Latest news with #CatherineHardwicke
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Twilight Director Details 'Earth-Shattering' Lesson From the Movie
Originally appeared on E! Online Catherine Hardwicke couldn't sink her teeth into this discouraging experience. The Twilight director, 69, reflected on her time working on the 2008 film, including the treatment she received following the blockbuster's success. 'I walked into a room with all these gifts, and everybody was congratulating the studio,' Hardwicke told The Guardian in an interview published on July 9. 'They gave me a box. I opened it up, and it was a mini cupcake.' The gift didn't sit right with her, as she noted that a male director would've received 'a car, or a three-picture deal, or [getting] to do basically whatever you want' for creating a massive hit. And indeed, the first film—which was adapted from Stephenie Meyer's book series—was a memorable release. More from E! Online Kate Middleton's Personal Assistant of 15 Years Exits Palace Camp Mystic Survivor, 13, Details "Hysterical" Scene During Texas Flood Jana Kramer's Husband Allan Russell Shares Masturbation Confession At the time, Summit Entertainment—who produced Twilight and its four sequels—created the original film on a $37 million budget and grossed $407 million in return, per Forbes. And while the film launched lead cast members Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart to stardom, Hardwicke wasn't given the opportunity to continue with the hit franchise she helped build. In fact, filmmaker Chris Weitz directed 2009's New Moon, David Slade worked his magic on 2010's Eclipse, and Bill Condon hopped on the two-part Breaking Dawn movies that following year. And that process of being replaced stuck with her. 'No, people aren't going to hire more women directors,' Hardwicke continued. 'They're not going to give you the next job and let you do something great. It was an earth-shattering reality right away.' This isn't the first time she's opened up about how women directors are treated in Hollywood, as she noted that other popular book-to-movie adaptations like Divergent and Hunger Games were directed by men. 'That was a heartbreak for me,' she told Vanity Fair in 2018. 'There are other badass women out there that could have done those. There's lots of projects like that. They're stories written by women, about women, and given to male directors. Over and over and over.' Amid her frustration with the executives behind the scenes, the filmmaker's bond with the Twilight cast remains strong. In fact, she and Stewart reunited when they both crashed Pattinson's birthday back in 2023. 'I see them both at parties, events and everything," she told the Happy Sad Confused podcast that year, "they're both lovely." For more interesting Twilight tidbits to sink your teeth into, keep reading... For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Twilight' Director Says Studio Gave Her a ‘Mini Cupcake' to Celebrate Film's Success: Male Directors Get a ‘Car or a Three-Picture Deal or Whatever You Want'
'Twilight' director Catherine Hardwicke said in an interview with The Guardian that the studio gifted her a 'mini cupcake' as a congratulations when the vampire romance opened to an unexpectedly huge $69 million in November 2008. It was a blunt realization that no matter how successful her directing career could be, she would not be valued in the same way as a male director. 'No, people aren't going to hire more women directors,' she told interviewer Hanna Flint. 'They're not going to give you the next job and let you do something great. It was an earth-shattering reality right away.' More from Variety Catherine Hardwicke, Rick Carter Lead Jury for Mediterrane Film Festival Malta's Mediterrane Film Festival Sets Jury and Special Programming 'Twilight' in Concert to Tour 60 Cities This Fall (EXCLUSIVE) Whereas a successful male director with a franchise-launching huge opening weekend might be gifted 'a car, or a three-picture deal, or [the chance] to do basically whatever you want,' Hardwicke continued, she was given more or less a pat on the back. 'I walked into a room with all these gifts, and everybody was congratulating the studio, and they gave me a box,' she remembered. 'I opened it up, and it was a mini cupcake.' The director previously revealed on the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast in 2023 that the studio always underestimated how big 'Twilight' could become. She was told by executives right before opening weekend that debuting to $30 million would be a relief. 'Twilight' earned $7 million from midnight ticket sales alone on its way to a $35 million opening day. The film generated $69 million over its opening weekend and would go on to earn $192 million domestically and $408 million worldwide. Hardwicke also said on the podcast that the studio questioned if Robert Pattinson had good enough looks to play the vampire Edward Cullen, explaining: 'They called me and go, 'Do you think you can make this guy look good?' I said, 'Yeah, I do. Did you see his cheekbones? We're doing a makeover on the hair and everything and he's going to start working out and he's going to be gorgeous.' But they didn't believe it at first. He like walked over there with a stained shirt or something. It was Rob.' Not only did Hardwicke get only a mini cupcake after the success of 'Twilight's' opening weekend, she also got dropped from the sequel. 'Twilight: New Moon' was directed by Chris Weitz. Instead, Hardwicke moved on to the fantasy movie 'Red Riding Hood' with Amanda Seyfried. But 'it was much more challenging' because 'it had a lower budget than we had on 'Twilight,' and it was all fantasy, so we couldn't shoot any real locations and had to build all the sets. They didn't give me much freedom.' Head over to The Guardian's website to read more from Hardwicke's latest interview. Best of Variety Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Buzz Feed
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Twilight Director Reveals Shocking Gift From Studio
Love it or hate it, the 2008 film Twilight was a HUGE success, garnering over $400 million at the global box office on a $37 million budget. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke and produced by Summit Entertainment, the YA fantasy/romance was impressively filmed in just 44 days, and its limited budget meant that shooting certain scenes was pretty much impossible. For example, they simply couldn't afford to use a lot of CGI, and so they were unable to include multiple shots of the Cullens sparkling in the sun. Nevertheless, many Twilight fans view the OG film as the best* of the franchise, which also includes New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn - Part 1, and Breaking Dawn - Part 2. But in spite of the film's success, director Catherine recently claimed that she was given an insultingly small gift by the studio following its release. Speaking out in an interview with The Guardian this week, Catherine recalled, 'I walked into a room with all these gifts, and everybody was congratulating the studio, and they gave me a box. I opened it up, and it was a mini cupcake.' Catherine said that male directors are often given things like a 'car or a three-picture deal' when they produce huge successes, which made her gift all the more shocking. She recalled thinking, 'No, people aren't going to hire more women directors. They're not going to give you the next job and let you do something great. It was an earth-shattering reality right away.' Reacting to Catherine's revelation, it's safe to say that several internet users were appalled. 'Mini cupcakes? As in the mini version of regular cupcakes? Which is already a mini version of a cake? Honestly, where does it end with you people?' one person wrote. Another said, 'It surprised the studio guys who routinely underestimate movies for women and especially girls. And then what? Oh thanks honey, have a cupcake (a mini one, because you've got to watch your figure), but now that we know this is a guaranteed cash cow, we'll take it from here.' Let me know what you think in the comments. You can find Catherine's full interview with The Guardian here.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Catherine Hardwicke launched Twilight and was rewarded with a mini cupcake
Catherine Hardwicke has done an enormous amount for Hollywood. She launched the massively successful Twilight film franchise, not to mention the lauded careers of both Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. She also gave a whole cadre of other A-listers some of their earliest work, including Oscar Isaac (The Nativity Story), Jeremy Renner (Lords Of Dogtown), and Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen). She introduced the world to vampire baseball and even wrote one of the greatest lines of all time, at least in this writer's opinion: 'You better hold on tight, spider-monkey.' And yet, for all her contributions, she was rewarded by Twilight producer Summit Entertainment with… a mini cupcake. Not even a full-sized treat! In a recent interview with The Guardian, the director said she knew successful male directors were often gifted 'a car, or a three-picture deal, or [getting] to do basically whatever you want' by the studio after a box office success on Twilight's magnitude. (The original film made over $400 million worldwide.) Hardwicke, however, remembers that she 'walked into a room with all these gifts, and everybody was congratulating the studio, and they gave me a box… I opened it up, and it was a mini cupcake.' The revelation that the film's success wouldn't automatically snowball into more opportunities was 'an earth-shattering reality right away,' she reflected. 'No, people aren't going to hire more women directors. They're not going to give you the next job and let you do something great.' She was replaced by male directors for the remainder of the franchise. Still, Hardwicke pressed on and continued to make films that are personally meaningful to her. She's currently in post-production on her latest project, Street Smart, which she describes as 'a kind of homeless The Breakfast Club' starring Yara Shahidi, Isabelle Fuhrman, Michael Cimino, and a group of unknowns with 'big hearts and compassion for others; otherwise, they would be trying to work on a superhero film.' In addition to serving as a 'love letter to Venice' (the California neighborhood), the film is also a rebuke of Donald Trump's politics. 'Even though we wrote it before he got elected, Street Smart is directly addressing some of [these] issues,' Hardwicke said. 'It's telling a compelling story that shows people who do not look like Donald Trump, or think like him.' Hopefully, this film will lead to more opportunities for the director; or, if nothing else, at least a full-size dessert. More from A.V. Club Superman gets a big, blue reboot that supercharges a beleaguered genre Spoiler Space: Jurassic World Rebirth once again makes dinosaurs everyone's problem Now any old grifter can buy Fyre Festival on eBay
The Guardian
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘It was an earth-shattering reality right away': director Catherine Hardwicke on life after Twilight
Film-makers have long used their movies as Trojan horses to express their political beliefs and values and Catherine Hardwicke is no different. In her 2003 debut feature, Thirteen, and her 2008 teen vampire hit Twilight, the writer-director bolstered the stories with environmentally and socially conscious messaging to inspire people to 'save the planet'. And with her latest film, Street Smart, which she describes as 'a kind of homeless The Breakfast Club', she is still 'sneaking in' her 'good values'. Street Smart, now in post-production, is a low-budget ensemble drama, executive-produced by Gerard Butler and partnered with charities Covenant House and Safe Place for Youth, that centres on a group of unhoused teens bonding through music, trauma and humour while fending for themselves on the margins of LA society. It stars Yara Shahidi (Grown-ish), Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan) and Michael Cimino (Never Have I Ever), as well as a group of unknown actors whom Hardwicke describes as having 'big hearts and compassion for others; otherwise, they would be trying to work on a superhero film'. Homelessness is a major issue affecting the Californian city. Just last week, US district judge David O Carter ruled that Los Angeles officials had 'flouted' their responsibility to create new shelters for unhoused people by June 2027. The humanitarian crisis in Los Angeles, exacerbated by the Pacific Palisades and Altadena wildfires in January, is an issue that longtime Venice Beach resident Hardwicke was keen to explore. 'We shot on my street, so it's very close to my heart,' she says. 'It's a love letter to Venice, because we have so many eccentric, strange characters of all economic levels. 'Everybody's going through so much, and [there's] such high rent in LA,' she adds. 'Even if you have a job, you still might be homeless, crashing here [and] there, because a job doesn't pay that much. The kids in our movie have jobs – how do you make ends meet?' Hardwicke, who is in Malta as a jury member at the Mediterrane film festival, says her film addresses a bigger target: Trump's rollback ofprovisions such as reproductive healthcare access, welfare budgets, and diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. 'Even though we wrote it before he got elected, Street Smart is directly addressing some of [these] issues,' she says. 'It's telling a compelling story that shows people who do not look like Donald Trump, or think like him.' Hardwicke is no stranger to film-making hardship. Despite her early successes, which included sparking the YA movie boom with the hugely successful adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's novel Twilight, Hardwicke discovered a harsh truth: 'No, people aren't going to hire more women directors. They're not going to give you the next job and let you do something great. It was an earth-shattering reality right away.' She recalls the offices of Twilight producers Summit Entertainment soon after the film's initial box-office success in 2008. She knew that successful male directors might be gifted 'a car, or a three-picture deal, or [getting] to do basically whatever you want' – but none of that happened. 'I walked into a room with all these gifts, and everybody was congratulating the studio, and they gave me a box,' Hardwicke says. 'I opened it up, and it was a mini cupcake.' Hardwicke was replaced by Chris Weitz for the first Twilight sequel, New Moon, and male directors were hired to helm the remaining three films in the franchise. Hardwicke went on to direct 2011's Red Riding Hood, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and starring Amanda Seyfried, but 'it was much more challenging', she says. 'It had a lower budget than we had on Twilight, and it was all fantasy, so we couldn't shoot any real locations and had to build all the sets. They didn't give me much freedom.' Still, Hardwicke has been able to exert her will when it comes to casting, and in the process has launched the careers of some of Hollywood's biggest actors, from Evan Rachel Wood and Robert Pattinson – she was at his birthday party 18 months ago – to Oscar Isaac in The Nativity Story and her 'buddy' Jeremy Renner in Lords of Dogtown, which this year marks its 20th anniversary. 'I gave him an early shot,' Hardwicke says of the Hawkeye and Avengers star. 'I thought Jeremy and Shea Whigham would be funny brothers who sell [cocaine]. I love all of my kids.' Sign up to Film Weekly Take a front seat at the cinema with our weekly email filled with all the latest news and all the movie action that matters after newsletter promotion Hardwicke also has a cheerful memory of working with Tom Cruise. Before switching to directing, she was a production designer with credits on Richard Linklater's The Newton Boys, David O Russell's Three Kings and Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky, the last of which Cruise starred in and produced. Hardwicke had been a last-minute addition, replacing the previous production designer two weeks into the shoot. She remembers late nights with the actor-producer: 'He was inspiring because he does not settle for anything less than excellence.' Hardwicke says Cruise offered to stay late to work out a conference-room set up. 'He and I are acting out the scene, we're rearranging the furniture until one in the morning,' she says. 'I'm like, 'Dude, aren't you even tired?' He had to be back at [7 am], but he wanted to get it right. Every chance he had. He never stopped.' Nowadays, Cruise's intense commitment is mostly seen in the Mission: Impossible franchise, but despite her fondness for Cruise's work ethic, when asked if she'd ever helm one of his spy films, Hardwicke chuckles: 'Not necessarily.'
