New Interview — Xavier Samuel Talks Eclipse, & Riley’s Huge Presence The Movie Vs Book

Dose.ca has a new interview with Eclipse Vampire Xavier Samuel (aka Riley). In the interview Xavier talks about what it was like to step into such a huge franchise, Eclipse, and is character Riley in the movie having a bigger role then in the novel -

You’re new to the hysteria surrounding the Twilight franchise. How are you handling it?
It’s a wonderful thing; all these people come out and support these stories and they’re really passionate. It’s intimidating when you’re doing the work because you really have to pay tribute to the characters that are so dear to people.

Was the Twilight convention in L.A. your first experience with that sort of intense fan reaction?
Yeah. It was really nuts. They just kind of pushed us out into a sea of 2,000 people. It was just bizarre. But they’re all really friendly. I think the fans will laugh and cheer at just about anything you say.
Did you know anything about the franchise before you signed on?
Well, I didn’t have the matchbooks or the pillow cases or anything like that.
For shame!
[Laughs] I know! Well, I knew that it was severely popular; I’d seen the posters on the back of busses. And then when I found out I had an audition, a whole bunch of friends kind of jumped out of the Twilight closet and were like “Oh my god! You need to do this!” and got really excited on my behalf. But yeah, I didn’t know much about it.
The opening scene with you is intense. It definitely sets the tone for the rest of the movie.
Yeah, it was intense to shoot it, too. We were down at the docks and they had these rain machines and it was really slippery. It’s a great introduction to the character.
I’ve read all the books…only because, you know, I had to for my job.
Oh yeah, sure. [Laughs]
But from what I remember from Eclipse, Riley is barely mentioned. But in the movie, he’s a big character.
That’s the thing. When I got the job, I was flipping through it going “Where’s Riley, where’s Riley, where’s Riley?” But I think one of the other really exciting things about this installment is that it’s the first time that it departs from Bella’s perspective. So not only has it given me more to do, it also gives us the opportunity to learn more about the Cullen family. You learn a lot more about Jasper and Rosalie’s backstories, which is really exciting.
One thing about Riley’s character in the movie compared to the book is that I think the audience has a lot more sympathy for him now. You really feel bad about the way Victoria is playing with his emotions. Did you and David talk about how to approach him as this complex, tortured guy instead of just a straight-up villain?
Yeah, that was really important. We talked about how the relationship between Victoria and Riley really mirrors Lady MacBeth and MacBeth. She’s manipulating him; she’s got him wrapped around her little finger and he’ll do anything for love, even if it means assembling a newborn, bloodthirsty vampire army. But on top of that, we talked about how he’s had his humanity ripped away from him, and as a result he harbours this intense jealousy and rage and hatred for humanity. He’s really wrestling with that, so he really is a complex character.

You can read the rest of the interview here!