Page 30 - aruba-today-20170311

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Saturday 11 March 2017
Stewart and Assayas find a

groove in the shadow of celebrity

JAKE COYLE spotlight — and into films ‘’Equals,” ‘’Cafe Society”),
AP Film Writer outside of Hollywood con- with an insatiable urge to
NEW YORK (AP) — In the vention — Stewart has nev- work, to keep exploring.
disheveled backroom of er been so much herself on Stewart also debuted a
an East Village restaurant, screen. short film she directed at
Kristen Stewart is sarcasti- “I could be making movies Sundance this year.
cally motivating the French about Kristen being a mov- In a memorable “Saturday
director Olivier Assayas for ie star or whatever persona Night Live” monologue
a photo shoot. any actress has on social earlier this year, she re-
Kristen Stewart, right, and writer-director Olivier Assayas pose for “You’re in America now, media,” says Assayas. “But flected on when Donald
a portrait to promote their film, “Personal Shopper,” on Thursday, dude,” Stewart jokes. what interests me is the per- Trump in 2012 repeatedly
March 9, 2017, in New York. “We’ve got to sell the s--- son. So I throw the burden tweeted that her then-
Associated Press out of this movie.” of celebrity on someone boyfriend Robert Pattinson
Stewart, a blockbuster vet- else, so she can be free of should “dump” her. “It was
eran at 26, is well acquaint- it.” inconceivable, actually,”
ed with the demands of “Maybe for the next one Stewart says. “At the time, I
movie promotion. But with I could play a famous ac- regarded him as like a real-
Assayas, she has found a tress,” jokes Stewart. “Try to ity-show star. I was like: Who
freedom from such con- normalize that!” is this guy?”
cerns. She and the direc- There were plenty of mo- “To be honest, there are so
tor have forged an unlikely ments while making “Per- many significant and very
but formidable bond that sonal Shopper” where effecting things that he has
has resulted in two highly Stewart’s fame invaded. said and says all the time,”
acclaimed movies, both Shooting on the streets of continues Stewart. “This
made in Europe, far outside Paris (Stewart drives a mo- was just a stranger, fasci-
of Hollywood jurisdiction. ped through the city in the nating one because it’s
They’re an odd pair: She, film), they were surrounded so piddly in terms of what
a rebel A-lister from Los by paparazzi. Assayas ac- matters. It was worth every-
Angeles who has become knowledges for that and one knowing that because
one of the movie’s most ex- other reasons (a difficult it’s f------ weird.”
citing and uncompromis- crew, his underestima- She also, in a rebuke to
ing actors; he, a demure tion of the complexity of a Trump and an inspiration to
Parisian whose layered, ce- lengthy texting sequence) others, announced, “And
rebral films teeter between the movie had “a weird I’m like so gay, dude.”
reality and fiction. energy.” ‘’We struggled for “I’ve really allowed myself
What makes them click? this film,” he says. to really freely and with
They chuckle. But Stewart says she chan- no regard to the effect of
“I’m not sure,” says Assayas. neled the intrusions into others live my life,” says
Stewart nods. “That’s the her haunted character. “I Stewart. “There was just a
main question,” she says. “I thought I was being taken time where I realized that
don’t know. We like each from, and it was good,” she the things you do and say
other.” says. “It made me more when you have so many
Their latest film, “Personal sensitive. My nerves were people looking at you, they
Shopper,” is full of myster- very close to the surface.” do affect others. So I’m re-
ies, too. It’s a ghost story, set In the two films, Stewart has ally proud of it. But at the
in a contemporary world of relished the chance to slyly same time, I hate that it’s
texting and Googling. In remark on the celebrity in- such a big deal. It’s a fact
the film, which opened Fri- dustrial complex. of life right now but it’s like,
day, Stewart plays a twin “As an outsider, you’re al- whatever. To me, it’s not
whose brother has just died. lowed to comment very personally that big of a
Her day job is shopping in honestly about things that deal but I know that it can
Paris for a stuck-up celebri- are undeniably, objectively be to others.”
ty, but she’s also a medium, strange,” says Stewart.” But Stewart and Assayas may,
and a series of strange en- if you’re the person who is in many ways, be oppo-
counters make her believe at the center of that, then sites.
a spirit (her brother?) is con- all of a sudden those com- But they’re both prone to
tacting her. ments become scathing following their instincts in
“Personal Shopper” follows and you’re ungrateful and unpredictable directions
their previous “Clouds of whatever. It was nice to be and pursuing questions
Sils Maria,” also a singularly able to speak the truth and they know won’t lead to
enigmatic movie in which not be harpooned for it.” answers. Whatever the rea-
Stewart played support Yet the former “Twilight” son, they’re a match.
staff (an assistant to Juliette actress, with freshly buzzed “It’s a fact that a film like
Binoche’s theatre actress) blonde hair, has deservedly ‘Personal Shopper’ hap-
to a more famous charac- made a reputation for her- pens because of Kristen,”
ter. (The part earned Stew- self as an unusually forth- says Assayas. “The way we
art a Cesar, the first Ameri- right and frank star. She has function allows me to try,
can to win the French taken part after part, usual- eventually, more daring
award.) But by stepping ly in smaller, indie produc- things. In a certain way, she
into characters out of the tions (“Certain Women,” protects me.”q