In our first exclusive interview we got to chat with THE 'Twilight Dude' himself, Larry Carroll. You may have heard of him… He is only the greatest MTV staffer according to the Twilight fandom right now! Every Tuesday, thousands of fans wait for an update from Larry, whether it's Q&A with the cast or even a segment on the cars used in the film he has us all refreshing the MTV pages, anxiously awaiting the news! So sit back, relax, cue the Larry Carroll fanfare for a little background noise and enjoy the read.
TTR: How long have you been working for MTV? Did you choose this career path?
Larry: I've been working for MTV for four years. Before that, I wrote for basically every major movie website you could name. I moved to LA from Boston after college, knowing that there was only two things in this world I was any good at: Writing, and talking about movies. Luckily, I've been able to find some people who will pay me to do just that - otherwise, I'd be digging ditches in a graveyard somewhere. My apologies to those members of your audience who happen to be gravediggers.
TTR: What is the best part about your job?
Larry: The best part is talking to famous people, and finding out they're as cool as we'd hope they would be (luckily, all the "Twilight" actors fall into this category). The worst part, unfortunately, is interviewing other famous people I admire, and finding out they're jerks in real life. No, I won't name names. Ha ha.
TTR: Were you assigned to be the "Twilight Dude" or was it something you requested?
Larry: My dirty little secret is that I had never even heard of "Twilight" until I interviewed Kristen Stewart at Sundance this past January, for a little film called "The Yellow Handkerchief," which is actually a pretty good movie that will come out someday. As I always do, I asked what she had coming up next. She told me there was a book called "Twilight," which was supposed to be very popular with teenagers. At the time, I just figured it was another "Lemony Snicket" or "The Dark is Rising" or "Eragon," because we film critics are constantly being told everything is "the next Harry Potter." I came back to LA, and eventually ran a small news item on Kristen talking about "Twilight," and it became the MOST COMMENTED ON STORY IN THE HISTORY OF THE MTV MOVIES BLOG! This was just the first, of very many instances, that the Twilighters showed myself and MTV that this movie was a special one, and worthy of being covered in a major way. I've been the "Twilight Dude" ever since. Hopefully, our coverage so far has lived up to the immense trust they've put in MTV to cover something they obviously love so dearly.
TTR: What can we expect to see in future Twilight Tuesdays?
Larry: Well, we have a very big announcement to make this Tuesday. After that, you can expect some Twilight Tuesday coverage at Comic-Con, as well as future installments of "Meet the Vehicle" and "Twilight Stars Answer Your Questions." We also have in-depth Q & A's with Mike Welch, Nikki Reed, etc. that should rock your socks off.
TTR: Do you consult with Catherine Hardwicke or any of the producers about the content of Twilight Tuesdays?
Larry: They're all aware of it, and Robert was asking me last week how I can keep this thing going until December, but we never consult with them. Typically, I sit down the day before and put it all together. Obviously, Summit and Stephenie have been very helpful, and have offered us things on occasion that we then slot into a certain week's TT. But really, all of what's to come is only plotted out in my head. My only concern is that my wife and I are having our first baby in about 6-8 weeks, so I might have to start writing a few of these in advance, to run while I'm on paternity leave. And no, I don't plan to name my child Edward, Bella or Spunk Ransom.
TTR: When was the first moment you realized that "WOW! This is huge!"
Larry: I guess it would be the second "Twilight" article we ran, which also got somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 comments. Our old record had been 600! After that initial Kristen Stewart story, I still thought it might've just been a fluke. But once that second story took off as well, I knew I'd better go buy this "Twilight" book and see what all the hub-bub was about.
TTR: Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the Twilight frenzy?
Larry: One thing I love about the "Twilight" fans is that they'll come down hard on you sometimes. It's almost like a fraternity initiation - are you strong enough to take it? This happened to me a while back when I broke the news on Stephenie's cameo in the film, and some people thought I was ruining the movie for them. You have to understand that this is my job, and we do this all the time for non-spoiler cameos, like saying that Robert Downey is in "The Incredible Hulk" for 2 minutes, etc. As long as it doesn't ruin the plot, we try to bring the truth to fans and get them even more excited to see movies we're eager about. After I reported on Stephenie, a lot of Twilighters attacked me, even though her cameo is very brief and has nothing to do with the plot.
The beauty of it, however, came shortly after. Some fans began to defend me, then others saw that I was reporting this news from a position of love for the franchise, and all was forgiven. Later, I interviewed Stephenie and she said she was happy that I announced it, and that I was "made of awesome." Since then, there's been no looking back. The bottom line: Yeah, the fans come on strong sometimes because they treasure the "Twilight" books so dearly, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I feel passionately about movies, and it warms my heart to see kindred spirits.
TTR: We have heard Catherine Hardwicke and Stephenie Meyer's take on Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart's chemistry on set; how well they portray Bella and Edward. Through your perspective, was that the case?
Larry: As anyone who has read the books knows, it simply will not work unless the people playing Edward and Bella create a believable, near-mythical state of love and affection. This is extremely difficult for actors, and I've sat through hundreds of movies like "The Lake House" or "Failure to Launch" that try and tell you that love is occurring, rather than believably creating it.
That said, Robert and Kristen seemed to have something special during the few days I observed them on set. Catherine is a wonderful director - I can only keep my fingers crossed that her cameras were able to effectively capture it. But it was there.
TTR: How well did other cast members interact with one another?
Larry: It was actually kinda cool, because each of the movie's romantic pairings seemed to be spending all their free moments with each other. I've been on a lot of film sets, and I've never seen anything quite like that before.
TTR: Can you tell us any juicy secrets or funny stories from your adventures on the Twilight set?
Larry: I guess my favorite story involves the massive home that they used for the Cullen garage, as well as the field you saw them frolicking in during our set visit footage. The word "mansion" doesn't even begin to describe this place! Word on the set was that it belonged to some Internet millionaire, and judging by the indoor swimming pool and Yosemite-sized backyard, that sounds about right. Cast and crew weren't allowed inside the house, but there was a small bathroom off the garage, and in that hallway was several pictures of the house's owner and his happy-looking family. I couldn't help but wonder if they realized that someday Twilighters might pay $10 a pop to tour their property like it was Disneyland.
TTR: If New Moon and Eclipse are to be filmed, will you be continuing the coverage with them as well?
Larry: As long as all the Twilighters still want to read me, I'd be ecstatic to give them coverage of the future films. Everything I've been able to do, and all the exclusive news we've been able to break, is because I've been able to go to both my bosses and the studio and say "Look at all the Twilight fans who are clicking on our stories, voting thumbs-up, leaving comments – these guys want more!" As long as you keep wanting Twilight Tuesdays, I'd love to keep 'em going for years to come.
TTR: Being a "Twilight guy," you are an inspiration to others such as yourself. Are there any words of wisdom you would like to share?
Larry: As well as being a "Twilight guy", I'm a guy. And because of that, I think we sometimes feel like we can just dismiss 'Sex and the City" or "The Notebook" or whatever as chick-stuff. But the bottom line is that great art is great art. My words of wisdom to Twilight women would be to point at some of my articles and say "This guy likes 'Twilight', so why don't you give it a read?" My advice for guys would be: Share something your woman holds dear to her heart, and soon you'll be her real-life Edward.
TTR: We have seen quite a few "Larry Carroll" appreciation avatars and banners floating around the Internet. Have you seen any and do things like that flatter you?
Larry: They flatter me immensely. I read every comment on MTV.com and the MTV Movies Blog, and check all the other "Twilight" sites as often as I can. Thank you to everyone who has ever written something nice about me, and I think the comments are as hilarious as they are touching. And if any of you guys ever do get "Larry Carroll Appreciation Day" recognized as a national holiday, I want us all to get together for cake and ice cream.
TTR: In your most recent blog, "Can A Man Be A Twilighter Too," you stated that you have read all three books; Twilight, New Moon & Eclipse. Which one was your favorite and do you have a preferred scene?
Larry: I'm a sucker for love at first sight. At the risk of grossing everybody out, the first time I ever saw my wife Carrie on an elevator, she was talking to several other people – didn't even look in my direction, never said a word to me. Still, I knew right there that I was gonna figure out a way to meet and marry her. Something like that is very hard to describe to someone who hasn't experienced it, so if someone asked me today, I'd say 'Just go read the first 'Twilight' book.' There's nothing like those awkward smiles, those first scents, the panic as one catches the other peeking at them. Love at first sight is one of the most beautiful things life has to offer, and Stephenie captured it brilliantly. Hopefully, I didn't just make you all vomit.
TTR: Are you excited for Breaking Dawn's release in August? If so, what are your hopes and/or theories for the book?
Larry: No, I'm not excited…I'm WICKED excited! We at MTV have already begun discussing how we'll cover the "Breaking Dawn" release, and there'll be some big, big announcements in the Twilight Tuesdays to come. So stay tuned!
Thank you Larry for taking the time to answer our questions! We are looking forward to many more Twilight Tuesdays with you (27 to be exact, but hey, who's counting?!) Now if you'll excuse us, we have a letter to write to our government officials about that national holiday!!
Also guys, we have posted the interview over at the TwilightTeens official site in the "What's New" section!
For those of you who are just visiting and have not found the joy of the TwilightTeens forum, I suggest that you check us out! It's an awesome place for teens and young adults who want to discuss Twilight and Stephenie Meyer related topics.
• Heather