The Twilight franchise first stole our hearts through the books and then on the big screen with Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson as the co-protagonists. It’s been 13 years since its premiere in 2008, and that’s why we decided to learn about the lives of the actors who appeared in it and how they look today after putting aside their vampire costumes.
1. Kristen Stewart — Bella Swan
Although Kristen began acting as a child — at the age of 12 she was Jodie Foster’s daughter in Panic Room, and its success opened doors for her in Hollywood — it was her starring role in the Twilight Saga that undoubtedly made her worldwide famous. During the filming of the saga, Kristen participated in another film: Snow White and the Huntsman, where she played the naive princess. Some of her latest works are the films Crimes of the Future and Spencer.
2. Robert Pattinson — Edward Cullen
Without a doubt, his starring role in the Twilight saga brought Pattinson to stardom. However, the English actor was already known at the time. At the age of 15, he started acting in the London theater club, and, some time later, he was chosen to play Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In 2022, he incarnated a new Bruce Wayne in The Batman, a film in which he stars alongside Zoë Kravitz.
3. Billy Burke — Charlie Swan
Before becoming an actor, Burke was a musician; at the age of fifteen he played music in bands and it was a record label deal that drove him to move to Los Angeles. He became known for participating in the television series 24 and for acting in Gilmore Girls and Fringe, a science fiction series. His most recent work is Fire Country where he gives life to Vince Leone.
4. Sarah Clarke — Renée
Before playing Renée, Bella Swan’s immature mother, Clarke worked alongside Billy Burke in the series 24. But her screen debut was in the world of advertising, in a Volkswagen commercial called Synchronicity. While the Twilight saga was being filmed, she ventured into crime and espionage as the CIA agent Lena Smith in the series Secret Affairs. Her last appearance was in the film Alchemy of the Spirit.
5. Justin Chon — Eric Yorkie
In the saga, Chon played Eric Yorkie, Bella’s classmate. But Chon has explored different terrain beyond the world of acting. Since 2015, he has been writing and directing — one of his films, Gook, received several awards, one of them for best director —, he has a YouTube channel and is a member of BgA, a group that parodies K-pop, a popular South Korean genre. Nevertheless, he has never left the screen and can be seen in his latest series The Casagrandes.
6. Michael Welch — Mike Newton
Before becoming Mike Newton, the friend in love with Bella, Michael Welch was known for his role as Luke Girardi in the series Joan of Arcadia. He has appeared in very famous series such as CSI: Las Vegas, Bones, and Criminal Minds. In 2022 he acted in the film Hot Seat and in the series Quantum Leap.
7. Anna Kendrick — Jessica
Contrary to most of Kendrick’s colleagues in the saga, her role as Jessica, one of the main character’s friends, is far from being the most important in her career. Anna has shared the screen with celebrities such as George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and Ben Affleck. She has even written an autobiographical book, Scrappy Little Nobody. Her last work was in the film Alice, Darling.
8. Christian Serratos — Ángela Weber
Apart from the role of Bella’s best human friend, her most important role was undoubtedly that of Rosita Espinosa in The Walking Dead. Then she played Selena Quintanilla in the Netflix series Selena, based on the life of the popular singer. In her personal life, the actress promotes a vegan lifestyle and is in a relationship with David Boyd, the lead singer of the Danish rock band New Politics, with whom she has a son named Wolfgang.
9. Nikki Reed — Rosalie
Nikki Reed became known in 2003 for playing one of the lead roles in the movie Thirteen. She co-wrote the screenplay with Catherine Hardwicke, who also directed the first movie of the Twilight saga. The film is based on Reed’s own life and earned her the award for best debut and several other nominations. The actress had her first child with another vampire, actor Ian Somerhalder— star of The Vampire Diaries —, whom she married in April 2015.
10. Kellan Lutz — Emmet
After the famous saga, he played very well-known (and strong) characters. He was Poseidon in Immortals, he was the voice of Tarzan in the animated film Tarzan, and was Hercules in The Legend of Hercules. His most recent work is in The Guardians of Justice series playing King Tsunami.
11. Ashley Greene — Alice
Before getting the role, she was not known in the movie industry. While the saga was being made, she starred in suspense and horror films, such as Summer’s Blood and, in 2012, The Apparition. In 2022, she appeared in two other movies: Wrong Place, where she plays Chloé, and The Immaculate Room in which she is Simone.
12. Jackson Rathbone — Jasper
Jackson’s career is divided between the world of movies and series and that of music. On the screen, he can be seen in films such as The Guardians of Justice and Until We Meet Again. In the music business, the actor was part of the band 100 Monkeys. As a solo artist, he released the album American Spirits Blues, where he shows his skills with different instruments, such as guitar, harmonica, banjo, and mandolin.
What is your favorite movie in the Twilight saga? And your favorite character?
This man bought the home from an elderly couple who built it in the 1970s: He sees a hole in his front yard, examines it closer, and is surprised where it leads
The allure of old buildings lies not only in their physical structures but also in the historical tales they hold. While the phrase “If these walls could talk” may be a bit cliché, it sparks the imagination to envision the lives and stories embedded within those timeworn walls. As a child, I was captivated by the charm of my grandparents’ 18th-century mansion, a dwelling that had exchanged hands multiple times over the centuries.
Contemplating the lives of those who inhabited the house in the 1800s and visualizing the landscape before its construction fueled my curiosity. It’s intriguing how many individuals remain oblivious to the secrets concealed within their own homes. A similar sense of astonishment struck Simon Marks from Luton, England, when he unwittingly stumbled upon a hidden piece of history in his front yard.
Several years ago, Simon Marks discovered an unexpected feature beneath his property: a two-roomed World War II air raid shelter. The incident unfolded as Simon drove into what he initially believed to be a flowerbed, only to realize that his vehicle had descended into the concealed structure. “A large hole developed. I thought it was a sinkhole or a badly constructed garden”, recounted Simon, 37, to The Sun.
Fearful that his entire house might disappear into the unexpected void, Simon investigated further. To his surprise, he uncovered a ladder and, upon using a selfie stick to peer into the depths, identified the underground relic as a World War II air raid shelter. His father, upon seeing the images, immediately recognized the structure and informed Simon of its historical significance.
Acquiring the home from an elderly couple who had constructed it in the 1970s, Simon speculated that the previous owners must have been aware of the shelter’s existence. “The previous owner must have known it was there, and when he built the house and put a garden in, he must have filled it in”, Simon surmised. Undeterred by the unexpected discovery, he expressed a keen interest in preserving and restoring the bunker, considering it a remarkable piece of history.
Motivated by their newfound historical treasure, Simon and his father embarked on a venture to uncover the entire two-room construction, digging with buckets to reveal the structure in its entirety. The process, captured in a video showcasing the shelter and its restoration, serves as a testament to the unexpected historical gems hidden beneath the surface of our everyday lives.
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