Twilight star Kirsten Stewart welcomed with open arms by independent cinema

When Kirsten Stewart wanted to step away from the mainstream, Olivier Assayas was happy to be her go-to director, writes Esther McCarthy.

AFTER headlining the movie juggernaut that was the Twilight series, Kristen Stewart became one of cinema’s best-known faces and could have named her price and had her pick of Hollywood blockbusters.

Instead, she took a gamble and threw the film industry — and her own career — a curveball, departing the mainstream and signing up for quirky independent arthouse movies and obscure European dramas.