Kristen Stewart, the actor and director, has suggested she may leave the US due to challenges in her career but has made it clear she has no plans to stop acting. Speaking while promoting her directorial debut, The Chronology of Water, Stewart revealed that working freely in the States has become difficult, leading her to film her latest project in Latvia.
Stewart Critiques the Current US Political Climate
Stewart openly criticized the political atmosphere under Donald Trump’s presidency, saying it has fractured reality. She mentioned the governor’s threat of imposing tariffs on films made outside the US as a worrying development for the industry, reinforcing her view that the US is an increasingly restrictive place for filmmakers like her.
“Reality is breaking completely under Trump,”
Kristen Stewart, Actor and Director
“But we should take a page out of his book and create the reality we want to live in.”
Kristen Stewart, Actor and Director
“But I don’t want to give up completely,”
Kristen Stewart, Actor and Director
“I’d like to make movies in Europe and then shove them down the throat of the American people.”
Kristen Stewart, Actor and Director
Past Public Feud With Donald Trump and Personal Background
Stewart previously had a public clash with Donald Trump after he criticized her relationship with Robert Pattinson, her co-star in the Twilight series. Trump tweeted disparaging remarks about Stewart’s alleged infidelity while she was involved with Pattinson.
“should not take back Kristen Stewart. She cheated on him like a dog and will do it again, just watch. He can do much better!”
Donald Trump, Former US President
The controversy arose after Stewart was photographed kissing Rupert Sanders, the director of Snow White and the Huntsman, who was married at the time. Both Stewart and Sanders later apologized publicly for the incident. In 2017, hosting Saturday Night Live, Stewart referenced Trump in her opening monologue, confirming her LGBTQ+ identity with a mocking tone toward his previous comments about her.
“Donald, if you didn’t like me then, you’re probably really not going to like me now,”
Kristen Stewart, Actor and Director
“Because I’m hosting SNL and I’m, like, so gay, dude.”
Kristen Stewart, Actor and Director
Reception to Directorial Debut and Creative Process
The Chronology of Water, based on Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir, has received mixed reviews but garnered praise for Stewart’s filmmaking and Imogen Poots’ leading performance. Critic Xan Brooks described the film as a nod to 1990s indie cinema, highlighting Stewart’s departure from mainstream commercial filmmaking such as the Barbie franchise.
“Stewart’s debut might play as adolescent movie poetry – young in spirit, tripping over itself – but it’s also a throwback to the Nineties indie film scene, arguably the last gasp of the awkward aspiring auteur,”
Xan Brooks, Critic, The Independent
“Stewart, though, is steering the opposite course, from Twilight to the arthouse, while daring the fans to stick with her, and it has made for a more fun, jolting journey. Her movie is heartfelt and unrefined and ever so slightly up itself. It’s altogether precious, in both senses of the word.”
Xan Brooks, Critic, The Independent
Stewart described the directing experience as liberating compared to acting, highlighting the different respect she received when being recognized as a filmmaker rather than just an actress.
“Actresses get treated like s***, I’ve got to tell you,”
Kristen Stewart, Actor and Director
“People think anyone could be an actress, but the first time I sat down to talk about my movie as a director, I thought, wow, this is a different experience, they are talking to me like I’m somebody with a brain.”
Kristen Stewart, Actor and Director
She admitted working on the film consumed her life but also made her feel most alive.
“barely existed outside of it but, “I’ve never felt more alive”
Kristen Stewart, Actor and Director
Current Personal Life and Future Plans
Kristen Stewart married screenwriter and producer Dylan Meyer in April 2023. Despite her dissatisfaction with the restrictions she feels in the US film industry, Stewart’s commitment to her craft remains firm, as she looks to continue making films primarily in Europe while maintaining an audience in America.
Her comments suggest a possible shift in her residence or work base outside the US, reflecting broader tensions many artists feel within the country’s current political and cultural landscape. Stewart’s career trajectory reveals a deliberate move toward independent, auteur-driven projects, signaling an evolution in her creative ambitions and public identity.
