Have you seen the
Variety interview with Stephenie Meyer? It's been making the Internet rounds today. When asked about Twilight she said "It's not a happy place to be." And "I am so over it."
I can't decide how I feel about this. On one hand, I understand why she might get a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach every time it's mentioned. Much of society views Twilight either as a joke or a disease that needs to be eradicated. The series' fans are portrayed as unintelligent, squealing fangirls who wouldn't know a decent book if it hit them on the nose. It's not that some of the criticism isn't deserved - hell, I'm a big fan and I still find plenty to criticize. But I think the hatred has gone beyond the justified into the, "Look, I'm so cool, I'm going to rag on Twilight just like everyone else." Many of those who complain about Twilight haven't even read it. One flock of sheep trying to take down another.
But...when Stephenie says she's "so over it" a bad taste is left in my mouth. For all the people who despise Twilight and Stephenie, there are those of us who have stuck with the series and defended it over and over again. Her comment sounds disrespectful towards the steadfast fans. If an author won't stand by her books, what are we supposed to do? It's quite an ungrateful statement about the thing that made her a very well known and wealthy person. Can you imagine JK Rowling saying anything bad about Harry Potter? (Obviously the quality of Harry Potter and Twilight are very different but the point remains.). Wanting to move on is understandable but a smart person continues to acknowledge and be appreciative of their past work.
I'd like to give Stephenie the benefit of the doubt here. That she didn't mean to diss Twilight. That her comments were taken out of context. Given editing and a magazine's desire to sell copies and get hits on its webpage, it's quite possible that some artful cutting of her actual words went on. Or perhaps she simply spoke without thinking and if she'd thought about it, she would have said something different. But there's an undertone of arrogance throughout the entire interview. I can't put my finger on it exactly but it makes me uncomfortable.
Even if her words were taken out of context, I don't think Stephenie can play victim here. She says that she's focusing on producing films now more than writing. If Stephenie wants to play with the big boys in Hollywood she should start by getting some media training. Because she's not doing herself or her future film career any favors by biting the hand that feeds her. She should know by now that, for better or worse, in the media, appearances are everything.
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Edited to add: Stephenie has now posted a
long apology on her website. I figured she would. It's nicely worded and I think sincere. Basically she says that she rambled on and on and the poor interviewer had to cobble her words down to a few sentences. It was smart of her to place the blame on herself and not the interviewer. Makes her seem more humble. And I really do get where she's coming from with the endless hate.
However...She should have known better. She has been giving interviews to major publications for 8 years now. She has inserted herself into the notoriously cutthroat world of Hollywood and wants to stay there. She should know that these interviewers are not your friends and that you had better parse every word before you say it. This is a game and for her sake (and mine, because I like Twilight and want to read Stephenie's future books, if any), I hope she figures it out.]
What do you think?
