Kristen Stewart Claims She's Only Made "Five Good Films" In Her Career — These Are Those Five Films

    As of today, Kristen Stewart has starred in 56 films...so I think the correct quote should be "56 good films."

    Ehis Osifo
    by Ehis Osifo

    BuzzFeed Staff

    This past weekend, on the press tour for Spencer, Kristen Stewart sat down with the Sunday Times to discuss her career, specifically her most recent role as Princess Diana in Spencer:

    Poster for the film "Spencer" with Diana having a breakdown in her iconic white dress
    NEON / Courtesy Everett Collection

    In the article, K. Stew is quoted as saying she's only made "five really good films" in her career:

    Kristen Stewart at the "Spencer" premiere in London
    Amy Sussman / Getty Images

    "I've probably made 5 really good films, out of 45 or 50 films? Ones that I go, 'Wow, that person made a top-to-bottom beautiful piece of work!'"

    While I think that's a gross UNDERSTATEMENT of her abilities, I'm here to make a case for her five best films.

    Hulu

    It's OBVIOUS that those five films are Twilight, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1, and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2*. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

    Bella and Edward walking and talking through a greenhouse
    Summit Entertainment

    *OK, I'm kidding, but the joke was right there and I had to go for it.

    Sony Pictures

    So these are my ACTUAL contenders for Kristen Stewart's five best films.*

    *Even though I personally have never seen a bad K. Stew flick. But I digress. 🚨Warning: #2 and and #4 mention sexual assault and suicide respectfully.🚨

    1. Panic Room (2002, dir. David Fincher):

    Sony Pictures

    A THROWBACK, I KNOW! Panic Room is a psychological thriller starring Kristen Stewart and Jodie Foster. The film follows Meg (Foster) and her daughter Sarah, who hide in a panic room in order to escape three armed robbers who break into their house. 

    Meg and Sarah looking at the monitors
    Sony Pictures

    Now, I'll be the first to admit that a big chunk of the movie is Meg's badassery against Junior (Jared Leto) and Burnham (Forest Whitaker). HOWEVER, it's Sarah who I remember! For one thing, I saw this movie when I was a kid — don't ask — and Sarah was the same age as me. But more importantly, the way Sarah added even more tension to the whole ordeal because she was a diabetic who needed her insulin, which, of course, was the only thing the panic room was not equipped with — like that's what kept me on the edge of my seat. 

    Sony Pictures

    K. Stew's subtlety in the background is what CONVINCED me that this was only the start of her very long career. 

    2. Speak (2004, dir. Jessica Sharzer):

    Melinda with drawn-on stitches on her mouth
    Showtime

    Whew, chile. Talk about a PERFORMANCE! Speak is a young adult drama based on the novel of the same name. The film follows Melinda Sordino, a once-popular student who then became an outcast at the start of her freshman year because she called the cops to break up a party. Little does anyone know, the reason why Melinda dialed 911 was because a popular senior raped her. But she was unable to disclose that to the operator so she took a self-imposed vow of silence. 

    Melinda's asshole rapist leaning over her to talk to her friend
    Showtime

    As with Panic Room, I was around the same age as Stewart's character when I watched this movie so it resonated with me a lot more then. However, this time around, SHE was the main character. Though a decent portion of the film is told through flashbacks, a large part of the film takes place in present day...where Melinda doesn't speak. Like, the amount of emotion she was able to convey without uttering a word? Sends chills down my spine. 

    Melinda entering the party after her sexual assault
    Showtime

    I remember when I first watched this movie, I was floored by how much it impacted me. Not just because of the subject matter, but also because Stewart's performance was able to emote and convey and say so much without saying much of anything at all. 

    3. Personal Shopper (2016, dir. Olivier Assayas):

    Maureen shopping for dresses
    IFC Films

    This movie still has me checking my six every time I'm walking alone at night. Personal Shopper is a supernatural psychological thriller. The film follows Maureen, a personal shopper for a model named Kyra, who's trying to discern if a spirit communicating with her is her recently deceased twin brother or something a tad more malevolent. 

    Maureen having a breakdown on a train
    IFC Films

    This movie was the next big buzz — IMO — for Stewart after Twilight wrapped and it was a MAJOR departure from Bella Swan. This movie just reinforced how much RANGE K. Stew has...and also how haunted she's able to be onscreen. Like, I'm not kidding. This movie had me thinking that I had spirits following me around. 

    4. Seberg (2019, dir. Benedict Andrews):

    Jean talking about her suspicions of people spying on her
    Amazon Films / Courtesy Everett Collection

    OK, I personally think this movie was so slept on and everyone should go watch it NOW. Seberg is a political thriller based on the life of French New Wave actress Jean Seberg. The film specifically focused on Seberg, who was a target of the FBI's COINTELPRO project due to her support for the Black Panther Party. Although it's not 100% confirmed, it's widely believed that Seberg's probable suicide was due to the harassment she received from the police and the numerous rumors they planted about her in order to discredit her character. 

    Jean looking at her haggard refection in the mirror
    Amazon Films / Courtesy Everett Collection

    Stewart's performance as Seberg was truly something to behold. I don't care what the critics say. K. Stew ATE this role. I felt like she was able to capture the nuance of Seberg's off-camera life and truly show the harrowing tale of a woman being gaslit into madness. 

    5. And last, but not least, Spencer (2021, dir. Pablo Larraín):

    Diana standing in front of the billiards table
    NEON / Courtesy Everett Collection

    I saw this movie a couple weeks ago and it's lived rent-free in my mind ever since — specifically Stewart's portrayal of Princess Diana. Hers is not the first and definitely won't be the last, but I'mma go on record and say it's one of the better, if not the best, portrayals.

    NEON

    Spencer is described as a fable but I honestly see it as a low-key horror movie — in the best way possible. The best thing about her portrayal of Diana is that I could see how her catalog of stellar performances prepared her for her soon-to-be Oscar-winning role. The subtlety from Sarah in Panic Room, the silent stoicism from Melinda in Speak, the haunted essence of Maureen in Personal Shopper, and the paranoid downfall of Jean from Seberg. Add all of them together and you get K. Stew's groundbreaking portrayal of Princess Diana. 

    Diana looking through a window
    NEON / Courtesy Everett Collection

    Like, if you haven't seen Spencer yet, do yourself a favor and watch ASAP! After a performance like that, I'm waiting with bated breath for Kristen Stewart's next "five good films."