Who better than Kristen Stewart to give Daisy Ridley advice?
After all, the 25-year-old actress became an overnight sensation thanks to her starring role as Bella Swan in 2008's Twilight. "I did Twilight when I was 17. It came out when I was 18 and my life was never even remotely the same," she says in The Hollywood Reporter's "Awards Chatter" podcast. As she filmed the next four Twilight movies, the public's fascination with Stewart and her personal life intensified. It was "a huge lifestyle shift," she admits, but it wasn't all bad. "A whole lot of other baggage—really heavy and really cool baggage—came along with it."
Ridley was a virtual unknown when she was cast in director J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and so far, she seems at ease in the public eye. Stewart hopes she can navigate fame with continued grace. "Focus on the fact that you're stoked 'cause you're doing the work that you want to do," she advises Ridley. "It's literally mainly just about focusing on what makes you happy. And if losing your anonymity or whatever doesn't make you happy, then focus on something else."
And who knows? Being the star of a major film franchise like Star Wars could prepare 23-year-old Ridley for a future film role, as Twilight did for Stewart.
In the dark comedy Clouds of Sils Maria, Stewart plays Val, an assistant to a movie star. She became the first American actress ever to win a Cesar Award (France's equivalent of the Oscar) for her role in director Olivier Assayas' indie. "As somebody who's dealt with the more absurd, really surreal, oftentimes insanely superficial, empty circus of what the media can be—and perception versus reality—I thought it was really funny and appropriate for me to play that part. There was just nobody who could say those things with more knowing, and people know that," Stewart says with a laugh. "I wanted those words in my mouth."
Stewart, a former child star, has been in show business for more than half her life, but it wasn't until recently that the Still Alice actress felt confident in her abilities. "I trust myself a little bit more. When I was a little bit younger, I used anxiety and nerves, which I still have a lot of. It's just that I'm better at channeling them. I get better every time I do a job," Stewart explains, adding, "It's getting more fun."