<P> Kellan Lutz was in Africa shooting the HBO miniseries Generation Kill when the auditions for the character of Emmett Cullen were conducted . The role had already been cast by the time that production ended in December 2007, but the actor who had been selected "fell through"; Lutz subsequently auditioned and was flown to Oregon, where Hardwicke personally chose him . Rachelle Lefèvre was interested in pursuing a role in the film because Hardwicke was attached to the project as director; there was also "the potential to explore a character, hopefully, over three films"; and she wanted to portray a vampire . She "thought that vampires were basically the best metaphor for human anxiety and questions about being alive ." Christian Serratos initially auditioned for Jessica Stanley, but she "fell totally in love with Angela" after reading the novels and successfully took advantage of a later opportunity to audition for Angela Weber . The role of Jessica Stanley went to Anna Kendrick, who got the part after two mix - and - match auditions with various actors . </P> <P> On a bed in Catherine Hardwicke's house is where Pattinson kissed Stewart for the first time for the Twilight screen test . "That bed made Pattinson who he is right now," says Reed . That's also where Hardwicke auditioned Evan Rachel Wood, when she had her get into her bed with Nikki Reed for the film Thirteen . When asked about her lair, Hardwicke says, "MTV came and did an episode in my house filming the bed . It's legendary ." Principal photography took 44 days, after more than a week of rehearsals, and completed on May 2, 2008 . Similar to her directorial debut Thirteen, Hardwicke opted for an extensive use of hand - held cinematography to make the film "feel real". Meyer visited the production set three times and was consulted on different aspects of the story; she also has a brief cameo in the film . Cast members who portrayed vampires avoided sunlight to make their skin pale, though makeup was also applied for that effect, and wore contact lenses: "We did the golden color because the Cullens have those golden eyes . And then, when we're hungry, we have to pop the black ones in," Facinelli explained . They also participated in rehearsals with a dance choreographer and observed the physicality of different panthera to make their bodily movements more elegant . </P> <P> Scenes were filmed primarily in Portland, Oregon . Stunt work was done mainly by the cast . The fight sequence between Gigandet and Pattinson's characters in a ballet studio, which was filmed during the first week of production, involved a substantial amount of wire work because the vampires in the story have superhuman strength and speed . Gigandet incorporated mixed martial arts fighting moves in this sequence, which involved chicken and honey as substitutes for flesh . Bella, the protagonist, is unconscious during these events, and since the novel is told from her point of view, such action sequences are illustrative and unique to the film . Pattinson noted that maintaining one's center of gravity is difficult when doing wire work "because you have to really fight against it as well as letting it do what it needs to do ." Lefèvre found the experience disorienting since forward motion was out of her control . </P> <P> Instead of shooting at Forks High School itself, scenes taking place at the school were filmed at Kalama High School and Madison High School . Other scenes were filmed in St. Helens, and Hardwicke conducted some reshooting in Pasadena, California, in August . Twilight was originally scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on December 12, 2008, but its release date was changed to November 21 after Harry Potter and the Half - Blood Prince was rescheduled for an opening in July 2009 . Two teaser trailers, as well as some additional scenes, were released for the film, as well as a final trailer, which was released on October 9 . A 15 - minute excerpt of Twilight was presented during the International Rome Film Festival in Italy . The film received a rating of PG - 13 from the Motion Picture Association of America for "some violence and a scene of sensuality". </P>

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