Kristen Stewart: Messenger girl

Kristen Stewart, star of the US No 1 horror smash The Messengers, talks about working with the Pang brothers on their first Hollywood movie. Words: Ian Spelling

Are you a fan of Asian horror films?

I love all of the horror movies that they’re making over there, as well as the ones that are being remade over here! I think they’re really scary. Just because they have that certain style, a lot of people say they’re far too similar, but different filmmakers bring different things to them.

What interested you about The Messengers?

The Pang brothers. This is their first American movie. Usually when studios do these Asian-style movies, they give them to an American director, especially the remakes. I thought it was going to be really hard because of the language barrier, but of course they know English really well.

How would you describe the film?

It's creepy! It’s really slow for a little while and then it jumps at you. Basically, it's all about my character trying to prove that the spirits are really trying to communicate with her and that she's not insane or doing it for attention.

At one point, she gets scratched all over her neck, and her parents think she did it to herself. But she knows they need to do something before it's too late, because it’s potentially a really dangerous situation. It's terrifying.

What was it like to make?

It was really hard! It was just physically strenuous having the same expression is so many frames. Scary face one, scary face two… For two weeks straight I was just screaming and just acting terrified.

I thought doing this would be a nice break. I could just go and do this little horror movie and it wouldn’t be that big a deal. But it was one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever taken on.

You also starred in last year's Zathura. Were you disappointed that it wasn't more successful?

Yeah… People I talk to really liked it, but I think everyone just thought it was Jumanji 2. I thought it was refreshing. It was like all those old movies, like the movies that Spielberg used to make. That’s what [director] Jon Favreau was going for; the sort of a classic movie he grew up with.

What's next for you?

My family are all movie people and I really love what I’m doing right now. But I definitely want to go to school. I want to be a writer. That’s what I’m really into. My mom is Australian, so I might go to university in Sydney. I can't wait.

I’m not like Jodie Foster or Mary Stuart Masterson, or some of the other women I’ve worked with, who are almost compulsive doers. They're just powerhouses. I like focusing on one thing and taking it slow. When I’m at school I think I might just be at school.

The Messengers opens in the UK on 6 April.