For the past five days, the streets outside of L.A.’s Nokia Theatre have been occupied by the most hardcore “twihards” – more than 1,400 in fact – all waiting in anticipation for the premiere of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I,” which will take place tonight (November 14).
Last week, stars from the Twilight series – Peter Facinelli, Jackson Rathbone, Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed and Charlie Bewley – hit the red carpet at the House of Blues in Chicago to promote the fourth film in the series.
Screaming fans – some had waited 10 hours in the rain – welcomed the four Cullen family members and lone Volturi to the stage as they took part in a Q&A session led by WGN’s Dean Richards, following a live performance courtesy of Christina Perri.
Amid a lot of ribbing and laughing, the cast agreed to disagree on who’s wig was the worst, and poked fun at Robert Pattinson’s aim when it came to vampire-on-vampire combat. Bewley quipped that “Robert couldn’t hit a rhino’s arse” if it was right in front of him.
Regardless, you can be pretty sure Team Edward is still going strong.
And, as the usual requests for marriage – mainly directed at Ashley and Nikki – rolled in, fans focused on the evolution of the films throughout the years, and what it feels like to be famous:
“I feel like not much hasn’t changed. I think the only thing that hasn’t changed are my core friends and family… it’s been amazing,” said Ashley Greene.
“These fan events are phenomenal. I’ve never seen anything like it. Even if you’re in a big movie, they’re not always cultural phenomenons…” said Peter Facinelli while inviting a lucky young fan to join him on stage.
“I’ve gone all over the world, worked with incredible directors and I think I’ve grown as an actor. At least I hope I have…” said Nikki Reed.
“It’s been wonderful (for my music career). I was here a few months ago with my band, 100 Monkeys. The only thing I want to do with my music is have people dance and sing and have a good time. If Twilight fans come and end up enjoying the live show… that’s what I’m hoping for,” said Jackson Rathbone while donning a sock monkey hat a fan passed up to him.
“It’s been a springboard toward what I want to do. I was in Vancouver when I got casted. Things were moving along, but this put me under a microscope a little bit,” said Charlie Bewley.
“Because the soundtracks are really kind of epic now, I feel like people on them get global exposure. It’s bananas. You definitely have a shot at being really well-known…” said Christina Perri – a self-proclaimed Twihard – of having her song, “A Thousand Years,” on the latest soundtrack.
