Claire Denis, Legendary French Auteur, Saw Every ‘Twilight’ Film and Was ‘Amazed’ by Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart

Claire Denis directs Robert Pattinson in her new space drama “High Life,” but would the celebrated French filmmaker also be interested in working with his former “Twilight” leading lady Kristen Stewart? It sounds likely, as Denis admits to being a huge fan of both actors since their days starring in the blockbuster vampire franchise (via Deadline). Denis calls their work as Edward and Bella “heroic.”

“I think he is a great young man and a wonderful young actor,” Denis raved about Pattison. “He is intelligent, poetic, he is like a knight to me. I saw the four parts of the ‘Twilight’ series when it was released. I was amazed by the two heroic young leads.”

Pattinson stars as a criminal sent on an outer space mission in Denis’ “High Life,” which is world premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie is Denis’ first English-language effort and she told Deadline she originally feared Pattinson was too young for the part. The actor’s intelligence helped changed her mind. Denis said actors like Pattinson and prison films are the big influences behind the space film.

“Tarkovsy, Kubrick, they were in my mind, I have seen all those films, but I thought more about jails,” Denis said. “Of course, how can you forget ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ or a Tarkovsky movie? But those were more elegiac. My film is more like a prison film, and the colors of prison films, and my main inspirations, to be honest, were my actors and actresses.”

Denis was in U.S. theaters earlier this year with her Juliette Binoche-starring “Let the Sunshine In.” “High Life” is one of the more high profile titles up for sale in Toronto this year. Head over to Deadline to read more of Denis’ interview.