October 8, 2020
In New Interview, Kristen Stewart Opens Up about Being a Queer Celebrity
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Kristen Stewart opened up during an interview for "InStyle," which she covers for November, about being an openly queer celebrity, Elle reports.
Stewart was interviewed by film director Clea Duvall, who helmed and co-wrote "Happiest Season," an upcoming LGBTQ-themed holiday season rom-com that stars Stewart and Mackenzie Davis as a same-sex couple. Davis' character is not out to her parents, which complicates a Christmastime visit, given that she's brought her girlfriend home for the holidays.
As the InStyle interview touched on the film's same-sex relationship, Stewart told the director, that she had "been on both sides of that dynamic where someone is having a hard time acknowledging who they are and the other person is more self-accepting."
Added Stewart: "Living in this world, being a queer person, there are things that hurt constantly."
Stewart has dated both men and women, including "Twilight" co-star Robert Pattinson, Alicia Cargill, and the French singer Soko. She is currently dating Dylan Meyer, a screenwriter, Elle noted.
Stewart spoke about what it's like to be romantically involved while in the public eye, saying, "The first time I ever dated a girl, I was immediately being asked if I was a lesbian. And it's like, 'God, I'm 21 years old.' "
Stewart said that she didn't like her personal life being the subject of public interest, "Not because I felt ashamed of being openly gay but because I didn't like giving myself to the public, in a way. It felt like such thievery.
"This was a period of time when I was sort of cagey," Stewart acknowledged. "Even in my previous relationships, which were straight, we did everything we could to not be photographed doing things – things that would become not ours" once they became part of the media.
Duvall went on to ask whether, "Being a queer person... do you feel like there's almost an expectation for you to be a spokesperson for the community?"
Stewart replied that she had felt "hounded about labeling myself," but added that she "had no reticence about displaying who I was.
"I was going out every day knowing I'd be photographed while I was being affectionate with my girlfriend, but I didn't want to talk about it," she added. I did feel an enormous pressure, but it wasn't put on me by the [LGBTQ+] community."
However, "Now I relish it," the actor went on to say. "I love the idea that anything I do with ease rubs off on somebody who is struggling. That shit's dope!
"When I see a little kid clearly feeling themselves in a way that they wouldn't have when I grew up, it makes me skip."
"Happiest Season" is set for a Nov. 25 release date. Meantime, Marie Clare reports, Stewart is preparing for another plum role: That of LGBTQ icon Princess Diana, whom Stewart will play in "Spencer," which is scheduled to begin filming early next year.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.