Questions for Jodelle!

We are just over a week away from the release of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (be sure to download your countdown clock if you want to countdown to the exact second of the release – we are!). To celebrate the upcoming release, we’ll have some fun and exclusive items leading up to June 5th.

Today, we are thrilled to be able to share with you an exclusive TTS.com interview with Jodelle Ferland. Jodelle plays Bree in the Eclipse movie and was nice enough to answer some of our burning questions (including some contributed by our Official Team Captains!) – speaking of burning, what was up with her burning her copy of the book? See below for the answer to that and more!

And be sure to stop back on Monday for an exclusive look at Jodelle’s Eclipse character – Bree Tanner!

TTS.com: Were you a Twilight fan prior to being cast as Bree?
Jodelle: I saw Twilight with my friends when it first came out, but I didn't read the books until a while after that. I finally decided I should read them, and I'm really glad I did, because now they're one of my favorites, and I've read them many times since then. When I got called for the Bree audition, I was just about finished with the series.

TTS.com: How did you get the role of Bree? What was your audition process like?
Jodelle: It was pretty much the same as always. My agent called me and told me I had an audition. I tried not to get excited that it was for Eclipse, because it makes it way worse if you don't get it and you already have your hopes up. So I went for the audition, and then I waited. I found out a while later that I had a callback, and I went and did my scene again, this time in front of David Slade. Then more waiting (that part is never fun). I finally found out that I got the part, and I was so excited. The only part that was different about the Eclipse audition process was that I normally get a scene from the script to memorize, but instead it was from the book because the script was top secret.

TTS.com: What was it like to play Bree? What was the most challenging part of playing her?
Jodelle: I loved playing Bree. I think she's been one of my favorite characters I've played so far. Not just because she's in Eclipse. She's a vampire, and that makes her awesome. And not just a vampire, a newborn vampire. They're a lot more fun to play, because they're so wild, compared to the Cullens who are so in control. I think the most difficult part was when I was being tortured by Jane. I've done all sorts of death scenes, but being tortured by imaginary vampire powers is a little bit difficult to do without looking kind of ridiculous, especially since I don't know how that would actually feel.

TTS.com: How did you feel when you found out that your character was going to live on in a new novella written by Stephenie?
Jodelle: I was so thrilled. I love Stephenie's writing, so even if it wasn't about Bree, I would have been happy to have something to read. But the fact that it's about my character makes it so much more exciting. Bree has an amazing story to tell, and I think people are going to love hearing it.

TTS.com: How important was the novella in getting to understand Bree better?
Jodelle: There isn't really very much about Bree in Eclipse. All we know is that she's a newborn vampire in Victoria's army, and that she's willing to change her ways and join the Cullens, rather than stay and fight. As an actress, that's not really much to go on. I didn't know what Bree had been through or how she came to be a vampire. Basically, I knew nothing about her personality or her past. The novella really helped me understand Bree and why she is the way she is. I wouldn't have been able to play her properly if I wasn't able to read it prior to filming.

TTS.com: We’ve all seen the photo of you burning your copy of the manuscript on Stephenie’s site. Was it exciting or intimidating to read something that was so secret?
Jodelle: Exciting, for sure! I was thinking, Wow, I'm holding a book that Twilight fans all over the world would kill for, and they don't even know it exists...but I'm reading it. I was also trying to read it as quickly as I could, because David Slade's assistant had to sit there while I read it, but at the same time I wanted to remember every detail. The burning part was actually pretty fun. Ideally, we would have just shredded it, but we were out in the forest. It was supposed to be destroyed right after I read it, so we took the bucket that's used for cigarettes and tossed a match in. Which didn't work. It was actually pretty hard to get it to burn. It was so funny, that we decided to take a picture and send it to Stephenie.

TTS.com: What other research did you do for the role?
Jodelle: There really wasn't much I could do. I'd read the books, seen the movie, and also had the chance to read the novella. Twilight vampires aren't your typical burns in the sun, sleeps in a coffin, and has fangs vampire. If I just Google "vampire", I wouldn't really get anything that would help me play Bree. Actually, I'd probably mostly get Twilight results, but there wouldn't be anything on the internet that I couldn't find somewhere in the books. So really, all I could do was just make sure I knew everything there is to know about newborn vampires and Twilight.

TTS.com: Who is your favorite character in the Twilight universe (besides Bree!)?
Jodelle: Besides Bree? I don't know, that's really tough...I mean, Bree is pretty awesome...just kidding, my favorite is Alice, I love her!

TTS.com: What’s next for you?
Jodelle: Other than a whole lot of Eclipse publicity and conventions, my next project is a feature film called "Mighty Fine" with Chazz Palminteri and Andie MacDowell.

TTS.com: Do you have any advice for aspiring actresses?
Jodelle: Acting isn't as easy as it looks. It's fun, but it can get difficult at times too. If you really want to become an actor, don't give up! You might not be instantly famous, but eventually, your hard work will pay off.

TTS.com: What books do you enjoy reading? Favorite movie? TV show?
Jodelle: I'm a bookworm, and I'll read almost anything. One of my favorite authors is Eoin Colfer, I've read almost all of his books. Of course, Stephenie is another one of my favorite authors! The Host is amazing, I've read it so many times. I also like Black Beauty, Harry Potter, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and The Sisters Grimm. I love the movies Ghost Town, Pirates of the Caribbean, A Walk To Remember, WALL-E, and obviously, Twilight. Ironically, considering what I do, I don't have much time for TV. But when I can, I like to watch Supernatural, Smallville, Scrubs, Reba reruns, and Life Unexpected.