Peter was interviewed by pioneerlocal.com ahead of a planned (since postponed) appearance at Westfield Hawthorn Shopping Center, Vernon Hills, IL. His appearance has been rescheduled for Sunday 1st May.
PIONEER: Before "Twilight," had you ever imagined yourself playing a vampire?
PETER FACINELLI: Not really. In fact, when my agent called me up to ask if I'd like to play a vampire, at first I said no, because I was imagining a standard horror-movie scenario, with lots of violence and gore. But he said I should read the book, that it had a passionate underground following -- this was before it series really took off -- and that it was actually more of a romance than a vampire story. Also that it was very popular with women. That appealed to me. So I checked it out and discovered that Dr. Cullen was a thoughtful, peaceful man who just happened to be a vampire -- and was trying very hard to hold onto his humanity. So I thought, this is something I'd like to do.
PIONEER: Isn't it just a little frustrating to play a good-guy vampire? Do you ever wish Dr. Cullen would cut loose and do something monstrous?
FACINELLI: That sort of character doesn't interest me. To the extent that I ever imagined playing a vampire, it was always one who is more mysterious than monstrous -- like Bela Lugosi in "Dracula." The brutal, horrific stuff never appealed to me. I've always been more interested in the character of Carlisle than the idea of playing a vampire, and being a good guy is what he's all about.
PIONEER: What's it like being the vampire father figure in "Twilight" when, in fact, you're not so different in age from the other actors?
FACINELLI: Well, in terms of my actual age, it's true: I'm not much older than a big brother to Robert Pattinson, for example. But in terms of the age of our characters, I'm 350 while Edward is only 100 or so. So Carlisle has that life experience, or undead experience, that makes him a natural patriarch. That's something you might not see right away when you look at him, but you can see it in his bearing and the way the other characters relate to him. It helps that I'm a father myself; I think that's something the producers had in mind from the beginning. It's never been a problem for me.
PIONEER: What's it been like being involved in such an enormously female cultural phenomenon?
FACINELLI: I think the films have their share of male fans, especially now that the stories are becoming more action-oriented as the series progresses. But I love the fact that "Twilight" is something that particularly appeals to women. That's something I enjoyed about the books from the beginning. I grew up with sisters, so I know something about what it's like to be in a world that's male-oriented in so many ways. It's very rewarding to me to see a theater crowded with women enjoying a story that appeals to them directly and specifically. I love being a part of that.
PIONEER: What question are you asked most often about working on these films?
FACINELLI: Usually, people want to hear anecdotes about production and stories about working with the other actors. They're curious about what it's like working on the set -- more than people usually are about movie-making. And the answer is that we all work very hard on them. We try to have a good time, and we do, but we know how much people love these films -- and we take that very seriously.
PIONEER: We won't ask if you're Team Edward or Team Jacob. . .
FACINELLI: Actually, that's the question people ask most often. (Laughing) But I'm Team Edward of course, he's family.
PIONEER: . . . but if you, personally, had to choose between being a vampire or a werewolf, which would it be?
FACINELLI: Oh, a vampire, definitely. I love the idea of living a long, long time and having the opportunity to keep learning about life.
PIONEER: But you'd be a kinder, gentler vampire?
FACINELLI: Absolutely. (Laughing) A vegetarian.
