Kristen and Mackenzie Davis interview for 'Happiest Season' with Shangay (Spain)

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Google translated.

SHANGAY ⇒ How important do you think it is that it is a same-sex couple that stars in the film?

KRISTEN STEWART ⇒ I think after a while, we'll look back and wonder how something like this hasn't been done before in commercial cinema. When I read the script, so cute and fun, and I knew it was a project with a large budget, supported by a large studio, I felt very lucky to be part of this project.

MACKENZIE DAVIS ⇒ Certain groups in our society only see their stories told on film through tragic drama. It is very sad that certain voices are not taken into account when making certain experiences visible to the general public. In a way, until not so long ago, it could seem that if you were queer , in the movies they were telling you that your life was going to be a drama. It was about time to have a Christmas movie starring a couple of two women.

SHANGAY ⇒ Was your approach different when preparing the characters knowing that they were LGBTQ?

MACKENZIE DAVIS ⇒ I asked Clea if the fact that I am not part of the community could be a problem, or if there were some keys that she should be aware of when working and doing her best. Clea told me "you play a woman in love, that's all that matters." So my approach was not at all different from that of any other woman in love character I've been able to play.

KRISTEN STEWART ⇒ I understand what Mackenzie is saying because it can be a tricky question; He did not want it to be possible to suggest that he was appropriating a character that perhaps, due to lack of personal experience, should not belong to him. But that's what acting is about. The important thing is to be with your senses open and strive to be the best character possible, forgetting about labels. Was work going to be any different because of playing lesbians? I've always lived being queer in an organic way. And although we have both had different experiences when we fell in love, we found a lot in common to contribute to the joint work. Because, as the movie says, "love is love!" [laughs].

SHANGAY ⇒ Kristen, it's not so common to see you doing comedy… Have you gotten the hang of it?

KRISTEN STEWART ⇒ It has been a special experience. At first, I was intimidated by the level of the actresses I was going to work with, although at the same time I was encouraged by the challenge of measuring myself against them. My character is a bit of a "straight man" as ironic as it sounds, given that I play a lesbian woman. It is a kind of observer, through which the viewer discovers how absurd his girlfriend's family is, and how strange they have to relate to each other. I hadn't worked for a while, and as soon as we started I saw that the more relaxed we were and the more we committed ourselves to the job, the better we had fun. The pressure was gone immediately.

SHANGAY ⇒ Have you had any experience remotely similar to the one in the film?

KRISTEN STEWART ⇒ Not exactly. I have ever felt that perhaps someone around you could feel uncomfortable knowing that the person who accompanied you was your partner. And I have tried not to make this situation a threat to others; but it has never happened to my family. Around 22 I began to really understand myself, and I felt that pressure of having to put a label on what I felt, even though I didn't quite represent myself. But the context of the film is very different.

SHANGAY ⇒ Did the chemistry you give off come about in an easy way?

MACKENZIE DAVIS ⇒ The secret is in the casting, when looking for two actresses, in this case, who must be compatible. The job started out being similar to what dating is like. In this case, I admired Kristen, and from the moment I met her I wanted to be her friend. We started spending a lot of time together to get to know each other and get comfortable before we got to set. To lose respect for touching us, for example [Kristen laughs]. In other shootings it has been difficult for me, because I have had couples who were not especially nice, and even so you have to make it credible, that is why you dedicate yourself to acting. In this case it was not so.

KRISTEN STEWART⇒ Good job, bitch! [laughs]. From the first moment I saw that Mackenzie was going to be amazing in the movie, and for that alone I loved her. She is a great actress, and I tend to love people who are good at what they do. I'm not good at creating chemistry at full speed with someone I don't know at all; in that case, I get to the set, shoot as soon as possible and fake whatever it takes. Mackenzie and I were delighted to spend time together, and because of that, filming just got better, easier and smoother. We were going in the same direction, and it showed.

SHANGAY ⇒ Do you especially value the fact that a comedy like this can be very important for LGBTQ visibility at mainstream levels ?

KRISTEN STEWART ⇒ It's something we've talked about a lot among ourselves. Because there are many young people who do not consume auteur cinema or proposals with a clear protest component, but they do use Christmas movies like this one in which they can be reflected. It is important that art is not marginalized, and that a light and pleasant tone can also be used when making visible according to what issues. In fact, if I hadn't made this film, I would have been envious of those who made it, because it clearly has a message that is important to reach the public.

SHANGAY ⇒ Was it another point in favor of having a director, and that she is also out of the closet?

KRISTEN STEWART ⇒ Since I read the script, I saw clearly that there was an intention and a commitment in it, that it was not the typical opportunistic formula that is created to show that we live in a world with greater acceptance. This story has a lot of truth, and the fact that it is Clea who tells it gives it a plus of authenticity.

SHANGAY ⇒ Kristen, since your character is the one who fights for her girlfriend to come out of the closet and show herself as she is, without lying, do you think it can be positive for viewers who are going through a similar situation?

KRISTEN STEWART ⇒ Hopefully, because I always appreciate any comments from people who thank you for making yourself visible and tell you about their experiences, which also make me feel happy and proud. That exchange of experiences is fucking wonderful.

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