Fun facts learned from Stephenie Meyer and Wyck Godfrey’s ‘Eclipse’ commentary

As you know, there are two commentary features on The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’s DVD/Blu-Ray edition, and you’ve already heard a bit about Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart’s here.

For the second, Saga author Stephenie Meyer and producer Wyck Godfrey delivered, and theirs – told from the perspective of filmmaking rather than acting, obviously – is quite informative. Here are some of the best revelations brought forth by their commentary.

The Wonder from Down Under: Xavier Samuel’s audition for the part of “Riley Biers” came via mail-in, and it absolutely wow-ed one of the executives at Summit Entertainment. Per Stephenie Meyer, they were all really impressed with his work in the tape, but Samuel – due to the enhancement of the character in the film – still had to submit to “about seven” further auditions before being officially cast for the role.

First Scene After a Long Summer: Stephenie Meyer and Wyck Godfrey explain that the very first scene in the film – the first meadow scene – was the first time Pattinson and Stewart shot together after having spent the summer working on other films (Remember Me and The Runaways, respectively). Everyone was pleased with their ability to jump right back into character and pull it off so well.

Moments Missed, Part 1: There were several moments which Stephenie Meyer missed from the book, including the one where “Edward” tinkers with the car part he’s removed from “Bella’s” truck. “It kind of rubs it in a little more,” she explained. She is also aware of how much fans like the “Angryward” scene, but she was rather upset with Wyck Godfrey for that one, citing the mythology of the Saga – namely, the fact that “Jacob’s” arm would’ve been laying on the floor if it were really pushed in that way by “Edward.”

Wig Woes: While Wyck found that Kristen Stewart’s wig was “the biggest problem in making this movie,” Stephenie Meyer was quite pleased with Jackson Rathbone’s hair in this film. In fact, she teased that for the “anniversary edition,” Rathbone’s hair should be CGI-ed with the look from Eclipse for all the films.

Moments Missed, Part 2: There were a couple of things that were talked about or included in the scripts which didn’t make it to film. For instance, Stephenie Meyer said that originally the parking lot scene was supposed to include the moment when “Jacob” remembers what “Bella” looked like in New Moon, but it didn’t translate well onto the screen. Also, Wyck Godfrey said that they were going to have a moment with “Quil” running out of the La Push house with a toddler (“Claire” in the book), but it just became too strange. Finally, there was going to be a scene with “Edward” in the olden days, sipping tea on his porch and courting “Bella” during his time period. Stephenie Meyer was a fan of the idea, but it never made it to screen.

Location, Location: The two revealed that the “Cullen” house, for interior shots, was built on a soundstage indoors, and this made things a lot easier for shooting purposes. Also, the “Volturi” overpass scene was filmed in the same spot as the first motorcycle scene for New Moon.

Scarves?: Finally, “Carlisle’s” scarves make sense! According to Stephenie Meyer, the choice to have “Carlisle” wear scarves in the films comes from Peter Facinelli’s thought that the character would have scars from being bitten (and his sensitivity about that).

Looking Out for Each Other in Real Life: Apparently, the Twi-fecta really is a tight-knit bunch. During the tent scene (re-shoots, which Stephenie Meyer was glad for), Kristen Stewart was apparently quite sick, and Taylor Lautner took it upon himself to place a trash bin outside of the tent in the case that she got sick.

Congraduation: The reason Anna Kendrick’s character, “Jessica Stanley,” was the valedictorian in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (“Eric Yorkie” was in the book version) was that screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg had a few ideas as to how to utilize Kendrick’s strengths as an actress in the scene, Stephenie Meyer revealed.

Of course, there’s so much more. Eclipse on DVD/Blu-Ray hits shelves December 4th. Check out EclipseTheMovie.com for midnight release party locations!

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