Kristen Stewart Sheds Light On Role — Teenage Prostitute Stripper — In Ridley Scott's Son's 'Welcome To The Rileys' Film

Permanently sleepy-looking “Twilight” star Kristen Stewart is on the cover of fashion magazine Dazed & Confused this month, plugging the European release of “Adventureland.” Dazed Digital have an extract from the interview, where Stewart discusses a couple of her upcoming roles.

First up is Joan Jett in “The Runaways.” Stewart comments “It’s so much fun. She’s the ultimate badass. She was the first woman to start her own record label. Everybody threw her out after The Runaways and was like, ‘Sorry girl, your shtick’s over’, she was like ‘No, the message stays the same, people still want to hear it’.”

More intriguing is “Welcome to the Rileys,” directed by Ridley Scott’s son Jake. “I just made a film in New Orleans — and its going to sound funny because I play a 16 year old street kid prostitute stripper –- but it’s the one film so far I mostly identify with. I play such a child, like she has the emotional stability of a 5 year old; she’s in her own little world that she had to close off at a certain point. She’s at that point where she’s not quite over the edge like a lot of those people, and I met a lot of them in New Orleans, talking to people who had done the job for so long.”

Stewart’s co-stars are the brilliant Melissa Leo (“Frozen River”) and James Gandolfini, who plays “this plumber who is grieving the loss of his daughter and is dead inside as well, so she is sort of the catalyst of his awakening and subsequent reuniting with his wife, like she comes out of the house after 8 years. Like this vulgar really fully kid (sic) who has her own problems greater than theirs ends up helping to get them to a place where they can continue their lives.”

It sounds like a step forward for the young actress, and director Scott is a solid choice — he was behind the underrated 1998 highwayman drama “Plunkett & Macleane.” Stewart certainly seems to have enjoyed her time on set. “It was the greatest experience on a movie I have ever had. Everyone was tight and it was the greatest crew… For some reason on that one, I didn’t stop thinking all day. Now, keep in mind, I had a perfect upbringing, but I know what that feels in some way, to be this character. It was really hard. But they’re really funny and they make the most of it. They’re really great characters.”

The film’s official Twitter feed suggests that the film is finished, and, as it hasn’t been announced for the Toronto International Film Fest line-up, it’s probably fair to guess at a Sundance 2010 premiere for the movie. Head over to Dazed to read the rest of the extract, or pick up the new issue for more of the interview.