Edward's Chameleon-Esque Car
If his lousy parking job distracted you, perhaps you didn't notice that when Edward pulled into Forks High, his famed Volvo was no longer gray, as it was in the novels and the first movie. Hey, Chris Weitz, what gives? "I've taken a real spanking for this, a lot of heat," the director explained. "I'll tell you exactly why: Volvo wanted to give us a new, different car so I didn't want to paint it exactly the same silver color, because then [Twilighters] would be saying, 'Why are they trying to say that it's the same car; it's obviously not.' So, I thought, 'Well, I'll choose a new color!' And I thought I would choose slate black, not a reflective black, because it actually absorbs light and it would reflect the mood and melancholy and depression [of his character]. I know I got it wrong, I apologize for that. But that is my reasoning."
A Newly Visible Victoria
In Stephenie Meyer's "New Moon" novel, the vengeful nomad Victoria is more of a long-distance threat than a regularly glimpsed monster. So, why is it that the movie has her lurking in the woods, swimming in the water and even killing a character? "Well, movies are such a visual medium," explained screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, who also created a scene with Victoria driving that was ultimately cut after being filmed. "To just be talking about Victoria, or to be hearing about her, isn't visceral enough. You have to actually see her and see the threat that she is; I wanted to keep her alive throughout, so that you knew that the danger to Bella was alive. I also had so much fun writing for her — there are a couple of action moments in the middle of the movie that are really fun, and I really wanted to have her in there. It also keeps the pacing of the movie, to see her and to have those conflicts."
Grandma Is a Bloodsucker
As die-hard Twi-hards know, Chris Weitz's grandmother was an actress in one of the first "Dracula" films and is still going strong at age 99; his mother acted for two decades and was nominated for an Oscar in 1960. Since the movie opens with Bella seeing her own grandmother, why didn't Weitz offer one of his own family members the chance to act again? "How kind," he said at the thought. "But I think it would have been difficult for me to say, 'Mom, we would like you to play a woman who is so old that she horrifies Bella when she recognizes herself in the mirror' — I think [my Mom] has put movies behind her for good. And now, she just raises me and my brother."
How Did Taylor Do It?
If Taylor Lautner wanted to keep his job, he needed to get very muscular, very fast. Now that you've seen him with his shirt off you might be wondering: How can my boyfriend get that bod in less than a year? "Jacob transforms a lot in 'New Moon,' not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well. So, it was a matter of getting to the gym and eating the right foods," he explained. "I was in the gym about five days a week, because it's important to get your recovery time and not overwork yourself — I was trying to put on weight and If I was in the gym too much, I'd be burning the calories I was trying to take in. The other thing — the most important thing — was the eating side. Everybody thinks it was the actual getting in the gym — that was easy; I was motivated. Getting in the gym was easy for me, but the eating was pretty hard."
The Final Line
As you now know, "New Moon" ends with a very special proposal. But since it was different in Stephenie Meyer's novels, who decided to move it? "My thought was initially to save that for the next movie, because that movie's all about the triangle and Edward's proposal to Bella and her debate about whether to do it or not," Rosenberg explained, giving the credit to Weitz. "Chris realized — and I think rightly so — that belonged here. And it was a great way to go out of the movie."
Several sources are saying Summit released the following statement today:
