‘Twilight’: Some Members of the Cast Threw ‘Hail Balls’ at Others
Though the Twilight movies would go on to become a global phenomenon, the first film had a distinctly indie vibe. Summit Entertainment, who produced and distributed the film, had no idea that the movie would make so much money. In fact, they considered scrapping the film altogether if Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight’s director) couldn’t make drastic cuts to her budget.
Fortunately, Hardwicke was able to save the film. However, her limited budget forced the cast and crew to get pretty scrappy. Instead of relying on uber-expensive movie magic, much of Twilight was made under some pretty intense conditions. Wire work, filming in brutal weather conditions, uncomfortable hair and makeup, and the occasional injury was pretty much par for the course for the cast and crew.
The ‘Twilight’ cast became very close while filming the movie
Though making Twilight was sometimes challenging, the cast seemed to enjoy the process. Long hours gave the actors an incredible opportunity to bond with each other. The first film, in particular, featured a large ensemble cast. And since many of the actors were in the same age range, filming became something of a summer camp experience; intense but a lot of fun.
Even after they’d been with each other all day, the cast still chose to spend their free time together. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Kellan Lutz (who played Emmett Cullen) reflected on how tight-knit the cast became while filming Twilight.
“We would all hang out at the end of the day in a different cast member’s room, order room service, and just chill,” Lutz shared of his Twilight castmates. “Rob Pattinson (Edward Cullen) would play the guitar and we’d just eat and talk and sing.”
Some of the actors played pranks on others
The Twilight cast also became close enough to play pranks on each other. Lutz mentioned that his male castmates, in particular, had a penchant for playing practical jokes. “All the guys always goofed around with the girls,” Lutz admitted. “Especially when the weather got bad, the girls would be freezing and we would throw hail balls at them.”
And throwing hail balls wasn’t the only prank played. Lutz also shared that one actor deliberately try to mislead others about their shooting schedule. “Edi Gathegi (Laurent) would assume this funny girl voice and call random cast members and tell them their call time was five hours earlier,” Lutz shared about his Twilight co-star. “It was just a lot of fun.”
The cast wasn’t as close in the later ‘Twilight’ movies
Clearly, the cast had a good time making Twilight. Unfortunately, the close-knit bond didn’t seem to hold up when shooting the four blockbuster sequels. In an interview with Seventeen, Nikki Reed (Rosalie Hale) got candid about how the films becoming a global phenomenon shifted relationships between the cast.
“In the beginning, it was innocent and fun, and we were like one big happy family – it was like being at sleepaway camp,” Hale shared about Twilight. “And then success comes along and changes the dynamic. We’re not all best friends, and we’re not all going to hang out together after the final movie is done.”
