tMC Spotlight: Q&A with Gil Birmingham and Tinsel Korey of "Twilight"

I had a fun time with Gil Birmingham and Tinsel Korey, of "Twilight Breaking Dawn: Part 1", and who play Billy and Emily, respectively.  They seemed to really enjoy themselves as they spoke of their experiences with the "Twilight" saga.  Assuring them that I was not, I asked them if they had ever had a frightening encounter with any of the "Twilight" fan base.  Being that this is such an incredible legacy, I was happy to learn that the fans, for the most part, are benign and considerate.  Tinsel believes that the best part of this entire experience is her fans.  “Without the fans, this movie would not be what it is.  They… they really are as much a part of the movie as we are.  Traveling and getting to interact with them and finding out why they love the films is such a blessed experience.”    

Confirming she has never been stalked by anyone “creepy” before, (other than Gil Birmingham, of course… they love to pick on one another) who feels fans think they automatically know her because she’s on screen, Tinsel reveals, “Twilight fans are all really, really sweet… probably because they’re all girls!”  She laughs.  Gil insists he’s not stalking her and hopes she’ll come to terms with this.   After some joking around, he jumps in to share why he’s happy to have been included in the films and tells me what has touched him most about working on the franchise.  “For me it’s two things.  The relationships that develop… the friendships that we build that I’m sure are probably lifelong.  And the other thing is to be a part of something that has touched so many people’s lives… in whatever way that is.  It’s so rare for an actor to be a part of that in a positive sense.  We get fan mail talking about people going through difficult times and how the movies helped them get through things.  Whatever joy it brings them is a very privileged place to be.”  

When I first walked in to meet them, I noticed that outside of dazzling smiles, both of these beautiful people have gorgeous hair.  I was hoping for some big reveal on how I can, too.  What product?  What program?  What hidden, obscure formula is within them that I can unearth and share with you today that is the secret to having such fabulous hair?!  I will be admired for bringing this anomaly to light.  Gil was of no help promising me his DNA miracle is simply washed, conditioned and tied back.  Outside of protecting hers with heat styling sprays so as not to damage her hair, Tinsel uses a product she swears by, “I actually use the Loreal Fructis hair shine spray”, she exclaims, “It’s cheap!  It’s only six bucks!”  Deflated, I continue with the interview and moving on from hair, I learn that Tinsel teaches acting and music, her other passion, to Native American youth who are interested in show business.  For anyone who would care to take it, she has this advice,  “Just in general, for anyone, I say work on your craft, and for a young person, develop as many skills as possible because even if you don’t have the experience or have done a lot of film work, if you… like, Gil just did a project on lacrosse and their were a lot of native youth cast in that so, that was a skill that they had and somebody was looking to cast native lacrosse players so, as many skills as you can acquire as a young person, I think, is really important in setting you apart from somebody else.”

Twilight deals with love, hate, life and death and the notion of living forever.  I couldn’t help but ask them, if they were given a choice to be a Werewolf or a Vampire, which would they choose?  Without hesitation, they both give the same answer, “Werewolf!”  Tinsel continues, “Eternal life?  I’m good with this one and then I want to move on to something different.  I can’t imagine forever.  Try something new next time.” She laughs.  Gil adds, “In Twilight, werewolves are not monsters.  Stephanie (Meyers) so well crafted the story that they’re heroes.  The only reason they even transform is to protect the people of the land.”  There is a slight pause before he hints at possibly the real reason he would rather not be the walking dead.  “…and they look good as wolves.”  They certainly do, don’t they?  Since death was breached, I thought I’d ask if they were afraid of it.  Tinsel plunges in, “I think life and death go hand-in-hand.  That’s why you should make the best out of whatever you can… whatever time that you do have here.”   Gil is suspicious and wonders if I know something that he doesn’t and repeats the question before he answers.  I have a hunch he needs more time to respond.  “Am I afraid of death?  I don’t know.  That’s a very philosophical question.  I think death, the notion of it, or the reality of it, should give you cause to think about what kind of life you’re living.  It’s a choice.  Either you go with the fear or you go with the celebration of life.” 

They didn’t want to pick one, but when pressured, they were able to give me their choice of favorite director for the series.  Gil explains, “They were all so different and bring their own vision, but my favorite and only because it’s my favorite movie was the first one, Catherine Hardwicke.  She had such a jubilant energy, but so did Bill Condon.  You know, it’s a hard thing to live up to once the thing becomes as huge as it is so the experience was great with all the directors.”  Tinsel adds, “I’d really have to say Chris Weitz.  I mean, he was the director who cast me in this whole entire franchise so that obviously is very dear to my heart.  Bill Condon was also really nice.  I didn’t get to work with him as much but the reason why I picked Chris Weitz is because I like actors turned directors because of their style and approach. They connect with you a lot more.”

Finished with filming and at the end of this journey, I asked them to dig into their memories and see if they could furnish me with a favorite moment.  Tinsel says, “I’ve had so many, both with the cast and with the fans.  Umm… I’m trying to think of both moments.”  She stops to reflect.  “There’s a scene on the beach and we’re there and it’s just beautiful outside.  It’s like that moment, for me at least, well, it was the last scene I was going to have in the franchise, and just having us all there and watching us grow as individuals and just having that moment, was really, really beautiful.  And with fans, there’s this great girl, Aurora, in Scotland that I got to meet when I was in England and she has some medical problems, but she’s always smiling and she’s, like, the happiest person ever and… I, honestly, am so glad I got cast in the film because I got to meet her and she’s such a joy and has brought so much to my life, so that’s a moment I will always cherish from being a part of this saga.” 

Gil reflects on the enormity of the event.  “I still go back to the first days when I met Taylor (Lautner) and his dad.  He was sixteen years old… he was still a young boy.  He was so motivated and excited and realized he had to physically develop for the next movie.  Those days when we used to go out and we didn’t have fans chasing us or paparazzi, we’d have dinner every night... it was just a real connection.  And then to watch something that so rarely happens in the business, for Taylor in particularly because I was pretty close with him I watched him just explode to the level that he’s at now.  And all the great times we had with the wolf pack… we had some great times.”

If you’re going to miss seeing Tinsel, she has several projects she’s working on, including an EP, which she insists is a mix between Dido and Nora Jones with a dash of Dave Matthews.  Being that she’s a singer/songwriter I decided to ask if she had a favorite song on any of the soundtracks.  “I have a song I’m thinking about pitching!  I was thinking, ‘this could fit!’, here’s to crossing my fingers... but, anyway, there is a song.  "Possibility" by Lykke Li.  I just love that and also what Chris Weitz did with that song.  Because, when I read that part in the chapter of the books, it was like, Bella’s depressed and here we go... she’s depressed again and the way he presented that was so poetic with that song and the camera followed her around.  That song always stood out with me.”  

For more Gil, watch him in several episodes of the “The Lying Game”, on ABC Family.  He has a movie called “Crooked Arrows” with Brandon Routh, that’s coming out in March and he’s getting ready to start “The Lone Ranger” with Johnny Depp.  “It’ll be the second time I’ve worked with Johnny Depp.  We did “Rango” together.  I’m looking forward to that.”  So are we, Gil. 

For my review of the first Twilight film, click HERE.

For my DVD Review of Breaking Dawn: Part 1, click HERE.