Chat with the Twilight Moms


Peter : Hi... Dr.Cullen here.

TM: How often do you get to see your family while you are shooting a film? Do they get to come visit you? Is it hard to be away from your kids for a long time?

Peter : I try to see my family at least every two weeks. But it doesn't always work out. I haven't seen them for three weeks now. Although I'm trying to head back this weekend. Sometimes they visit, but with the kids in school, its difficult. But with Skype we video chat every night.

TM: So, how are they going to change your eye color for the movie. Contacts or CGI?? Can't wait to be dazzled!

Peter: We are all wearing contacts. They look amazing, very golden, and I hope you all like them.

TM: How did filming go today???

Peter: Filming went well, although, we really can't shoot in sunny weather, so they had to go to indoor stuff. I got to shoot some of the baseball playing later in the afternoon.

TM: Have you read all three books?

Peter: Yea, I have read all three books and can't wait for the next one. I'm hooked.

TM: After reading the books and the script, what do you consider to be the most important characteristic of Carlisle and why?

Peter: Great question. I love Carlisle's compassion towards others. I love that he's from another time period too. I see him as very gentlemanly and refined.

TM: How would you describe the dynamic of the relationship between Carlisle and Edward?

Peter: The relationship with Edward is very much like a present day father/ teenage son relationship to me. Edward is going through a difficult period, trying to find himself, trying to figure out who and what he is, and Dr. Cullen is their to guide him. Cullen's been there, and understands what Edward is feeling but there is only so much I can do. Edward has to figure things out for himself as well, just like typical teenagers. You can advise them, try to protect them, but at the end of the day they need to figure things out for themselves.

TM: What did Luca and Lola first say when they saw daddy's new hair?

Peter: I could shave my head and I don't think they'd notice. Kids get wrapped up in their own lives. I actually had to say, what do you think of Daddy's hair?" and they were like, "cool dad."

TM: Do you believe that vampires have souls? (Just Stephenie Meyer's vampires of course)

Peter: As Dr. Cullen, yes I do believe that we have souls. In my view of this character, Dr. Cullen feels like he is stronger than what he was forced to become. Speaking as Cullen, I believe that Vampires are like rabid dogs. They live to feed. What I have accomplished goes beyond being Vampire. I have held on to my human side. And in doing that, I believe that the way of life I have created is stronger than the ordinary vampire. To be strong enough to choose not to feed on humans, takes great will and strength. To be able to pull that off makes us neither Vampire or human, but more super human. To have the abilities we have, and immortality, is a gift. That is what I bestowed upon my family and tried to convince the Volturi many years ago.
Edward doesn't always agree.

TM: Where do you stand on Bella becoming a vampire? Are you pro or anti bite?

Peter: As for Bella... It is a difficult situation. I understand why she wants to become one of us, but, I also cherish humanity and would not want to take that away from her if she had a choice.

TM: Where you one of the cast members that had dinner with Steph? Did she give you some background on Dr.C? There is so much hinted at in the books about his background, his library, lots of books, pictures, his father's cross.

Peter: Yes. I had dinner with Steph. She is amazing, and I am grateful that she has created these characters. We didn't really get into the character that much. I felt from reading her books, and all of the information I gathered on the web, I had so much information to have an understanding of who I thought Dr. Cullen is, and at the end of the day do my job of interpreting that information and creating a character.

TM: The Twilight Fans can be pretty critical when it comes to the movie. How do you keep from letting any negativity get to you?

Peter: There is a great pressure to appease the fans, but I am realistic that not everyone is going to be appeased, as everyone has there interpretation from reading the books, and some may be different then others. I have processed all of the information and created my own interpretation. My job is to be truthful within that interpretation, and to the facts in the books. I hope people are happy with my rendition. I have put a lot of work thinking about him and understanding him, as have the other cast with their characters.

TM: Can I just say that this is so fun? Thank you so much for coming and answering our questions.

Peter: Glad to be here. I am a fan myself so it is just as fun for me.

TM: What scene are you most excited about filming??

Peter: I take it day by day. Right now we are playing some wicked Vampire Baseball and having a blast.

TM: Are you all playing your own baseball? Are you as good as vampires?

Peter: I played baseball while in High School so it has been fun reliving my glory days. Some of the cast had not played, so like Dr. Cullen would have, I taught them some pointers.

TM: Have you changed any bad habits you might have had prior to filming since they have so many younger fans that might try to imitate them?

Peter: As far as bad habits... I stopped biting my nails for the first time in my life to play this character. And got a manicure for the first time in my life. I just didn't think Dr. Cullen's nails would be chewed up.

TM: Your wife is quoted as saying: "Marriages aren't easy, and we're just like any other couple. We have our roadblocks, but we get around them, and our family prevails. We are so happy we have a normal, grounded life to keep us centered." How do you maintain a grounded life?

Peter: My wife and I have been together for 13 years. I don't exactly know how we survive. I think it’s just being fully committed to making it work. We have an amazing family, three beautiful children, a great house... We have our bad days but our good days outweigh them, and we try to remember how fortunate we are.

TM: What do you enjoy most about making Twilight?

Peter: This role has been a lot of fun to take on. Dr. Cullen's lived through many centuries, time periods, and places. I felt the need to understand all of the time periods he lived in, and what the places were like at the time. I went through many books, and websites, gathering all that information, to help me understand all the periods he's gone through that have affected his character. It was a great history lesson and fun researching.

TM: What do you enjoy the most about being on location?

Peter: As far as Portland. I shot my first movie here 14 years ago, so its kind of feels like coming full circle to be back.

TM: Any idea when the movie will be released? There's been a lot of talk about this December! Do you know if that's legit?

Peter: I believe it is December.

TM: How does it feel to be the leader of the Cullen family? How are things for the Cullen family both on and off screen?

Peter: I'm about 12-14 years older than most of the cast. So in a way I feel like the dad of the group. We all get along pretty great. It’s interesting because in a way, we’ve taken on some of the traits of our characters, so it is easier to see each other in the roles.
Emmett is always in the gym... HAHA.

TM: Do you know how long filming is going to take?

Peter: We will be filming until the end of April.

TM: The books are for 'young adults' (obviously not strictly) Do you think they are taking the movie a step further to create a bigger audience? Such as, adding more action, more romance.

Peter: I believe the movie will be PG-13. They are doing their best to add action to make it entertaining, but I promise it won't undermine the love story.

TM: What do you think of the way they are going to promote this movie? I hear so much about how bad promotion can hurt a movie. What else can we fans do to help make this beyond huge?

Peter: I think the trailers will be great, and will help draw people that are not familiar with the book. But if you guys want to see the sequels then, we have to make the first one successful, so word of mouth, by all of the TWILIGHT fans, would be a big help, to get audiences in the seats this December. I am looking forward to fighting alongside some werewolves...

TM: Who are your heroes?

Peter: Paul Newman and Robert Redford. When I was younger I read biography on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. They inspired me.

TM: What made you want to become an actor?

Peter: To explore different facets of myself, to live many lifetimes in one, to study human nature, and be able portray different people is different occupations; with different lives in different circumstances is why I act.

What other occupation would allow me to explore the world of a 350 year old Vampire?

TM: So much of Stephenie Meyer's characterization is nonverbal. Does it translate well to the screenplay, or is a familiarity with the novel(s) necessary for this project?

Peter: Kristen is so good at conveying so much without saying a word. She is Bella... I think everyone will be very pleased with her performance.
I want to thank everyone for writing in. Unfortunately, I, unlike Carlisle, need a bit of sleep, and have to get up very early for some more baseball.
Just so you know... Jasper, Rosalie, and I are winning. Although Esme thinks we cheat so it's debatable.
Love to do another one again soon. Maybe next time in character as Dr. Cullen
Goodnight Twilight Moms... And thank you for all of your support. Sorry for any misspelled words. I was trying to type as fast as I could peck. :D
Peter


Filming Update on Twilight


02.22.08

Hey everybody, Just wanted to let everyone know that I am in Oregon filming TWILIGHT, based on the NY Times best selling novel written by Stephenie Meyer. Twilight is the first in a series. I highly recommend the book and I hope you will come check out the movie.The film is being directed by Catherine Hardwicke and comes out in December. I am playing Dr. Carlisle Cullen, the head of the Cullen Family, a coven a Vampires living among humans in a small rural town, trying to fit in. Don't worry, it's not a gory vampire movie, but more of a beautiful love story set in a vampire tale. Let me know if you have any questions, and I'd be happy to answer them. Peter


Peter Answers Your Questions



A few weeks ago, we sent out a bulletin on Peter's MySpace asking for you, the fans, to submit a question you would like Peter to answer personally.  After reviewing all entries submitted, we took the top 10 and sent them off for Peter to answer.  Here are his answers!
 

Hello Peter,
I find that you and Jennie seem to have a great family life. How do you find balancing a career in Hollywood and a family life in the spotlight?
Dawn

Dawn,
It is difficult raising three children with both my wife and I balancing careers. But I don’t think its any more difficult than a lot of people have with three children, where both parents are working. The main difference is time. Many parents work 9 to 5  and spend their time with their kids after work and on weekends. There are times when I’m not working where I may spend 24 hours, seven days a week with my family and then there are concentrated times of 6-8 weeks where I’m working where I may not see them that much at all. Whatever the schedule, whether your in the industry, or have a 9 to fiver my belief is in always trying to find quality time as a family, which Jennie and I always try to have with each other, and our children as a family. As far as being in the spotlight Jen and I try to spend most of our time either working or being a family. There are times where we are required to be in the spotlight but we try to have as normal a family life as possible. Next time you’re in Target look for us. You might see us there.
 
 

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Out of all the characters you have played, which one did you hate playing the most and why? Which one did you love and why?
Angel

Angel,
There was only one project I hated. I hated going to work, and I hated the material. It was a TV Movie a did early in my career, and at the time I did it more for money than for the love of the project. But I met my wife on the project so I guess it was meant to be. After that project I promised myself only to work on projects I had passion for, therefore everything I’ve done since then I’ve had joy in doing. But if I had to pick favorites, it would be… THE BIG KAHUNA - because I got to work with such phenomenal actors; SCORPION KING – because it was so much fun being in that time period, with those sets and costumes; ARC- which many of you have not seen, but was a fantastic experience with an amazing director; TOUCH the TOP OF THE WORLD - because the story of a blind man climbing Mount Everest sounds so outrageous, yet it was true, and it was an honor to portray Erik Weihenmayer; and of course FASTLANE- because I got to play cops and robbers all day long and got paid for it.
 
 

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Hey Peter. Question from Alaska!

How do you remember lines and how long would it take to remember a script?

Take care and thanks for the entertainment!
Keep up the good work!

~Richard from Alaska

Richard from Alaska,
It varies. I find the better I know the character, and the more comfortable I am with that character the easier it is to learn the lines. Also if it’s good dialogue it’s easier to remember. Normally, actors shoot anywhere between 4 – 10 pages a day. So you never really have to memorize the whole script at once. And if I study those pages the day before I retain it for the next days work. If the dialogue is heavy with a lot of monologues I might work on it for an extra day. I know actors that come in and learn their lines in the makeup chair the morning of, but I prefer to know before I come into work. Every actor has a different process.
 

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Peter,
After seeing a post on Wikipedia saying that HBO had bought the rights to Fastlane, rumors have been flying that the series is coming back. Any truth to this?
Melanie

Melanie,
I don’t think the series is coming back. It’s a shame it was cancelled. It was very expensive to shoot, and at the end of the day the studio and network didn’t want to put up the money. It was a fun show, and it’s had a long shelf life for a series that only aired one season. It’s played around the world, and continues to play in reruns. I am delighted that people have discovered it and rediscovered it over the past 5 years. As far as HBO picking up the rights, I know that there was a film entitled FASTLANE which has nothing to do with the series and perhaps they were talking about that. Other than that I have not heard anything.
 

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Since you've done both television and feature films, do you find that you prefer one medium over the other? If so, which one and why?
Jim

Jim,
I love film. I love the cinematic style, the big screen, the premiere’s, the popcorn… So, film is, and always will be my first love. That being said, as of late, there have been some really good shows on television, and I feel lucky to have been a part of shows like Six Feet Under and Damages. In some ways television has become more risqué than what Film Studios have been generating. I also like the scheduling of television; the quick pace shooting style, and immediate airing of the shows soon after shooting them, whereas sometimes a film might not show for six months to a year after you film it.
 

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Dear Peter,
After seeing several of your works, I've noticed that your star seems to shine brighter when you are playing the 'villain' or someone with an edge. Do you enjoy playing the 'bad boy' role?
Stacey

Stacey,
I certainly enjoy playing the hero, but it is always fun to play the bad guy, where I get to do, and say things that I normally wouldn’t get away with in real life. I really don’t have a preference. Every good story needs a protaganist and an antagonist. I think they are both crucial in telling the story. So it’s fun to be able to cross back and forth being able to play them both. My favorite though is the anti-hero. Someone, who doesn’t necessarily do things the hero way, yet you root for and want him to win.
 

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Question for Peter...
Being in the 'entertainment' industry myself, I find that a lot of time is spent away from your family. Have you ever thought of giving it all up so that you could spent more time with them?
Nathan L.

Nathan,
Yes, there are concentrated periods where I am away from my family, but then there are concentrated periods where I’m with my family all of the time. So I think in the end it balances out. Usually when I’m getting on a plane to go work, and I know I’m going to be apart from them for a while, at that moment, I think of giving it all up, just to spend more time with them. And when I land and start working the moment passes. I know that giving it all up wouldn’t be balanced and I wouldn’t be happy.
 

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Hey Peter!
I'm a big music fan and wonder what your tastes are in music. So, what do you consider your five favorite CD's or who are your top five artists?
Missy from Baltimore

Missy,
I have a huge eclectic taste in music. It depends what I’m in the mood for. If I had to pick a favorite it would have to be The Beatles, the Door, the Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan. Music from that era. But I listen to anything from Elvis to Kanye West. From the Beach Boys to Bach.
 

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I hear you are doing some writing. Is this a new passion of yours or have you been doing it for awhile? Will we get to see any of your work?
Jayme Lynn

Jayme Lynn,
I have been doing some writing. I’ve read so many scripts, and I get tired of waiting for a good script to come into my hands. So I decided to write scripts that I would want to see get made. I have written two scripts. One of them, entitled, LOOSIES, has myself, Freddy Rodriguez, and Robert Forester attached. I am currently raising the fundind to shoot it. It’s been a long road, and has been set up and fallen apart a few times, but I continue to move forward and hope to get it made in the near future. The other, is being shopped by my agents. I will let all of you know when they will be at a theatre near you.

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If you could go back in time and remake a movie with you in it, what movie would it be and what role would you have loved to play?
Chelle

Chelle,
Great question. If I could go back in time and play a role in a movie it would be Paul Newman’s role in COOL HAND LUKE. It’s one of my favorite movies. As I stated earlier, I love playing the anti hero, and Newman’s character in this is a true anti hero. Someone who gets beaten to the ground and just keeps getting up.

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