Thursday's Comic-Con panel for Summit's "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1" was held at the San Diego Convention Center's massive Hall H, but one could be forgiven for thinking, at times, that the event was occurring inside the overcrowded coach section of a 747 passenger jet.
The panel for the penultimate installment of the vampire movie franchise drew a packed room of Twi-hards, many of whom apparently packed an extra lung for screaming.
On hand Thursday: series stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, along with "Breaking Dawn" director Bill Condon. (Summit plans to release the film on Nov. 18.)
In addition to a panel, moderated by IGN Movies editor-in-chief Eric Moro, attendees were treated to a pair of new clips for the film, and a surprise visit from co-stars Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed, Elizabeth Reaser and Julia Jones.
They were also offered the opportunity to ask questions during an audience Q&A session. Of foremost interest was the much-anticipated honeymoon scenes between vampire hunk Edward Cullen (Pattinson) and his new mortal bride, Bella Swan (Stewart).
Pattinson recalled that filming the honeymoon in Brazil wasn't as idyllic as the subject matter might suggest.
"Brazil was really amazng the day we got there, and really beautiful and warm and everything you'd expect, but then for the remainder of the shoot it was not only raining, but it was like a hurricane storm," the British actor noted. "It was kind of like having a honeymoon in England; we were sitting inside playing board games instead of making love on the beach, but [director] Bill [Condon] fixed it."
One of the clips exclusively premiered at the panel was, in fact, featured a portion of the honeymoon, and the mere appearance of the bed on which the newly married couple would consummate their relationship was enough to send joyous screams rippling through the hall.
When Pattinson-as-Cullen began to remove his shirt to go for a swim, the room erupted in a burst of deafening hysteria.
The scene featuring the birth of Edward and Bella's child Renesmee was also discussed. The scene has been a point of some controversy among Twi-hards — shockingly gruesome in Stephenie Meyer's book, many fans have been disappointed by reports that it would be toned down for the movie.
The panelists' comments suggested that Condon, et. al, had found a satisfying middle ground with the scene.
"I thought it was so cool; I think that we really did go as hardcore as we could," Stewart noted. "It's not your typical birthing scene. It took two days to shoot — a two-day labor, which is hard."
Levels of gore aside, Pattinson noted that the scene held a special place for him because it allowed another side of his character to emerge.
"It was different from everything. Edward is aware of his own helplessness. Usually, he's so in control of the situation, or at least pretends to be," Pattinson noted. "He's trying to help Bella, but he doesn't know what he's doing; he's just helpless."
In fact, he's much like his fans, when it comes to controlling themselves in his presence.
