Kristen Jaymes Stewart (born April 9, 1990) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a César Award, which she was the first American actress to win. Her films have grossed over $4.3 billion worldwide, and she was the highest-paid actress in the world in 2010 and 2012.
Born and raised in Los Angeles to an American father and Australian mother, both of whom worked in show business, Stewart began her career as a child actress in 1999. She gained notice in 2002 for playing Jodie Foster's daughter in the thriller Panic Room, which garnered her a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Feature Film. She subsequently starred in Speak (2004), Catch That Kid (2004), Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005), and Into the Wild (2007). In 2010, she was awarded the BAFTA Rising Star Award. Stewart went on to gain wide recognition for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga film series (2008–2012), which collectively grossed over $3.3 billion worldwide.[1] Her work in the series established her as one of the highest-paid actresses in the world.
Following the starring role in the fantasy film Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), Stewart eschewed parts in big-budget films in favour of independent productions. She starred in the dramas Camp X-Ray and Still Alice (both 2014), and the science fiction romance Equals (2016). In 2015, she received critical acclaim for her role opposite Juliette Binoche in Olivier Assayas's French film Clouds of Sils Maria, for which she won the César Award for Best Supporting Actress. Stewart reunited with Assayas the following year in the supernatural thriller for her critically acclaimed role in Personal Shopper (2016) and made her directorial debut with the 2017 short film Come Swim.
Early life
Stewart was born in Los Angeles, California, on April 9, 1990.[2] Both of her parents work in the entertainment industry.[3][4][5] Her American father, John Stewart, is a stage manager and television producer who has worked for Fox[6] and on the Comedy Central show @midnight. Her Australian mother, Jules Mann-Stewart, is originally from Maroochydore, Queensland. She is a script supervisor and also directed the 2012 film K-11.[5][7][8] Stewart has an older brother, Cameron B. Stewart, and two adopted brothers, Dana and Taylor.[9][10] Stewart attended local schools until the seventh grade. As she became more involved in acting, she continued her education by distance until completing high school.[5][11]
Career
1999–2003: Career beginnings
As she grew up with a family who worked behind the camera, Stewart thought she would become a screenwriter/director, but never considered being an actor. She recalled, "I never wanted to be the center of attention—I wasn't that 'I want to be famous, I want to be an actor' kid. I never sought out acting, but I always practiced my autograph because I love pens. I'd write my name on everything."[12]
She began acting at 8, after an agent saw her perform in her elementary school's Christmas play.[13] After auditioning for a year, Stewart gained her first role with a small, nonspeaking part in the Disney Channel television film The Thirteenth Year.[6] Her next film was The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, where she played the "ring toss girl".[6] She also appeared in the independent film The Safety of Objects (2001), as the tomboy daughter of a troubled single mother (Patricia Clarkson). Stewart also played a tomboy, diabetic daughter of a divorced mother (Jodie Foster) in the film Panic Room (2002). She was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her performance.[14]
After Panic Room's success, Stewart was cast in another thriller, Cold Creek Manor (2003), playing the daughter of characters played by Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone. She was nominated again for a Young Artist Award for her performance.[14] About this time in her career, she started homeschooling because of her irregular schedule.
2004–2007: Breakthrough
Stewart's first starring role was at age 14 in the children's action-comedy Catch That Kid (2004), opposite Max Thieriot and Corbin Bleu. That year Stewart also played the role of Lila in the thriller, Undertow (2004). Stewart starred in the Lifetime/Showtime television film Speak (2004), based on the novel by the same name by Laurie Halse Anderson. Stewart, 13 at the time of filming, played a high school freshman, Melinda Sordino, who nearly stops speaking after being raped. Her performance was widely praised, with The New York Times stating "Ms. Stewart creates a convincing character full of pain and turmoil."[15]
Stewart appeared in the fantasy-adventure film Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005), playing the role of Lisa Budwing, the irresponsible older sister of two little boys. During their playing a board game, they turn their house into a spacecraft hurtling uncontrollably in outer space. The film was praised by critics, but Stewart's performance did not garner much media attention. Her character is immobilized during most of the film.[16] The next year, she played the character Maya in Fierce People (2006), directed by Griffin Dunne. After that film, she received the lead role of Jess Solomon in the supernatural thriller film The Messengers.
Stewart appeared as teenager Lucy Hardwicke in In the Land of Women (2007), a romantic drama starring Meg Ryan and Adam Brody. The film, as well as Stewart's performance, received mixed reviews. That same year, Stewart had a small role in the Sean Penn-directed adaptation Into the Wild. For her portrayal of Tracy – a teenage singer who has a crush on young adventurer Christopher McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch) – Stewart received mixed reviews. While Salon.com considered her work a "sturdy, sensitive performance", and the Chicago Tribune noted that she did "vividly well with a sketch of a role", Variety's critic Dennis Harvey said, "It's unclear whether Stewart means to be playing hippie-chick Tracy as vapid, or whether it just comes off that way."[17][18][19] The film received Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. After Into the Wild, Stewart had a cameo appearance in Jumper and also appeared in What Just Happened, which was released in October 2008.[20] She co-starred in The Cake Eaters, an independent film that has been screened only at film festivals. Both the film and Stewart's performance received many positive reviews.[21] Critic Bill Goodykoontz from The Arizona Republic said that Stewart "really shines.... She excels at both aspects of the performance, giving Georgia a strength that defies any sort of pity one might feel for her, without letting us forget her vulnerability"
On November 16, 2007, Summit Entertainment announced that Stewart would play main character Isabella "Bella" Swan in the film Twilight, based on Stephenie Meyer's bestselling vampire romance novel of the same name.[23] Stewart was on the set of Adventureland when director Catherine Hardwicke visited her for an informal screen test, which "captivated" the director.[24] She starred alongside Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen, her vampire boyfriend. The film began production in February 2008 and finished filming in May 2008.
Twilight was released domestically on November 21, 2008.[25] Stewart's performance garnered mixed reviews with some critics describing her as "the ideal casting choice" and praising her for conveying "Bella's detachment, as well as her need to bust through it;" others criticized her acting for being "wooden" and lacking variety in her facial expressions, which they described as "blank".[26][27]
She has been nominated four times, three consecutive years (2003–2005) and in 2008 for the Young Artist Award.
She received praise for her role in Adventureland (2009), a comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola, and co-starring Jesse Eisenberg. Critic James Berardinelli of Reelviews said, "Stewart is more than merely appealing in this role – she makes Em a fully realized woman, and some of the most intricate development results from what the camera observes in Stewart's eyes."[28] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times said Stewart was "beautiful, enigmatic and very experienced".[29] and MSN Movies' James Rocchi stated, "Stewart's vulnerable, spooky power is used to nice effect." [30] Stewart reappeared as Bella in the sequel, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, once again receiving mixed reviews for her performance. Jordan Mintzer from Variety called Stewart "the heart and soul of the film" and praised her for giving "both weight and depth to dialogue...she makes Bella's psychological wounds seem like the real deal
On the other hand, Manohla Dargis from The New York Times said Stewart's "lonely-girl blues soon grow wearisome,"[32] and Billy Goodykoontz from The Arizona Republic stated "Stewart is a huge disappointment... She sucks the energy right out of the film".[33] She reprised this role in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.
At the 2010 82nd Annual Academy Awards, Stewart and Twilight co-star Taylor Lautner presented a tribute in honor of the horror movie genre.[34]
In 2009, Stewart starred in The Yellow Handkerchief, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and was released into theaters in 2010 by Samuel Goldwyn Films. She also starred alongside James Gandolfini in Welcome to the Rileys, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2010.
In 2010, Stewart portrayed rock star Joan Jett in The Runaways, a biographical film of the titular band from writer-director Floria Sigismondi.[35] Stewart met with Jett over the 2008–2009 New Year to prepare for the role; she prerecorded songs in a studio for the film.[36] She received praise for her performance: the Metro Times wrote, "It turns out that Stewart is actually really good at capturing Jett's icy, tough-but-cool girl swagger, adding the needed touches of vulnerability that transform it into a pretty terrific performance... Stewart is a genuine rock star here."[37] Also, A. O. Scott of The New York Times noted "Ms. Stewart, watchful and unassuming, gives the movie its spine and soul."[38] The same year, Stewart was listed as the highest-earning actress in Vanity Fair's "2010's Top Hollywood Top Earners List", with an estimated earning of $28.5 million for her movie roles in 2010.[39] She won the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2010 and was awarded the Milan International Film Festival Award for Best Actress in 2011 for Welcome to the Rileys (2010).
She was named "Stonette of the Year" by High Times in 2010.
