After a light day of filming, Kellan Lutz who is playing Emmett Cullen in Twilight, met me for a casual chat. I was jotting down a few last-minute questions when Kellan entered the lobby of the hotel. It just took a smile and hug to calm my anxious nerves. It is one thing to do an interview over the phone or computer, but meeting face-to-face is a whole new can of worms to me. Kellan was in a great mood, it was just one more day until he was off to be with friends and family for the Easter weekend. We immediately sat down and started chatting about the Twilight Series! I was not sure how long I had Kellan for, and I wanted to get as many questions answered as possible. He confirmed that he has read all of the books, and really liked them. Kellan was not much of a reader growing up in North Dakota, but while filming Generation Kill in Africa last year he became a fan of John Grisham novels. He also read a book by John Eldredge called Wild at Heart: Discovering a Life of Passion, Freedom, and Adventure that he said, “Changed his perspective on life!” Being in Africa for several months filming took its toll on this family oriented guy, and when he was first offered the roll of Emmett he turned it down so that he could spend some time at home. It was about a month after filming Generation Kill that Kellan was encouraged to take another look at Twilight by his agent. I asked Kellan what his favorite scene in the Twilight Series is and he referred to a scene that was an outtake on Stephenie Meyer’s website. My guess is that he was referring to a piece cut from the original epilogue called Emmett and the Bear. When I asked Kellan what he believed Emmett’s role in his family was, he quickly responded, “Protector.” I agreed, and we discussed the strength and presence Emmett had in the confrontation with James, Laurent and Victoria. There were a few questions I asked Kellan about Emmett and Rosalie’s relationship, and how he saw it from Emmett’s perspective. These were done over email before I knew we would be meeting, so I will be posting them when our next podcast comes out about Rosalie and Emmett (Rosamett)! Since our podcasts are all about theories, I did ask for one from Kellan, but he kindly declined answering the question, since he already knows some stuff from the next book! We moved on to questions about filming in the Portland area, and Kellan says he loves being there. He is always looking up to the mountains, wishing he could be snowboarding. Kellan is very athletic and loves football, and has been boxing for five years! We talked a little about sports, but I was treading water to keep up…luckily my husband loves sports, I must be picking up ESPN subconsciously! Kellan’s nickname in his family is “Krazy Kellan,” he likes to try new things. I was pleasantly surprised to learn of his love for chemical engineering. Although, he took a detour into modeling and acting, Kellan still loves to try and figure out how things work. He would invent things, with one of his brothers that has similar interests, if he had the resources and time. Kellan said he was a mama’s boy growing up. His mother was not too excited about Kellan going to LA to pursue acting, but was, and is completely supportive. Kellan took his mother to the premiere of Stick It in 2006, and described her as looking “Beautiful!” I must have glanced at my watch five times, trying to figure out if I would have enough time to ask a few more questions about the sets and cast. Kellan reassured me that he had the time, and I proceeded. When I asked about his favorite things to film thus far, Kellan mentioned that he loved filming the fighting scenes and really enjoyed being in a rig doing stunts. There hasn’t been anything too hard for him to film, and his double has told him that he doesn’t have to do everything. Kellan’s double has even started doing some things for other cast members because Kellan likes to try everything. Twilight has a very young cast, and I asked how everyone is getting along. Kellan said that it is one of the best he has worked with. He really enjoys working with everyone. We discussed how every member of the Cullen family was important to the story and that it just wouldn’t be the same if one was left out. I was curious which role Kellan would enjoy playing other than Emmett, and he said he would enjoy the challenge of playing Edward. The emotional range of Edward appeals to Kellan, and it is the challenges that he looks for when choosing a role. The lobby was becoming a little rowdy at this point, and I was expecting to wrap up our conversation, when Kellan asked if I would like to walk to Starbucks and hang out a little more. (I was flattered and floored! Who knew I was such great company?) Having been in town for one day, I knew where to get my favorite green tea. As we walked up to the closest Starbucks we realized there was no where to sit, and opted to head to another location a few blocks away. I asked Kellan if he had any other interests, or if he did any volunteer work. He mentioned working with kids, and going on mission trips through his church. We wandered around downtown, and finally found a second Starbucks. Kellan was quite the gentleman treating me to my favorite drink. When the order came out wrong he tried the strange concoction, and actually enjoyed it! We got our drinks and headed outside to sit down, but it was raining. Across the street, there were some tables and chairs under the shelter of a building’s ledge, and we chose to hang out there. Kellan was so easygoing and we just talked about everything. His views on life are very mature, and we talked about his past and his passions. Kellan is very happy in his life. He enjoys living in California with his four roommates and his dog Kola. Kellan’s dog is a multi-colored, mixed breed, and he hates having to be away from him while filming. Kellan does want to be married one day, but knows that he wants to wait a few more years. He would love to have a little Kellan one day. Maybe even a Kellanette? Kellan said he looks forward to teaching his kids things, like throwing a football. After an hour and a half, Kellan and I started our walk back to the hotel. We talked a little about my experience from the previous day, when I was able to watch some of the filming. We also talked about how much Kellan was looking forward to being home for the weekend. When we arrived back in the lobby we asked a hotel employee to take our picture. Then I went out on a limb and asked if he would write a short note to my sister Kassie. Kellan took the time to write a note, and draw a little cartoon. We hugged goodbye, and I thanked him profusely for the opportunity to hang out!

Well, that is it! There are a few more Q&A that I am saving for our next podcast about Emmett and Rosalie! Check it out, along with the podcast about the trip to learn a little more about Kellan!