She got her first role at age nine and told Vogue that she's glad she got into acting so young, because she hadn't developed insecurities yet. Later, she said, "I would have been the last person to stand up and say, 'I'd like to star in the play.'"
Her parents both worked as crew members in the industry, and Stewart loved being on set, but as a young girl, the only role she could have on set was as an actress—though she wanted to work crew like her parents and eventually become a director.
Stewart took on the famous role of Bella Swan in the film adaptation of the beloved saga, and in 2008 she didn't know whether it was going to make or break her career. It obviously propelled her to mega-stardom, but it also welcomed an onslaught of criticism for her acting.
With 'The Runaways,' 'Into the Wild,' as well as films like 'Adventureland' (2009) and 'Still Alice' (2014), Stewart demonstrated her skill at playing angsty teens, mixing it with sweetness and wry humor.
Stewart co-starred in David Fincher's 2002 'Panic Room,' alongside Jodie Foster, when she was just 10 years old.
Stewart has often said that she loves acting, but she doesn't have the typical famous persona that comes with it, so she can't fake-smile for cameras, nor will she try!
When she was 22, she cheated on Pattinson with 'Snow White and the Huntsman' director Rupert Sanders, aged 41. At the time, Sanders was married to Stewart's 'Snow White' co-star, model Liberty Ross.
Though her acting was mocked in the US, Stewart became the first American to win the prestigious French equivalent of an Oscar, the César Award, in 2015 for Best Supporting Actor for her role in 'Clouds of Sils Maria.'
"[Trump was] really obsessed with me a couple years ago, which is f—ing crazy," Stewart told Variety in 2017. Trump tweeted about Stewart 11 times, particularly focused on her relationship with Robert Pattinson.
After a role in Woody Allen's 'Café Society' (2014), co-starring with Julianne Moore in 'Still Alice' (2014), delivering a great performance in 'Personal Shopper' (2016), and starring as the French New Wave actress Jean Seberg in a 2019 biopic, Stewart's role in a blockbuster like 'Charlie's Angels' took people by surprise.
In 2019, Stewart spoke to Harper's Bazaar about how her views on fame and her need for privacy weren't sustainable. "I just wanted to enjoy my life. And that took precedence over protecting my life, because in protecting it, I was ruining it."
The famously private actress was surprisingly honest on Howard Stern's radio show, admitting that she couldn't help falling for Pattinson on set, and that he was her first real, adult love.
"Every relationship I've ever been in, I thought that was it … I've never really been like the most casual person," she told the radio host.
She premiered her first short film in 2017. Called 'Come Swim,' it's an abstract tale of a man looking to satiate an unquenchable thirst. Next, she's taking on 'The Chronology of Water,' based on the eponymous memoir by Lidia Yuknavitch.
In a 2015 interview she explained, "Every single moment that has led me to this moment has made me who I am. Every movie that I've done, they don't stand independently from one another because a little bit of me is in every single one of those, and it's part of my own personal growth."
She's not interested in revealing her life, as there are already too many prying eyes for her taste. She wants to focus on creating media that's artistic and meaningful, not just for show.
Kristen Stewart, the only celeb who has consistently walked the red carpet for years, and yet who still doesn't know how to pose.
See also: How to pose like a celebrity
Her other talents were showcased both in 'The Runaways' and in 2007's 'Into the Wild.'
She frequently went out with model Stella Maxwell, on and off from 2016 to 2019, and since summer 2019 has been with screenwriter Dylan Meyer (pictured).
Hosting 'Saturday Night Live' in 2017, she said in her monologue, "Donald, if you didn't like me then, you're really probably not going to like me now, 'cause I'm hosting 'SNL' and I'm like, so gay dude."
In 2021, she was nominated for her first ever Oscar, for Best Actress for her turn as Princess Diana in 'Spencer.'
People either love or hate Kristen Stewart, which is probably because they have just one version of her stuck in their minds, either the awkward one who stuttered and fidgeted her way through films and interviews alike, or the awesome, take-no-bulls–t one who has also become something of an LGBTQ icon. She’s grown up in front of the camera, and now she's seeing how it feels to get behind it, while showing no signs of slowing in the acting arena.
Click through to take a closer look at her complete 180, both on and off the big screen.
Kristen Stewart's journey from awkward to awesome
The Oscar-nominated actress turns 33 on April 9
CELEBRITY Hollywood
People either love or hate Kristen Stewart, which is probably because they have just one version of her stuck in their minds, either the awkward one who stuttered and fidgeted her way through films and interviews alike, or the awesome, take-no-bulls–t one who has also become something of an LGBTQ icon. She’s grown up in front of the camera, and now she's seeing how it feels to get behind it, while showing no signs of slowing in the acting arena.
Click through to take a closer look at her complete 180, both on and off the big screen.