Kristen Stewart, known for her role as Bella Swan in the ‘Twilight’ saga, recently opened up about the challenges she faced during and after the series. As a young actress, Stewart was still figuring out herself and dealing with her sexual identity in the public eye.
Starring in the ‘Twilight’ series alongside Robert Pattinson brought the 33-year-old actress great fame, but it wasn’t without its drawbacks. The constant attention from the media and the public made her personal journey of self-discovery more complex, turning everyday activities into a struggle under the relentless (male) gaze of the paparazzi.
She recalled the era, saying:
“The Nineties and the early 2000s were really horrific for young women. Don’t you feel that way?”
The Mental Problems ‘Twilight’ Fame Brought Along
This kind of attention took a toll on Stewart’s mental health. At 18, she faced severe anxiety, leading to episodes where she found herself paralyzed by stress, to the point of ending up in a hospital once:
“They were like, ‘She’s dehydrated.’ I was like, ‘I’m not dehydrated. I’m f*cking flipping out.’ They gave me an IV and a mild sedative, and I started calming down, and my hands started opening up because you f*cking atrophy.”
Her anxiety also caused her to be hyper-aware of her surroundings, always on the lookout for an escape route to a bathroom. She remarked:
“I was always like, ‘Who knows? I could spontaneously combust in a puddle of puke right now.’”
Stewart also had trouble sleeping for a long time. The actress got used to insomnia and thought it might harm her, but she managed to get through it:
“I loved to be sad and sh*t. Oh, my God. I made a complete art project out of it: my whole life.”
Love Helped Her Through Struggles
The turning point in Stewart’s life came with her relationship with Dylan Meyer, who introduced stability and routine into her life. Stewart explained how Meyer’s influence helped her find balance when she moved in with her:
“When she moved into this house, I had no curtains, three forks, and I never drank coffee, and I was like: ‘I don’t sleep.’ She’s like: ‘In the morning, you drink coffee, and you work, and you’re alive, and you’re awake, and then at night you close the curtains.’ In retrospect, it was so obvious.”
Now, the couple is thinking about tying the knot. The ‘Snow White And The Huntsman’ actress mentioned plans for a simple wedding with her partner in the near future.
