The Fangs All Here

Peter Facinelli opens his hotel window and leans out to admire the view. “I like Dublin,” he smiles approvingly.
The feeling is mutual. Within hours, there’s a thick queue around the block at Forbidden Planet, where the Twilight star has alighted to sign autographs.

“It’s humbling and overwhelming,” gushes the 36 year-old Hollywood veteran. “I’m a big fan of the book so it’s wonderful to be part of it. I never tire of the fans. Why would I? They’re all so sweet.”
It was not always thus; not too long ago, Mr. Facinelli was more likely to be recognised as the husband of Beverly Hills 90210 minx Jennie Garth than as the TV star from Six Feet Under, Damages or Nurse Jackie.
“My kids have always known that mommy is an actress,” he laughs. “But with me they weren’t so sure. I don’t think I ever made a movie they could actually legally watch before Twilight.”
A respected character actor, he could not have predicted what would happen when he signed on to play the charismatic, vegetarian vampire turned physician Dr. Carlisle Cullen in director Catherine Hardwicke’s 2008 smash, Twilight.
“When we were shooting the first movie we knew it was delicate, tricky subject matter that could get very cheesy, very quickly,” he recalls. “In the wrong hands all that white make-up could have made us look like the Munsters. But, ultimately, as an actor, all you can do is hope that the director strikes the right tone. And thankfully, Catherine Hardwicke did a great job. We knew we were acting in a naturalistic way. We knew she was shooting in a naturalistic way. But you still never know what’s going to end up on the screen. So when I watched the film, I was really happy it wasn’t some sappy teen movie.”
The actor was even more surprised by the film’s hysterical reception; “We knew the books were popular. We knew there was a fan base. We knew there was internet chatter. The fans were showing up to the set even while we were still shooting. Then, I was on a beach on Hawaii – long before the movie came out – and people came up to me because they knew I was playing Carlisle. But it wasn’t until the premiere when we showed up and there was four blocks of screaming fans that I had any idea what was happening. Mostly I was scared they’d hate it and turn into an angry mob.”
Some $400 million in box office receipts later and New Moon, the eagerly awaited sequel is upon us. Nowadays, four blocks of screaming teenage girls are commonplace, indeed, stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are practically surrounded by SWAT teams to keep such diehards at bay.
“I really admire them,” says their co-star. “I have three daughters and grew up with three sisters so I can’t imagine what it’s like to be Kristen, who, at 18, is now constantly living under a microscope. It’s a difficult age at the best of times. You’re still coming into your own, you’re still so self-conscious. And she handles it so well. And Rob is both cursed and blessed with this. It’s pretty scary stuff. Sometimes he can’t leave the house.”
It’s not just the kerfuffle. All has not been well on Planet Twilight. Catherine Hardwicke, reluctant to rush the next instalment of Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling sequence, has left the project to be replaced by Chris Weitz, the director who killed off the His Dark Materials franchise with a disastrous adaptation of The Golden Compass.
“Honestly, it was still easier than making the first one,” says Mr. Facinelli. “We’ve shot New Moon but it’s hard to tell how it’ll turn out. I feel more confident about it knowing a tone has been set with the previous film. So hopefully there’ll be continuity there.”
New Moon, which sees Bella Swan caught in a love triangle with vampire Edward and werewolf Jacob occupying the available points, has generated more tweets and postings than any other book from the Twilight saga. So what about it, Mr. Facinelli? Are you a Team Edward man or Team Jacob heretic?
“Even my three-year-old daughter loves Edward,” laughs the star. “So of course I’m Team Edward. I’m a Cullen, remember?”