Twilight: Why Does Bella Swan Move In With Her Dad At Forks?
Not many people would choose the dreary atmosphere of Forks, Washington over sunny Phoenix, Arizona. Well, except for Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). When audiences meet the sullen teen at the start of the "Twilight" saga, she's in the process of moving in permanently with her dad, Charlie Swan (Billy Burke), after years of only visiting seasonally following her parents' divorce.
So, why the drastic change? Unlike Charlie, who thrives in an environment of discipline and routine, Bella's mom, Renée Dwyer (Sarah Clarke), is a free spirit who wants to see the world. Her dreams of adventure grow even stronger after marrying minor league baseball player Phil Dwyer (Matt Bushell), who is often on the road, but she has her own teenager at home to care for. In order to give her mom the freedom to travel with Phil, Bella makes the decision to move in with Charlie.
Though the dynamic between father and daughter is a bit awkward at first, it's clear that Bella didn't fall too far from the paternal side of her family tree. Ultimately, her and Charlie's similarities make the new living situation pretty seamless. Just like Bella, Charlie is introverted and knows the importance of giving her some personal space — a parenting strategy that fails miserably when Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) starts secretly materializing in her bedroom.
Billy Burke and Kristen Stewart are similar to Bella and Charlie
On the set of "Twilight," the working relationship between Kristen Stewart and Billy Burke was pretty similar to the dynamic of their on-screen personas, including a somewhat awkward early encounter. In an interview with MTV News, Burke recalled that the first time he met Stewart was on a plane to Portland, Oregon. "She didn't know who I was," Burke recalled, "but I recognized her and I went up to her and said, 'Hey, I'm your dad!' I think she thought that was entirely creepy (laughs)."
However, just like Bella and Charlie Swan, the pair quickly discovered just how well they worked together. Burke is notorious for being unfamiliar with "Twilight" prior to landing the role of Charlie, and even when he did get the gig, he didn't feel the need to read the books for backstory that went beyond the script. According to Burke, Stewart operated in a similar fashion, which he enjoyed.
In an interview with Collider, he said, "She doesn't carry a lot of baggage around with her to the set. She doesn't do a lot of unnecessary and extraneous preparation. We bring our ideas to the set and throw them out there and, so far, it's worked really well."