SALT LAKE CITY -
The story that began as a dream is now a dream come true for author Stephenie Meyer. Her Twilight series skyrocketed to the top of every bestseller list and now it's topping box office charts as well. The most recent installment in the series, New Moon, opened in theaters at midnight Friday to thousands of excited fans across the nation.
FOX 13 had the opportunity to sit down with New Moon actors Jamie Campbell Bower and Edi Gathegi to get the inside scoop on the fangs, the fur and the rabid fans.
Gathegi reprises his role as Laurent in New Moon and he said the second film is more exciting than the first.
"What's great about New Moon is it takes all of the wonderful emotional elements that were in Twilight and then it takes them up a level by adding everything else, like the action," said Gathegi.
Twilight's young cast (including Robert Pattinson as Edward, Kristen Stewart as Bella and Taylor Lautner as Jacob) is joined in the second installment by a wolf pack and vampire rule enforcers, the Volturi.
Gathegi said his role is much darker in New Moon than in Twilight.
"At the end of the day my character is just a vampire," said Gathegi. "He's a traditional vampire. He kills human beings in order to sustain himself."
While the excitement is just gearing up for fans of the films, both Jamie and Edi said they are finally adjusting to the popularity of the series.
"You do get used to it in the sense that, it's never going to be as shocking as the first time," said Gathegi. "The first time, when you step on the Comic Con stage and there are 6,000 people that are going crazy for the cast -- that was a shock."
When Twilight director, Catherine Hardwicke, handed New Moon's reigns over to Chris Weitz, fans were concerned, fearing Bella's heartache could not be properly understood from a male perspective.
But Gathegi said fans have nothing to worry about.
"Just cause he's a man doesn't mean that he doesn't understand emotion and it doesn't mean that he can't bring what's required out of the books and I think that he did do that in a very wonderful way," said Gathegi.
Though the film is emotionally intense, the actors say anyone can relate to love and heartbreak.
"For the older generation, it's that aspect of first love and those emotions that you feel and those overwhelming feelings that one has when they fall in love," said Bower.
But, they say, New Moon is not just about the romance.
"New moon has way more action, which I think is going to draw the guys," said Gathegi.
More than 2000 theaters nationwide sold out of tickets to the film weeks ago. Eclipse, the third installment of the twilight series, has wrapped filming and is slated for release in June of 2010.
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FOX 13 had the opportunity to sit down with New Moon actors Jamie Campbell Bower and Edi Gathegi to get the inside scoop on the fangs, the fur and the rabid fans.
Gathegi reprises his role as Laurent in New Moon and he said the second film is more exciting than the first.
"What's great about New Moon is it takes all of the wonderful emotional elements that were in Twilight and then it takes them up a level by adding everything else, like the action," said Gathegi.
Twilight's young cast (including Robert Pattinson as Edward, Kristen Stewart as Bella and Taylor Lautner as Jacob) is joined in the second installment by a wolf pack and vampire rule enforcers, the Volturi.
Gathegi said his role is much darker in New Moon than in Twilight.
"At the end of the day my character is just a vampire," said Gathegi. "He's a traditional vampire. He kills human beings in order to sustain himself."
While the excitement is just gearing up for fans of the films, both Jamie and Edi said they are finally adjusting to the popularity of the series.
"You do get used to it in the sense that, it's never going to be as shocking as the first time," said Gathegi. "The first time, when you step on the Comic Con stage and there are 6,000 people that are going crazy for the cast -- that was a shock."
When Twilight director, Catherine Hardwicke, handed New Moon's reigns over to Chris Weitz, fans were concerned, fearing Bella's heartache could not be properly understood from a male perspective.
But Gathegi said fans have nothing to worry about.
"Just cause he's a man doesn't mean that he doesn't understand emotion and it doesn't mean that he can't bring what's required out of the books and I think that he did do that in a very wonderful way," said Gathegi.
Though the film is emotionally intense, the actors say anyone can relate to love and heartbreak.
"For the older generation, it's that aspect of first love and those emotions that you feel and those overwhelming feelings that one has when they fall in love," said Bower.
But, they say, New Moon is not just about the romance.
"New moon has way more action, which I think is going to draw the guys," said Gathegi.
More than 2000 theaters nationwide sold out of tickets to the film weeks ago. Eclipse, the third installment of the twilight series, has wrapped filming and is slated for release in June of 2010.
SEND US YOUR NEWS, WEATHER AND SPORTS PICTURES! www.fox13now.com/pics
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! @fox13now
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