienne Westwood then.
Nice. Every time I start to like her a little, she opens her mouth and reminds me why she annoyed the hell out of me.
Same here. There’s no way she’s going to make it through award season campaigning.
Her campaign is already a fiasco. She isn’t take seriously. In a Q&A Variety wrote that she had to be coaxed to speak. She isn’t making a good impression
She’s just so so stupid.
I really sincerely hope no one she loves is ever diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia, it’s incredibly hard to watch someone you love waste away mentally and physically. I’m no Kristen Stewart fan to begin with but what she said really smacks of self-righteousness.
Nobody is prepared to deal with such a disease, except professionals. Spending one afternoon is not the same as all day, everyday.
Everything seems so easy to her. She’s so clueless. It’s like when people judge Amanda Bynes’ parents. You don’t know them, you don’t know what they’ve been through. You can’t judge what you don’t know.
And even *professionals* say it’s hard. I knew someone who was trying to care for someone with the disease, and all the medical professionals recommended that the person get outside help.
KStew…er…perhaps should have spent longer than an afternoon with that lady.
I had an early career job in hospice. It’s tough. So tough. Some families were awesome. Some not so much. Some there would wish for the end. And you wish for them to have a peaceful passing. Just awful.
Funny that you mention she worked with both Stewart and Pattinson, because in “Crazy Stupid Love” Moore has this line (she delivers so hilariously) when she’s trying to explain why she wants a divorce… something like:
” You know when I told you that I had to work late, I really went to see the new Twilight movie by myself. I don’t know why I did that, and it was SO BAD”
Funny bacause this movie actually showed how a good and supportive husband who got married at 17 and respecting women was treated by his wife.Edward Cullen type guy who is good is treated like sh,,t by a woman who seems to be serious and genue.Those passive aggressive and macho type husbands always have supportive and loyal wives.
Umm, Mi I just mentioned it because its kinda funny that her character trashed their movie.
I’m not sure I follow at all what you are saying, sorry.
I know,but it’s funny that actually Moore’s husband is like human version of Ed Cullen.And she even drives Volvo car and mentioning Twilight. Cullen type men are treated badly by their wives just like Bella treated Edward and it’s showed in Crazy,stupid,love.
When I was her age I ‘judged harshly.’ The older I get, the less I judge.
So true for me, too. Things seem more black and white, or they did for me, until I got knocked off my feet a few times.
I think you’re both probably right – to her now it’s seems so easy to say how to do it, but she’s never had the experience of dealing with something like that long term. Things definitely get more complex and difficult as you get older and learn more.
Amen to that. You begin to realize all the depths of what you do not know or understand. Opposed to a comment like this which just illustrates she just judges from what she knows, which is minimal.
My mother in law has dementia related to sparks sons and is in a nursing home now. She is 63. I am a former nurse who took care of elderly patients a lot, and even that doesnt prep you for when your family member slips slowly away. The former her would rather be dead than be the way she is now.
That’s actually a really good point.
I sometimes forget how stupid we could all be at that age… and when you add money and fame in the mix …
Yes! Agree. Nowadays I just smile and nod when all the young whippersnappers, who think they know everything expound on life. Not that their experiences aren’t valid but the thing about getting older is that you learn just how much there still is to learn.
Was Kstew dropped in the head as a kid? No one, even in Hollywood can be such an arrogant fool, can they????
I just think she sees things very simply because she lacks emotional maturity.
I actually like Kristen Stewart ,but I hate when actors do a movie about a subject and then all of a sudden become experts.
Her point is valid, not paying attention to those with an illness like this is part of their personal struggle. They need that kind of awareness.
i don’t know how long she spent her time with the elderly lady, but living with the spectre of Alzheimer is something that saps away one’s energy from the core, emotionally and physically.
one of my grandaunts had it and since all the family live so near to one another and hang out with each other all the time…
there were good days and bad days. good days where you recognized her and she you. good days when you can fall asleep next to each other in the afternoon breeze and wake up to pick up the conversation as if nothing happened. she of a dry humor and quick wit.
she came and went like the sun on a cloudy day, one time smiling another second suddenly snarling as if i was some enemy that she needed to defeat. kind words one time, followed by words that tore your soul clean through. being so close of a family, in anger, even in forgetfulness she still knew how to go for the thing that hurt most.
her husband suffered the most next to her. their marriage had had some rocky spots and on her bad days those were all she could remember. the feeling of hatred, like it was yesterday. there were times we found my granduncle sobbing uncontrollably. there were times we found her sobbing and wailing how sorry she was. there were times we had to pull my granduncle away and out of the house, told him it’s okay to leave for a while, told him it’s okay to be angry at her lest his anger and sadness ate him alive.
but i still remember when the flashes of memory stopped coming for her, and the light around her faded. how she had left us even when she’s still with us.
counselling helped. support group helped. and we did try our best, but there were times when it’s just too desperate, too raw… that one just had to take a step or two or a dozen away. does it make us a bad person? what judgment can Kristen possibly pass on us that we hadn’t already done ourselves? even now we wonder. what could have been different? sometimes we thought we had done enough, but other times we played what ifs.
gosh. i’m sorry to be so morbid today. 🙁
I’m so sorry you had to watch your loved ones go through that but thank you for sharing, it really gave me more insight.
Example from life.A woman who took care about her mother with Alzheimer’s was cheated on by her hubby with his secretary because she was more focused on his mother instead on her hubby.She should have kicked his mother somewhere and take care about her hubby.I would love to hear KStew’s opinion about this woman.
@ Bernadette, Just a question, but have you had a close relative or love one go through Alzheimer’s? Because honestly KS spent one afternoon with this woman and her family. Just because they talked over her this one time does not mean that is the norm for them. And yes my mother died from Alzheimer’. Some days are harder than others and this may have been a rough day for that family.
More she speaks and more she loses credibility. She’s so dumb and ignorant
I really like Kristen Stewart’s eye make up.
I think we’ve all heard enough from Kristen Stewart to know exactly how she wants us to perceive her. Kristen Stewart; the fiercely committed artist, the baker (that was mentioned, yeah?), the humanitarian, the loyal friend who cares equally about all of Earth’s creatures. Basically Snow White with a bit more drive, and a passion for art. Anyway, and i realise that i’m no expert, it strikes me that there couldn’t be any more of a disconnect between her image and the one she, imo anyway, intends to create. She has a publicist as well, doesn’t she? So, the problem must be that you just can’t hide that kind of personality. She’d be better off not expressing herself publicly.
She sounds really dumb. My neighbor has Alzheimer’s, and after visiting with her for months–it is exhausting to hold a conversation with her right now. Because she asks me the same question every five minutes. It actually got harder and harder for me to go and see her, because I knew that I’d be asked the same questions, over and over again for at least an hour. “How old are you?” “Where do you go to school?” “Where do you live?”. Rinse and Repeat. And I did/do side eye their kids because they only started coming over more than once in a blue moon because their mother is in the hospital, so yeah……
spending a few hours with an alzheimer patient who is a stranger is very different from living and taking care of a family member with alzheimer.
As someone who takes care of Alzheimer’s residents professionally, some people can’t deal with it- relatives, staff, friends, husbands or wives. You can’t make someone deal with it and you shouldn’t judge them harshly. Day in day out, it’s a hard, cruel disease. It’s not the notebook, you can’t love them out of it, talk them out of it, pray them out of it, medicate them out of it. You have to love what they are, and sometimes it’s the exact opposite of what they were. Be kind, to those with Alzheimer’s and those who love them. Both are doing the best they can.
As someone who lives with and cares for someone with alzheimers. F@$& you k stew. They probably talk over her because they hear the same thing from her at the same time of day every day. Over and over. They can probably tell you what is going to come out of her mouth next from the look on her face. And they know when it is safe and worthwhile to respond. The same questions and rants and criticisms everyday make it impossible to be engaged 100 percent of the time. Because if someone was a difficult person prior to diagnosis the diagnosis isn’t going to turn them into a peach to be with. Caregivers do the best we can and an attentive afternoon isn’t more precious than lifelong care.
My grandmother had dementia and it’s sad because I don’t really remember her never not having it. I don’t think it started when I was born but the onset started when I was very young. I grew up resenting having to go visit her and my grandfather because she constantly asked the same questions, repeated the same stories over and over, and it didn’t feel ever productive going to see them. Even my grandfather who did not have dementia had a host of health problems and they were always having health scares. Not proud of how I acted but it got really hard once my grandma ended up in a home. After my grandfather died, she’d keep asking where my grandfather was every 5 minutes, forgetting and not knowing that he’d died. She would get mean and curse and always ask us to take her home when we’d leave so we’d have to kind of sneak off. She eventually had to get a leg amputated below her knee due to gangrene in her foot since she was wheelchair bound. She stopped rememberin who we were altogether as she wheeled up and down the halls of the home, subconsciously looking for an escape. I had to stop going to see her, it was too upsetting and you ended up talking mostly to yourself since she was limited to answering yes or no to questions (on a good day she would say the flowers were pretty). The memory of her just lying on her bed just slightly moaning and completely out of it just days before she died as I sobbed inconsolably at her side seeing what she had been reduced to… You have no idea what dealing with that for years can do KStew. Please do not judge.
You also left out the beginning and end of the interview — First, she says that it was a one-time meeting and that yes, it was an “initial reaction,” but she connected that feeling with her character in the movie who is the only one who DOES “deal” and step up to care for her mother. As usual, pulling something out of context doesn’t give a complete picture.
I could rewrite my comment from yesterday about Kristen – why do her fans always have to explain her comments? It’s “No she didn’t mean that” or “It’s taken out of context”, or “she was trying to say this”. She is either the most inarticulate person around, or she is actually that self-centered and arrogant.
People who work with her seem to like her a lot, so she is probably very nice one-on-one. But she just comes off so horribly in print. I am just tired of hearing how her feelings are so much deeper and more important than everyone else’s. This Alzheimer’s comment is just the most recent example.
“She’s such a wonderful actress and she’s so emotional, so full of feeling. ”
Yeah. Sure. Well, at least she didn’t say that KStew is full of understanding for relatives of Alzheimer patients because she is not. She shows once more that she is mostly full of herself and has no idea what she talks about.