Chris Weitz Wishes He Could Cut the Frolicking Vampire Scene

Twilight fans still have a few months to go before Eclipse hits theaters this Summer, but they'll flock to the stores in a few weeks to pick up copies of New Moon on DVD on March 21. There are a few editions featuring all kinds of bonus features, and I was lucky enough to chat with director Chris Weitz on everything from his favorite scene, to Rob and Kristen's relationship, to what he wishes had ended up on the cutting room floor.

* There are lots of different editions of the New Moon DVD. Which bonus features are you particularly excited about?

I'm excited that my voice will finally be heard! For me, the fun thing was doing the commentary with Peter Lambert, my editor, because it kind of re-created the atmosphere in the cutting room. Peter's a really funny guy, and we were able to delve into not only the behind-the-scenes moments, but to explain why certain things were shot or cut together in certain ways. So that, for me, was the most fun.

* When you go back and watch it again, are there things you'd like to change if you could?

I would like to never have shot Rob and Kristen running through the forest and Kristen's just turned into a vampire. Because everybody always laughs and it makes me feel terrible. [Laughs] I would have shot it a different way so it wouldn't get that response. But otherwise, I'm very happy with things.

* You must get lots of questions abut Rob and Kristen. Do you laugh it off or are you totally sick of hearing about it?

I'm somewhat clueless — when you're the director, you're kind of like the school principal. Nobody really tells you anything. You really have no idea what's going on. I'm the last person who would know about this kinda stuff. I'm sure you could get more from reading the paper.

* What was your favorite scene to shoot in New Moon?

I'm very fond of the memories that a lot of the scenes invoke in me. My favorite scene is probably somewhere between the very last scene, and the cliffhanger that it's left on, and the scenes in Italy. Just the experience shooting those scenes was so magnificent. We were in this beautiful hillside town in Tuscany, and going home to fresh-made pasta every night, and surrounded by thousands of fans of the series while we were shooting it. I know I'll never experience anything like that ever again.

* We still don't know who will be directing Breaking Dawn, but what's your take on the rumors that it will likely be two movies, possibly in 3D?

3D seems to be the new thing that everything has to be. I think the good thing about 3D is that it can lend tremendous depth to a picture, and really make it extraordinarily lush, visually. And also that it gets people to go out to the theater. Film directors want people to see things in the theater, on the big screen, at least the first time. So that's a good thing. As for the book being broken up into two films, I think it's a good idea. There's so much material in the final book that I think it's warranted.

* How would you direct Breaking Dawn?

Very carefully, because I think that you want to deliver the fans a faithful version of the book that they love. Yes, there's a lot of extraordinary goings-on. So it'll have to be done carefully.

* How do you think the movie franchise has been affected by using different directors?

I think it's good for it, because I think there's a tremendous amount of coherence thanks to a very strong cast, who care about getting their characters right. And I think that the fans' interested will be un-dimmed, and I think it's interesting to see the different visual approaches, different stylistic versions, different choices that different filmmakers take.

* Are you excited to see Breaking Dawn, or will you inevitably be thinking about how you would have done it differently?

I'm really excited to see it. I'm very excited to see it. I'm sure he's done a really great job. I think that he's, amongst other things, a much better action director than I am. So I'm really keen to see the action sequences. I think that there are a lot of things that I would have been very daunted by the prospect of shooting, which he will have taken in stride. I'm excited to see it whenever I can.