EXCLUSIVE: Inside The Making Of 'Twilight: Eclipse'

By Natthakan Garunrangseewong • With less than a month away from the premiere of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, rumor mills have been working over time on the state of lovebird co-stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. The couple had a fight on the set as she reportedly accused him of partying in a London burlesque bar.

"Kristen asked for a reshoot because she didn’t like her wig in the scene. When Robert arrived … she accused him of taking a later flight from London because he had been hanging out too late at a burlesque bar,” a witness reported to The New York Post’s Page Six. “She accused him right in front of the director and the crew. He didn’t take it well. They were both so angry, the crew had to take a break for an hour for things to simmer down."

Pattinson and Stewart, who play Edward and Bella, made up by the time of their appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, where they joked about rumors of Stewart being pregnant and skirted around confirming the worst kept secret in Hollywood – that they are a couple.

Maybe Stewart can learn a little lesson from her co-star Taylor Lautner when he dated pop singer Taylor Swift last year as an onscreen couple in Valentine’s Day – the relationship fell flat in real life. The relationship between the two Taylors fizzled in a few weeks due to a reported lack of chemistry.

As for the on-screen action in Eclipse, cast members anticipate an action-packed third installment. This time, Seattle is plagued by a string of murders under the orders of a vengeful vampire seeking payback. To combat the mysterious killings, Bella and the Cullens must join forces with the werewolf pack though they were previously mortal enemies.

"If you read the books, I’d say Eclipse is heavy-set with action. I can’t wait to see it,” Charlie Bewley, who plays the vampire Demetri and has yet to see the final cut. “I have no doubt it’s just going to be an absolute corker."

This time, cast members agree the film takes a darker twist, continues deepening character developments and will finally appeal to more than just the ladies. “The guys are going to bring their girlfriends to this one, mark my words,” Kellan Lutz told the Los Angeles Times. The actor returns as Emmett Cullen, the strong and brotherly vampire of the Cullen clan. “There’s a lot of fighting, a lot of cool stunts. It’s a little darker. The stuff I’ve seen so far is amazing … the music is great. Everything is just really captivating. I’m excited to see it, and I’m excited for the fans to see it. The stunts are so cool.” Stewart agrees the introduction of new characters adds excitement to the series. “It definitely steps it up in terms of action … there’s more danger, there’s much more at risk,” she told MTV Australia.

Nikki Reed, who plays Emmett’s wife, Rosalie Cullen, thinks fans will see a different side of her character. "You see a reason for her attitude. I think fans will feel for her,” she said. “Fans got to see a bit of her sensitive side. Her sane side. Her logical side. And her desire to help her family. This time around, she is much more of a participant. She’s a survivor. This is her family. So if protecting Bella means protecting her family, she’s going to do it."

The romantic storyline further complicates for Bella as she is caught in a love triangle between vampire Edward Cullen and werewolf Jacob Black. Pattinson revealed that he struggled with filming Edward’s formal proposal to Bella because of how heavy it was going to be. "I was dreading the day it was coming," Pattinson told USA Today of the scene that was held until the end of the shoot. "The first time I read the script, I thought, ‘This is impossible.’ … It’s so earnest. I finally convinced the producers that you can play it with a bit of awareness of not being a fictional character. I’m not trying to be part of a Gothic novel." However, the final product pleasantly surprised Pattinson. "It seems different when you see it."

The film also adds a few new characters, notably Riley, a vampire in the army of the main antagonist Victoria. Xavier Samuel, who plays Riley, said joining the cast of such a large franchise was a tough but rewarding experience. "It is a bit like the first day of school. But I felt like part of the family,” Samuel told GQ. What he was more uncomfortable with, however, was getting used to the green screen used to shoot the special effects. “The director would yell ‘Action!’ and this guy puts a stick in your face," he recalled. "That stick is the wolf. They didn’t teach that at drama school. I must have been sick that day."

Lutz agrees acting before a green screen was odd, but he was completely fascinated by the end result. “It was a bit weird, like for the main battle scene where the newborns come in. I mean, we’re looking at these cardboard cutouts as we’re acting, as we’re supposed to be head-butting creatures. So to see it live on the screen is so cool,” said Lutz. “And running on the treadmills to do the chase scene was awesome. We were being pulled by a truck going really fast to make it seem like we were running at vampiric speed. To see it on screen, it looks epic.”

While the special effects threw some of the actors off, Ashley Greene, the actress who portrays the telepathic vampire Alice Cullen, is confident in one thing. “You don’t have to be psychic to know how this movie’s going to do,” she said. “Obviously, it’s going to be a hit.”