As members of the Volturi inner circle Felix and Demetri, Daniel Cudmore and Charlie Bewley (respectively) have had a front row seat to the massive global phenomenon that is the “Twilight” franchise. The two first appeared in “New Moon,” and they've had a role in every “Twilight” movie since, culminating with the highly anticipated final showdown between the Cullens and the Volturi in “
Breaking Dawn - Part 2.”
As the final chapter in “The Twilight Saga,” the movie brought back Cudmore, Bewley, and the rest of the cast from the earlier films, along with introducing a host of new faces in order to give the fan-favorite franchise a fitting send-off. And with Bewley and Cudmore in Toronto to promote the series one last time, Moviefone sat down to talk to the Volturi enforcers about the phenomenon and their role in it, those passionate fans, and possible spin-offs.
So I know there's already been some talk about potential spin-offs. Is there a chance we're going to see a Felix and Demetri spin-off?
Charlie Bewley: I would love to see a little bit more of us. I don't think there's any problem in saying this now, I think the last movie opens up the audience to what the world of “Twilight” is, and the massive potential that there is lying out there… I just don't think these fans have had enough, they just haven't. They don't know what to do with themselves now. I've spoken to fans and [they're] like, “We don't know what we're going to do after the last one comes out because there's nothing to look forward to!”
Bewley: Of course, they'll get together and have their little parties and stuff--
Daniel Cudmore: Tattoo you on their bodies.
Bewley: On their butts. But you know if Summit or Lionsgate were to say, we're gonna do a spin-off, whether it's the Denalis or the Volturi, or even the wolf pack, and it's gonna come out in 2015, there would be like a fervent hoarding towards merchandise, towards these movies, what the possible plots are. They don't need me to tell them from an actor's perspective. All it needs really is a yes or no from [Twilight creator] Stephenie [Meyer].
Cudmore: Yeah, it's basic business. I think she doesn't want to. I think she's over it for right now, but I don't know. Who knows? I think it needs it.
You said you think the fans aren't ready for the franchise to be over, but what about you guys? Do you have to come to grips with it in the same way?
Cudmore: No, not in the same way. I mean, we're invested in creating these characters and enjoy the ride, but one of the reasons I got into the job is the change, the constant change, which I really enjoy. So there's on to something next, and then all of a sudden, maybe we'll come back to "Twilight" if there is something. And then you're on to something else again. It's not like this goes and then I'm just gonna be lost without it. I've got other, bigger aspirations to move forward. I'm not discounting this in any way, just saying I want to keep moving forward.
When you first signed on to do “New Moon,” did you have any idea that the series would get this big?
Bewley: I actually thought it would be bigger, [that] we would be more famous than we were. I really did. Because of the amount of attention that [Robert Pattinson] was getting at the time, especially Rob. Taylor [Lautner] really wasn't a part of the picture at that point. It only came during “New Moon.” That was his sort of time to shine. Kristen [Stewart] was already, you know, but Rob was this like new thing.
Still, when I got cast, my name was the No. 1 Googled word in the world on that day we were announced as a cast. Because I was completely unknown. It was my first ever [role]. So by virtue of that, you think, “Holy shit! I'm gonna be super-famous. Awesome, because all these roles are gonna come my way and this and that.” But that was just my ego writing cheques my body couldn't cash! But really what has happened when all was said and done, I'm so happy to have gotten out of this alive.
But do you guys still get, maybe not on the same level as Robert Pattinson and the others, the crazy fan encounters we've come to associate with the franchise?
Cudmore: We definitely get fan love, I get fan love. But I don't have any strange encounters, I haven't lost my personal space. I haven't lost my freedom in a way, like my privacy. It's all good for me. It's nothing but positive. Some people I guess have kind of overstepped, one or two people, but were quickly disposed of! Not in an illegal way. Just brushed aside.
Bewley: After a while, there was a shift between questions about the character to questions about yourself, like at conventions and stuff. And that was the best thing really. Because your character isn't massively represented in the books, therefore, naturally, people that want to know more about you, then start to talk more about you, as a human, as an actor or whatever. And therefore, I feel like I'm probably better known as a person than most of the guys in the movie. Because I've been very forthcoming and very honest about my own life.
You do fight Robert Pattinson in this one though. Have you heard anything from the fans about that? Are they protective of him at all?
Cudmore: Yeah, did you have the “New Moon” moment? When they're like, “I can't believe you touched him!”
Bewley: I would say no. I mean, if I'd beaten his ass, then I probably would've suffered slightly. It would've been interesting. But the thing is, you know, I've only really had sympathizers to my head being ripped off my shoulders at the end of this.
You've got a huge cast for this movie and a lot of new faces. How much did that affect the energy on set?
Cudmore: I think sometimes it's human nature to kind of get complacent. And it was nice for that new energy, I certainly fed off it. They just came to set and they were just so excited to try and make their mark on the film. It was just exciting to be part of; everyone worked hard towards the common goal of making a great film, and I think they just buttoned it down and sort of bookend the final one really well.
How was the camaraderie between you two and the other Volturi?
Bewley: It definitely grew throughout the series. Me and Dan had sort of an instant bond given our similarities of growing up: we were only born five days apart, rugby players for 17, 18 years. We naturally had a good friendship, so our Felix/Demetri tag team kind of thing was quite seamless off the top. And then, you know, spending so much time with the other guys, Dakota [Fanning], Cameron [Bright], Jamie [Campbell Bower], Chris [Heyerdahl], and…
Cudmore: And who's that other little-named actor in the middle?
Bewley: Martin Sheen.
Cudmore: Martin Sheen, right. I was way off. Doesn't he have that crazy son? [laughs]
Bewley: Honestly, we spent so much time stood at the end of that battleground that we actually started to figure out each other's idiosyncrasies. And the character of the family itself definitely started coming out by the end.
Cudmore: Yeah, that was the weirdest part, wasn't it? It started to come together at the very end. Just because that was the most time we really got a chance to spend together. The other ones were very kind of quick, in [for] a day, two or three, then gone.
Bewley: And I think you definitely get that sense when you're watching the movie. That we are now a unit. And that, going back to the first question, really is promising for anything they want to do in the future.
