Bill Condon, the director of Breaking Dawn - Part 2, the final film in the Twilight saga, is asking the public for space and respect for the film's stars, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.
Pattinson and Stewart, a real-life couple, have apparently broken up over photos leaked last month that showed Stewart, 22, cuddling with Rupert Sanders, 41, her director in the film Snow White and the Huntsman. Sanders is married with two children.
Stewart and Sanders both released statements to People Magazine apologizing to their respective partners. Pattinson, 26, has reportedly moved out of the house in Los Angeles he and Stewart shared.
Condon - who previously directed Pattinson and Stewart in Breaking Dawn - Part 1 and whose other credits include Dreamgirls, Kinsey, and Gods and Monsters - says that the couple is owed privacy.
"The fact is, these are actors playing parts, and maybe it's not such a bad thing that people be reminded of that," he told Entertainment Weekly. "Both of these actors gave heart and soul to the Twilight movies, not only during shooting, but also by navigating so graciously the whole life-in-a-fishbowl aspect of the phenomenon. Above all they have always shown great respect for the fans who made these movies such a success. Now it's time that some of that respect be returned to them."
EW speculates on the awkwardness that will be involved when Pattinson and Stewart have to face each other in November for the premiere and publicity tour for Breaking Dawn. Nancy Kirkpatrick, the head of worldwide marketing for Summit, the studio releasing the move, told EW, "While it is studio policy not to comment on the personal lives of actors, Summit is moving full steam ahead."
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