It seems like it was yesterday, but the Twilight movie has 15 years behind it. Many young people either don’t know the saga or haven’t seen it in theaters. That’s why some people fantasize about who the actors could be today. Sometimes, those people are even the director of the original movie.
The director of Twilight, Catherine Hardwicke, has some ideas about who would play the main characters if the movie were to be remade today, in the midst of 2023.
During an appearance on the podcast Happy Sad Confused to discuss the film 15 years after its original release, the filmmaker mentioned who she would like to see portray Edward Cullen and Bella Swan in a current movie.
Are we in agreement with the casting?
When asked if Jacob Elordi and Jenna Ortega would play the two main characters, Hardwicke admitted, “Oh, that would be perfect,” she said, and added about Elordi, “I mean, he’s incredible. Probably, today he would be Edward.”
She explained that many people come to mind when she thinks of who could embody the roles nowadays. Model Lewis Tan approached her recently and said he auditioned for the role of Jacob Black, which eventually went to Taylor Lautner.
“It would have changed anyone’s life if he had gotten that role,” she said. Hardwicke reaffirmed her choice of Ortega to play Bella today. “I think there are many really great young actors today. Of course, you just mentioned Jenna Ortega, she’s incredible.”
In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter for the 15th anniversary of Twilight, the director explained that she knew she had found her Bella in Kristen Stewart quite early in the process when she saw the actress in the trailer for “Into the Wild” from 2007.
However, she noted that finding the actor to play Edward ended up being much more challenging than finding her Bella. The actors who auditioned didn’t give the impression of having lived almost a century and didn’t possess the anguish he needed.
