‘Twilight’ saga matriarch hails from Bloomfield HillsBy Sam Logan Khaleghi
For the Daily Tribune
The role of “Twilight” character Edward Cullen’s mother Esme is in the hands of Primetime Emmy nominee Elizabeth Reaser, a Bloomfield Hills native who landed the part many Hollywood actresses desired.
Reaser said she always makes time for her Oakland County fans, despite her busy schedule jetting from Oslo, Norway, to New York City promoting “Breaking Dawn - Part 1,” the latest installment in the “Twilight” saga, and her upcoming release “Young Adult” with Charlize Theron.
“It’s my hometown, I’m always up for that,” she said.
Reaser said she would love the next “Twilight” film to premiere in Michigan.
“I think the only person who has the power to make that happen would be Taylor (Lautner),” said Reaser. “I think if he said, ‘I wanna make a Detroit premiere,’ he could make that happen. I think that’s an amazing idea.”
Reaser said she will be an ambassador for Michigan and run the idea by Lautner.
As if sharing screen time with Robert Pattinson and Lautner, a fellow Michigander, wasn’t enough, Reaser had the opportunity to work with contrasting directors in each installment of the franchise. Catherine Hardwicke (“Twilight”) stamped Reaser into the series while Chris Weitz (“New Moon”), David Slade (“Eclipse”) and Bill Condon (“Breaking Dawn”) all utilized the actress in their own individual recipes of the streak.
“I loved having a different director every time. I think that all these books are very different and they needed different directors,” Reaser said. “Each person brought their own vision to the story and as an actor that’s very cool and different because you have to re-conceive your character to some extent; not entirely because we established who these people are, but each director had their own way of seeing Esme and I was collaborating with them, so I got to play around with that over the years.”
Reaser said she’s had to take in the film’s global appeal through the shouts and cheers of fans dubbed “Twi-Hards” at the red-carpet premieres. But Reaser said she is all about getting acquainted with the matinee movie commonality of a casual auditorium and enjoys buying her own ticket.
“I will go and sneak in with a real audience because I think it’s the most fun experience just to be a part of that — a real audience,” said Reaser. “This movie is all about the fans. I can’t get over meeting fans like that all over the world. There’s an emotional connection with these characters. It’s an amazing experience to be on the other end of it.”
The “Twilight” saga has sparked the popularity of homemade and official retail merchandise worldwide.
“It’s surreal. I don’t own any of it, but my mom buys that stuff, and I think it’s more fun for her … I think it’s very surreal, when I go into a bookstore and see ‘Twilight’ games and books about the (making of the) movie. It shocks me.”
Searching for the right description of her latest director, Reaser paused before speaking warmly about Condon. “Just the sweetest man. It’s amazing that we got someone of his caliber to come do this because I think this was a tricky book with all these elements. You have a franchise building up to these major moments. He’s smart and he understands the story; he’s an Oscar-winning screenwriter too.”
Reaser is a graduate of the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Bloomfield Hills. Her character Esme transforms from cozy and confidential to functioning in full response force as she protects the vampire coven in the latest installment.
“You never really know how it’s going to cut together. I haven’t seen anything from ‘Breaking Dawn – Part 2.’ I definitely love the cliffhanger at the end of this one,” she said.
“Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 1” is currently topping box offices around the world while there will be a limited release of “Young Adult” on Dec. 9 followed by a nationwide release on Dec. 16.
Source: www.dailytribune.com
