Kristen Stewart Faces Up to Her 'Diva' Past on 'Twilight' Set, Source Says: 'She Can Laugh at How Intense She Was'

Kristen Stewart has confronted her "diva" past on the set of Twilight by admitting she was a "pretentious little loser" who became intensely serious about making the vampire romance feel authentic, OK! can reveal.

The actress, now 36, was 17 when she filmed the first Twilight movie as Bella Swan opposite Robert Pattinson as vampire Edward Cullen.

Released in 2008, the movie launched a five-film phenomenon and turned its young leads into global stars, while Stewart and Pattinson subsequently dated for four years after meeting during production.

A source familiar with the atmosphere around the early movies said Stewart's intensity could sometimes be mistaken for difficult "diva-style" behavior.

The Hollywood insider added: "Kristen was incredibly young and suddenly carrying this enormous franchise, but she approached everything with absolute seriousness. There were moments when that could come across as diva-style because she had strong opinions about Bella and wanted the performances to feel completely truthful. Looking back, she can laugh at how intense she was."

Appearing on the "In Your Dreams With Owen Thiele" podcast, Stewart offered a similarly unflattering assessment of her younger self.

She said: "The first (Twilight film), we were talking about this earlier 'cause someone else asked about it, but I was like such a pretentious little loser."

Stewart added: "It was so, so serious. Me and Rob were like, 'Yeah, this is like f------ epic,' like, 'Let's try and, like, elevate this s---.' And it's like, just be exactly what age you are, and like say the words."

Stewart also said she and Pattinson's determination to make the fantastical material believable reflected their teenage outlook.

She laughed: "It was always like, 'Oh my G--, embarrassing. G--, I just wanted to be like f------ real and it's, like, impossible. Everyone's like making it f------ impossible for it to be like f------ real. And then you look at it, and you're like, it was f------ real. Anything too much is so perfect for that period of time, where you're not going to do subtle stuff when you're, like, a teenager dying."

Another source said Stewart's comments demonstrate how differently she now views behavior which could once have been interpreted as demanding.

The insider added: "Kristen had very definite ideas on Twilight and wasn't afraid to push for them, which could make her seem uncompromising. She now recognizes there was something almost comically earnest about it. She was a teenager trying to protect something that had suddenly become enormously important."

Stewart also admitted she needed distance from the franchise before understanding what the movies represented.

She said: "It's really funny 'cause it was like we did five of those movies, and it took five years – and then we've never stopped talking about it. During the time in which they were coming out, we were always being asked to look at it from the outside – which was not possible to do yet."

Pattinson has similarly defended their approach.

He told Vogue: "I really love that movie. I think I would have done it exactly the same – to be honest, I don't even think I'd be able to do the performance now."

Stewart successfully reinvented herself after Twilight, moving away from blockbuster franchises to establish herself as an acclaimed independent-film actor.

She starred in projects including Clouds of Sils Maria, which made her the first American actress to win France's César Award, as well as Personal Shopper, Certain Women and Seberg.

Stewart returned to mainstream productions with Charlie's Angels and Happiest Season, before earning some of the strongest reviews of her career portraying Princess Diana in Spencer.

The performance brought Stewart her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She has since expanded into filmmaking, directing her feature debut, The Chronology of Water.