Anna Kendrick plays Bella’s human friend Jessica in the Twilight series, EW spoke with the 24-year-old actress about how the New Moon craziness compares with Twilight, and being teased by George Clooney – yup, that George Clooney.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So does the New Moon experience compare to Twilight?
ANNA KENDRICK: It felt a little bit bigger than last year, but ultimately I think it was about as packed as it could have been for Twilight and if there were more people it just meant that they were packed tighter and a little further away. It felt a little bit like déjà vu. But I was a lot less nervous this year.

What’s your most memorable fan encounter?
There was a girl in Vancouver who came up to me in a store and asked me to give something to Taylor the next time that I saw him, and I just said I wasn’t sure the next time I would see him, so I didn’t want to take it. Because I didn’t really know what it was going to be. She said it as though she had it with her, as if she carried it around just in case she ran into a Twilight cast-member on the street. So I was a little too nervous to take it, but I still wonder what it was.

What would you say this role has done for your career?
Obviously this is the most visible thing that I’ve really done, but both Up in the Air [her upcoming film with George Clooney, for which Kendrick is garnering Oscar buzz] and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, I got because of a teeny film called Rocket Science. Both of those directors asked to meet with me because of that film. It’s strange because on the one hand, most people who approach me and know who I am and want to talk to me know me from Twilight, but most filmmakers don’t.

Do you think that Twilight could ever have a negative effect on your career?
I don’t think so. I understand that there is always going to be backlash for something that is really popular. But I think especially because I just play this silly girl, it’s not as though people see me in Twilight and can only think of me as a vampire queen or something.

Tell me about working with George Clooney in Up in the Air.
It was amazing. This year has been really exciting but really stressful in the best kind of way. Working with George was pretty intimidating.  He actually teased me about Twilight a lot because I was shooting New Moon at the same time and when I came back from shooting pieces of New Moon, he’d treat me like a traitor when I came back to set.

Photo Credit: Kimberley French

After spending two years snowboarding in Whistler, Canada, newcomer Charlie Bewley is launching his acting career in a big way. A British expat—he was raised close to Sherwood Forest in Nottingham—Bewley plays the evil Volturi lieutenant Demetri in New Moon.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Have you been recognized more often?
CHARLIE BEWLEY: I don’t think so. Nothing’s really changed for me—I think it’s more of an online buzz right now. I expect maybe before Christmas that everyone would see this movie and if they keep their eyes peeled, they’ll notice me in it. I don’t expect the same adulation as people like, even Kellan [Lutz] or Ashley [Greene]. I think they got the second wave of everything after Taylor, Rob, and Kristen. But it’s still wonderful to be part of. It’s opened many doors for me.

How did you get the part? (Read full post)

These days, Alex Meraz, the 24-year-old actor who plays New Moon’s Paul — the most explosive member of the wolf pack — is washing his hands. As well he should — following New Moon’s giant, record-breaking weekend, the actor is getting recognized more than ever. And that’s quite a change for Meraz, considering his previous work includes small indie flicks, and a small role in 2005’s The New World. The actor took time out of shaking hands to talk to EW about Native Americans in film, working out for the role, and why he’ll never be a diva.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: It’s probably been crazy for you lately, running around to premieres everywhere.
ALEX MERAZ: Yeah, it has been actually. Meeting a lot of fans and shaking a lot of different hands. So there’s been a lot of hand sanitizer.

Were you a fan of the books before you got the role?
No. I didn’t really know what it was. I’d go to Borders in Arizona and see it everywhere, because the writer [Stephenie Meyer] is from there. I remember seeing these pasty hands and a red apple. And I didn’t even know what it was until after it came out and it was [successful]. And then thought, I’d like to try out for the next role.

What about the movie made you want to be a part of the franchise? (Read full post)

Chaske Spencer, the actor who plays wolfpack leader Sam Uley, talked to EW about getting cast, meeting randy Twilight fans, and playing the leader of the pack.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When did all this start for you, and when is it done?
CHASKE SPENCER: It started for me March 5 when I got cast in New Moon, and I don’t know when it’s going to be done. It’s been like a wild ride. We got cast and there was already sort of a buzz about us. As it got closer, you kept feeling the buildup and the buildup, and all of a sudden at the premiere, it just exploded.  It was like a rock star moment. This is what we’ve been waiting for. People are telling us our lives are going to change. And they have.

What has been the most memorable fan encounter?
Let me think of PG one. [Laughs] Probably, a fainter. I had a girl faint on me. And then the criers. And then the cougars—the Twi-Moms—always come after us. That’s been very surreal, because we’ve had phone numbers slipped in our back pockets. It’s like we’re The Beatles.

Did you have a sense of what part you wanted when you auditioned?
They had me going out for Jared at first. Any part was fine. I knew it was going to be a huge movie. Next thing I know, they told me I had Sam. When I read the book, I thought more about his character. He’s tragic; he never wanted this—to be the leader of the wolfpack—but that was what he was thrown into.

What’s next for you?
I have my own production company called Urban Dreams. I want to get scripts for movies I want to do or vehicles to star in or direct. Things are rolling. Something hit me last week—we were doing some promos at a Nordstrom. Me and Bronson [Pelletier, a fellow wolf] were riding in a limo, going through Laurel Canyon, on Mulholland Drive. The sun was setting and a really cool song was playing on the radio. We rolled down the window and were like, ‘Wow, this is a good life.  I can’t believe we’re in f—ing New Moon.’”

Check back at EW.com all next week for more interviews with the stars of New Moon.

Photo Credit: Kimberley French