Alongside ‘Runaways’ co-star Dakota Fanning, KStew reflects on the life of a rocker vs. an actor.
Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart fans must be in heaven this week: The immensely popular teen stars are everywhere promoting their new rock-and-roll biopic “The Runaways.” But if you’ve been looking at articles like this one, this one and this one for some sort of message — a great epiphany on life straight from the overly bitten lips of KStew herself — you’ve been wasting your time.
On Monday, we presented the first part of an MTV Radio interview we did with the BFFs, who have spent the past year traveling back and forth between Forks and the ’70s rock scene. Now, we bring you KStew’s and Dakota’s thoughts on portraying Joan Jett and Cherie Currie, how fake crowds make for better performances, and why Kristen is relieved that she’s not trying to make a statement.
MTV: How did you overcome being nervous around rock icons like Joan and Cherie?
Kristen Stewart: You try really, really hard.
Dakota Fanning: We were so lucky that they were supportive of the movie and were as involved as we wanted them to be.
Stewart: It’s so weird when you meet [Joan Jett]. She does give off an energy, and at first it’s intimidating. For me to be playing her, especially before I cut my hair and got into the project, I felt like she was looking at me thinking, “What makes you think you can do this?” The thing about Joan — what I really wanted to play to but goes away as soon as she likes you — is she makes you feel so comfortable and at ease. She’s really sensitive and really righteous and morally upstanding. She would tear you down for saying something that wasn’t PC. It was easy [to play her] because she’s so great.
MTV: Would you ever want to start a rock band for real?
Fanning: I don’t really sing, unless I’m doing it for a movie. I just wanted to sing the songs right like she does, because I know they’re so iconic and important to a lot of people. I just hoped I could do them as well as she does.
MTV: We know the crowds you performed in front of were a group of extras …
Stewart: But it’s still a crowd.
MTV: Did you get a feel for what it must’ve been like for the Runaways?
Fanning: Yeah, and especially for me. I don’t do anything till the actual minute that I have to and it’s being recorded, so I like that. I like the energy and having the crowd. I find it really hard to do in front of a few people or no one. You feel kind of stupid for some reason, so I’d keep it inside until I have to actually [perform].
Stewart: I am the same way.
MTV: Would you say that what Joan did in the Runaways paved the way for what you guys are going to be doing for young women?
Stewart: I hope so. To a certain degree, you can definitely see the parallels. But it was so much harder for them.
Fanning: Yeah.
Stewart: We definitely have our own boxes; they’re just different.
Fanning: Music is so different than acting too
MTV: Is it harder to be a rock star or a movie star?
Stewart: We’ve never really experienced [rock stardom]. We just tried to emulate it. We considered it a lot, but the biggest difference is that we are playing other people, and when we’re not acting in movies [you can be yourself again]. Even though you need to present yourself a certain way to the press, you’re not supposed to act all the time, and I find that hard [to present myself a certain way]. I would have no reason to be in the public eye other than making movies, so to then have people care about me personally, that’s just really weird to me. For [rock stars], they are who they are and are making statements with their music, and they want to promote themselves. So it’s a completely different position to be in — because I am not making any statements.
Source: MTV News