'Twilight' actor Bronson Pelletier visits moviegoers in Sterling Heights

'Twilight' actor visits moviegoers in Sterling Heights



It wasn’t Taylor or Robert or even Kristen, but that didn’t bother the hundreds of screaming tween fans excited by the Hollywood spotlight Saturday.

Lined up for hours outside in the blazing sun at the MJR Marketplace 20 movie theater in Sterling Heights, lucky ticket holders to the sold-out 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. showings of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” were treated to a special appearance by cast-member Bronson Pelletier.

The 23-year-old actor out of Vancouver plays Jared, a werewolf that was first introduced in the second picture “New Moon.” And while Pelletier wasn’t one of the franchise’s big three stars – Grand Rapids native Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson, and Kristen Stewart – the actor charmed the mostly young teenage girls in attendance. He presented trivia questions and autographed posters for the fans during two showings in Sterling Heights before he headed to the Palladium 12 in Birmingham where he was expected to appear at a couple 10 p.m. screenings.

For Hannah Stanhope, a 14-year-old from Riverview, the early 4 p.m.arrival at the theater ended up becoming a dream come true.

First in line for the 8 p.m. showing, Stanhope, her older sister Slone, and two other friends ended up racing to the front row to see the celebrity action up close. During the brief fan interaction, Stanhope seized the opportunity of a star directly in front of her and presented Pelletier with a bracelet she made. He accepted it and posed for pictures to express his gratitude.

“This was so amazing, I’m shaking right now,” Stanhope said just after Pelletier left the theater. “Seriously, this was the best experience of my life.”

Pelletier said to the Free Press Saturday that he and some of his other “Eclipse” castmates were traveling around the country to different theaters to personally interact and thank the fans through the weekend. Pelletier said he was in Cleveland Friday.

“It’s so surreal,” he said as hundreds of fans in his sightline screamed with delight. “It’s so amazing how everyone reacts. It’s so different on set; it’s actually kind of quiet. But when we’re not filming it’s the hurricane coming from all directions.”

Dennis Redmer, vice president of operations at the Michigan-made MJR Theaters, said business has been incredible for the picture all week and since the news broke Friday that MJR would be hosting an “Eclipse” star Saturday it’s been “Twilight” mania non-stop the last 24 hours.