Michael Welch och Justin Chon befanns sig i Salt Lake City för att vara där på New Moon release partyt! Under deras tid där blev de intervjuade av In Utah This Week, de snackar bland annat om de är rädda för att de inte kommer att kunna få mer roller efter The Twilight Saga fenomenet är över, vad det gillar för serier på TV och massa andra saker!
To help celebrate the release of ”The Twilight Saga: New Moon” on DVD and Blu-ray, actors Justin Chon (Eric), Christian Serratos (Angela) and Michael Welch (Mike) were in Salt Lake City and I wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to talk to them about their experiences. I should say, as I told them, I am not a fan of the series, but unlike other critics this isn’t something I’m proud of. I sincerely wish that I were a part of the phenomenon rather than sitting on the outside.
Welch is the first to wander down into the hotel lobby where I am waiting with a pair of publicists along with the woman who has just finished Serratos’ hair and makeup in preparation for the night’s events.
I figure that waiting for the others to appear could prove problematic, so I pull Welch aside. To begin the interview I ask him if he had any idea of what he was signing up for when he was asked to join the ”Twilight” cast.
”I certainly didn’t expect this. I think we all knew that it had the potential to be a successful franchise. But no, I’ve never been apart of anything like this,” he says.
Welch, who appeared in ”Star Trek: Insurrection” and a fan-favorite episode of ”Stargate SG-1,” explains that this isn’t the first time he’s seen dedicated fans.
”I’ve always been in awe of sci-fi fans because their passion is remarkable. And the thing that is great about sci-fi fans is that if they enjoy what you do in the sci-fi world they’ll follow you outside of that world as well. It has been a great pleasure to get to know the ”Stargate” fans over the years, but this brings it to a new level. People were screaming for us before the first film even came out and I made the joke at one point saying, ‘We may suck and ruin your story so I wouldn’t be screaming at us quite yet,’” he says with a laugh.
I ask if he was worried about how the public, both fans and critics, would react to the film.
”The priority for me was to first and foremost please the fanbase. How do you do that? You capture what Stephenie created to the best of your ability. So having Stephenie on set was an enormous help. Her approval meant more to me than anything. If she likes what you are doing with the character she created, you are on the right track. I respect film critics in what they do, but with what that said, and particularly in this case, I think that this franchise is accomplishing what it set out to do, which is to please the fans, ” Welch says.
When I interviewed Anna Kendrick (who plays Jessica in the films) prior to the release of ”New Moon,” she admitted that whenever she met anyone who wasn’t familiar with the books or the films, they would always want to know if she was a vampire or a werewolf and that they were always disappointed that she was just a ordinary high school student. I ask Welch if he has had similar experiences. He has but that hasn’t diminished his love for his role.
”I think the high school kids are a necessary part of the story. We are there so that girls can look at Bella in a normal high school situation and empathize and connect with her. We’re also there to add some levity, some humor and lightness to what is otherwise a pretty dark and intense story,” he says.
