At the LA press day for the Apparition film, Stewart said that after reading the script, she was excited to be a part of bringing The Runaways' story to the screen. But as much as she wanted to be involved, Stewart knew she needed to pass inspection by the real Joan Jett. "I met Joan after I got the part and it was so scary because it sort of felt like this is the meeting that either fires me or keeps me on," recalled Stewart. "My hair was still long. I was about to do New Moon. I sort of felt like she was going to look at me and go, 'What makes you think…?'"
That didn't happen, and Joan Jett and Cherie Currie were both open and accessible over the course of filming The Runaways. "Luckily they were so open and enthusiastic and ready to tell the story that we had them as a constant resource, so we never felt like we were making anything up because with a story like this, it’s so not your normal experience on a movie. Usually you get to sort of on the fly or whether it’s in rehearsal or whatever, sort of create something. This was not that. So the fact that they were there and so sort of open and awesome made it a lot easier."
"But both of them [Joan Jett and Cherie Currie] are really hard characters to play, actually, because you meet them and they’re so dynamic," added Stewart. "They’re just really big personalities. Not big, just very full, full. You hope to capture an essence because they become your friend and it’s a huge responsibility."
The idea of making a biopic about the groundbreaking all-girl group has floated around Hollywood for decades. Asked if she believes there's a sense of destiny when a script like this finds her, Stewart replied, "You can’t do something so ridiculous as to play another person in a movie for pretend, unless it speaks to you in a certain way and you feel like it’s worth it. You take something from every character you play. You get to use their lives sort of like. And in this case, considering there’s a million reasons why this movie is cool, but there is an indescribable thing that feels you with the thought that you can actually do it. Because there’s a lot of scripts that I read that like, 'Oh, it’s my age for a role, but I can’t play that part. I don’t have that in me.' I guess it could be considered, I don't know, kismet. It’s in the stars."
Tackling Roles in Edgy Projects
This isn't the first R-rated movie Stewart's done, but most of her teenage fans know her best for the PG-13 rated Twilight films rather than her edgier indie projects. Fortunately, her parents have gotten used to the risks Stewart takes and it's gotten easier for them to watch her in her more adult roles."[...]I was more nervous about it when I was younger and it was like a slow wearing down of like, 'Okay, Kristen’s going to do what she’s going to do. She’s just going to do these movies.' Not that they were against it, just that projection I took away from them," explained Stewart. "I sort of didn’t care anymore. I was like, 'Are you guys cool with this?'"
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The Runaways hits theaters in limited release on March 19, 2010 and wide release on April 9.
