As Bella Swan in the upcoming film, New Moon, based on the bestselling novel by Stephenie Meyer, actor Kristen Stewart must deal with a character that is so devastated by a break-up with her boyfriend, Edward Cullen, that she borders on suffering a mental breakdown. While the situation is very different for the character Stewart played in the movie, Speak, based on the award-winning bestseller by Laurie Halse Anderson, Ms. Stewart’s work on the character of Melinda Sordino five years ago may help inform her performance as Bella Swan in New Moon, currently wrapping up filming in Italy.
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Speak is about a teenage girl who suffers a trauma the summer before she enters high school. With her friends set against her based on her initial reaction to the trauma, Melinda resolves that perhaps it would be better to become a selective mute, not talking to any one any more than she has to as a way of coping with the stress of her experience. Ms. Anderson's novel was a National Book Award finalist and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. The book has been praised for the forthright and honest way it deals with its difficult subject matter. The novel was published in a 10th anniversary edition in 2009.
Performing the role of a selective mute, the lack of dialogue might seem like a challenge to any actor, but reviews of 14-year-old Kristen Stewart’s performance in Speak praised her skill at making Melinda believable to audiences.
Chris Parry of efilmcritic.com, for example, wrote in his review of the film: “As Melinda, Kristen Stewart doesn’t just shine, she burns. In a role where most of what she says doesn’t come in the form of words, the teen star of Panic Room and Cold Creek Manor shows that she’s far more than just a ‘teen actress,’ delivering a flawless performance.” Parry gave the film five out of five stars and said it was the best film he saw “by a long way” at the Sundance Film Festival of 2004.
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Though the traumas are completely different—Bella’s is based on a romance with a fantasy character, after all, whereas Melinda’s is very much a reality-based, physically and emotionally harmful experience—the characters do share some resemblance in the unhealthy ways they attempt to cope. Readers of both novels may see Ms. Stewart, now 19, pulling from some of the same set of skills in portraying Bella in the sequel to Twilight as she managed to deliver in bringing Melinda alive on screen at a much earlier age.
About her part in Speak, Ms. Stewart said in an interview in Ireland, that she realized for the first time while doing that film that, to her, acting “feels like breathing…like something that I have to do.”
The film, Speak, rated PG-13 for "mature thematic material," won the 2004 Audience Award at the Woodstock Film Festival.
While it makes sense that all actors' previous work experience adds to their ability to perform the next role, for Ms. Stewart, these two roles in particular seem to share a common emotional landscape that she will need to find, yet again, an effective and artistic way to traverse.
Comments
her performance in speak, really opened my eyes to her talent. to all the people that seriously doubt she can pull off a devastated bella in new moon, they should see speak. her performace is one of kind, one that makes you feel her pain through the screen. amazing and breathtaking. a much watch, you will change your mind about kristen forever.
I saw Speak a while ago and I agree, I don't see how anyone could doubt Kristen's acting ability after seeing Speak. Even at such a young age, she portrayed Melinda's pain and distress so well. I have also watched In The Land Of Women and Into The Wild, both of which she performed outstandingly in. She is such a talented actress and anyone who can't see that straight away is blind. I'm sure she, as well as the rest of the cast, will continue to move from strength to strength in New Moon.
Kristen is really talented and shines and burns well especially when she is acting in devastated and painfull character. She has a beautiful laugh and giggle. Its neither laugh or giggle actually, but its really contagious.
Kristin is such an amazing amazing actress. She is wonderful in every film she's ever done. Can't wait for the rest of the Twilight Saga film and her take on Joan Jett. Bound to be great.
I saw speak and her acting was beyond amazing and inspirational. Speak is a wonderfully AMAZING book. Plus, The Twilight saga is awesome too. She is really lucky to me getting these parts!
I have to agree, i have been saying this since i knew she would play bella, i would say oh her performance in speak will really help her with new moon because she has an excellent way of showing her pain to the audience and making it almost unbearable to watch, but you have to because you need to know if she turns out alright.. She is truly amazing, and that's when i became a fan of her, she is one of my role models in the sense that she truly takes a role seriously. whatever she does she puts
it's sad that twilight was her breakout role because it's one of my least favorite performances of hers. i quite like the edge she has to her personality though. finally a teen queen who's not squeaky clean and so prissy. and last but not least, she also has a considerable amount of talent. it should be fun watching her career unfold. she's got loads of potential.
I'm such a fan of Kristen's. Caught her in The Cake Eaters and Into the Wild and hafta say, she's amazing. She's going to leave everyone in the dust in New Moon - I just feel it. Bella goes through huge transformations over the 4 books and Kristen is just the gifted actress who can pull it all off. Catherine Hardwicke knew what she was doing when she cast Kristen and RPatz - and all the other actors in the series. Every one of them is perfect.
Kristen doesnt need the help of her Speak role, she has her talent to rely on!
i first saw her in speak.she did an AWESOME job on that. the movie left me in tears! she is an amazingly talented actress. compared to her other works of art, Twilight seems a little too light for her. but she did a good job. she portrayed bella really well. she is my favorite actor of all time! and not just because we share the same name
The girl in the background of the Speak poster above is Hallee Hirsh. I like her too and hope she gets a breakout role.
Thanks for all the comments! SPEAK got so little attention, it seems. I hope more people will rent it and see it, especially if they're interested in other roles Kristen Stewart has played. (warning, though--it deals with an intense subject). The book it's based on was ground-breaking in contemporary young adult lit.
She is awesome actress, I have seen The Cake Eater and she was great. :)
I will see Speak, thanks! :)
I saw Speak.One of Kristen's best,I think.It would help her with New Moon
I saw speak and Kirsten did a good job playing MeLinda in the film. Also that film teach us don't ever go to a party where is drinking becaues. I felt sorry for MeLinda in film that Andy guy was so Brianless I hate people like that and also he was eighteen and MeLinda was like around fourteen so that for me is wrong and also in film he comes back and trys to rape her again.But MeLinda tells him "no you got me once your not doing it again" she truned into a woman and stood her ground against that jerk. so that is Why Kirsten did a good job in Speak. Also how cool is this Kirsten and I are one year a part she was born in the 1990 ann I was born in 1991 how cool is that.
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