'Twilight' stars talk about ups and downs of fame

LOS ANGELES —

The "Twilight" series may have changed the lives of fans worldwide, but perhaps no one has been more affected by its success than the three stars of the film: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner.

All became overnight sensations when they were introduced to the novel's millions of fans as the faces of Edward, Bella and Jacob — the three high-school students with mystical secrets at the center of the story. Edward is a vampire, Jacob is a werewolf and Bella is the ordinary teenage girl loved by both of them.

Pattinson, 23, Stewart, 19, and Lautner, 17, went from bit parts to big stars with the first "Twilight" film. As they prepared for today's release of the anticipated sequel, "New Moon," the young cast reflected on the ups and downs of newfound fame.

Q: What is the best thing to come out of the "Twilight" mania for you?

Stewart: It's the same satisfaction that I get from any other movie, it's just that so many more people are paying attention. It's so different from anything I've ever experienced, so that's definitely the best thing.

Pattinson: Presenting at the Oscars and stuff, it's just kind of so surreal. But there's little things, like recently I've been working on the "Remember Me" trailer and I had very little time to organize it, but the control you're given because of "Twilight's" success is kind of incredible. It is an amazing feeling.

Lautner: It's traveling the world in general and seeing this kind of fan support worldwide.

Q: What's one thing you miss from your pre-"Twilight" life?

Stewart: I like being outside. I like to take walks and I could totally take walks — it's not the fans, the fans are great, they would let me walk. It's the other people, you know what I mean. It's the other people.

Pattinson: I loved driving around L.A. I used to have this little car, a convertible ... and I really do miss doing that, as the sun is going down, driving over the mountains. It's not really the same thing when you've got 10 cars following you.

Lautner: Malls and movie theaters, or me at them.

Q: How is "New Moon" different from "Twilight"?

Stewart: Tonally, "New Moon" is different in that it becomes more dangerous, it becomes more real. [Bella] finally opens her eyes and she's like, "Oh, I've woken up in Wonderland. It's really scary. It's actually scarier than I thought it was going to be," because there are werewolves and all the bad vampires want to kill her and all of that.

Lautner: It takes everything Bella and Edward created in "Twilight" and destroys it at the beginning when he leaves, and it has to rebuild it, or Jacob has to rebuild Bella and then it's kind of destroyed at the end again. It's an emotional roller coaster.