Exclusive: Tyson Houseman talks 'New Moon,' 'Eclipse,' his artwork, and the future

Tyson Houseman in 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon' - Summit Ent.

Tyson Houseman, who portrays "Quil Ateara" in The Twilight Saga: New Moon and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, is more than just an actor - he's an artist, through and through.

Houseman took the time to speak to me about that fact, as well as his work in the  Twilight series films.

For starters, Houseman revealed that there really was some coalescence between the on-screen relationship between he and his wolfpack co-stars and that which existed off-screen.

Said he, "The relationship between myself and my cast members really did reflect the relationship of the characters, because when we filmed New Moon, I was the only character who was not yet part of the wolfpack, and so I had a different shooting schedule and different costume work and hair and make up etc. While we all became friends, I still did not get to see the rest of the guys as much as they did, and so they all had a bit more of a bonding experience than I did. Although during the filming of Eclipse, my character is part of the pack and so I got to spend a lot more time with the guys."

Though becoming a part of the Twilight series meant he was photographed by paparazzi and fans even before the initial casting announcement was released, he tries not to let it get into his head. "At first I really didn’t know what to think about it, and I felt that I didn’t deserve that kind of attention. I try not to let stuff like that get to me, it’s very important to me to stay grounded and stay true to myself," he said.

Houseman revealed that, in staying true to himself, his real passion is in the world of arts, generally. Houseman talked about his background and current involvement in the arts, saying that he'd been "drawing and painting since [he] was a little kid." "All throughout grade school, my notebooks had more doodles in them than actual notes. Art is an extremely important part of my life. I see art everywhere and in everything. I think that’s why I also enjoy photography so much, because I can find a certain type of beauty in everything that I see, and I need to capture that beauty. But as an artist, I try to be as ranged as possible. Acting is an art and it is also something I really enjoy. After I went to the open casting call for New Moon and got the part, I felt that an amazing opportunity was given to me, and how could I turn that down? This has opened up so many doors for me, and I plan on following through with it," Houseman continued.

Being a part of the Twilight franchise, too, has offered Houseman a bit of heritage-based pride. "It makes me really proud of the fact that they were so specific about casting actors with Native backgrounds," he said.

As a cast member for both New Moon and Eclipse, it had to be asked whether Tyson Houseman had any preference between the two directors (Chris Weitz for New Moon and David Slade for Eclipse). "I had no preference when it came to the directors, but I did enjoy that they both worked differently because it gave me the chance to get a more diverse look at the actor-director relationship and how a director works." As for who he'd like to work with in the future? "One director that I would love to work with is Wes Anderson. He is a director that has a unique style that I really like."

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