Kristen Stewart's latest film echoes her feelings on "the nonsense" of moviemaking.
The actress plays Valentine in Clouds of Sils Maria, about ageing star Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) who is asked to return to the play which made her career, this time playing an older character.
Kristen's character is Maria's nervy assistant, and the role allowed the 24-year-old to show people what she really thinks of the industry.
"My character gets to say lines that are almost exactly how I feel about a lot of the nonsense that goes on in this business. She also gets to criticise the way the press turns filmmaking and acting into a mass-consumption product and superficial phenomenon, and it's a process I'm very familiar with. It was a lot of fun to say those things about the business," she told British magazine Hello!
One of the themes of the film is the danger people put themselves in when they associate their whole identity with moviemaking. It's something Kristen has thought about in the past, which is why she has so many interests outside of her job.
"It's part of my life and I enjoy the work so I don't think in those terms. I'm always working on something. When I finish a project I'm already thinking about the next one or reading scripts. I also enjoy writing, particularly poetry, which I'll sometimes read to friends," she explained.
Kristen has experienced highs and lows in her career. She was thrust into the limelight when she won the role of Bella Swan in the Twilight franchise, and again when she admitted cheating on her boyfriend-and-co-star Robert Pattinson. It made her careful about living her life too publicly; although she doesn't understand how some of her peers can segment their personal and professional lives so easily.
"I don't know how people tactfully traverse their careers. I don't know how they choose, 'Well, this is a different side of me people have not seen and so I will present that to them now.' It's like, 'Why are you doing this for other people? You should be doing it for yourself.' I've functioned from that position since I started, and therefore I really don't care about all that," she said.
