If you've seen Into the Wild, Sean Penn's brilliant adaptation of the book of the same name, starring Emile Hirsch, then you may remember that Kristen Stewart appeared in a small but efficient role as a young girl who ends up getting rejected because of her age. What a lot of people don't know, however, is that this seemingly insignificant role actually led to Stewart's casting as Bella Swan in the Twilight movies, the part that launched the actress to worldwide fame. And, according to the actor himself, it's all thanks to her co-star Emile Hirsch. How did it happen, then? In short, Emile Hirsch had previously worked with the director of the original Twilight movie, Catherine Hardwicke, on the movie Lords of Dogtown. Hirsch, having been impressed with Stewart in Into the Wild, reportedly suggested her for the part to Hardwicke. Hardwicke agreed to see Stewart as a result, and the rest - as they say - is history! Hollywood really is a case of "who you know" and not "what you know," isn't it?
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
