Is 'New Moon's' Bella a Good Role Model? Kristen Stewart: Yes

Twilight character Bella Swan is like a lot of teen girls; she’s shy, awkward and when the boyfriend she obsesses over dumps her, she becomes deeply depressed. But Kristen Stewart, who plays Bella, in the “Twilight” series says Bella is ultimately a good role model for young girls.

Bella shows determination and is willing to go to extremes to get what she wants, Stewart said in an interview with British news agency Reuters.

Stewart says while Bella may seem too extreme – after all she goes all the way to Italy in pursuit of Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) — Stewart thinks Bella is setting a good example to girls.

“Be extreme,” Stewart said during the premier of the film in Los Angeles. “Go for it. I think that’s the point. I know that this is a movie about immortality and mortality but, like, you live once.”

The “Twilight” film series is based on a series of best-selling books by author Stephenie Meyer that have sold 85 million copies worldwide.

The audience for the “Twilight” books is mainly teenage girls and younger. Bella, who narrates the books, is the character with whom they identify.

“She has a lot of really innate female qualities,” Stewart said. “For a character in literature, I think it’s awesome that so many girls can look up to her, because she’s fickle and unabashedly (so).”

After Edward breaks her heart and leaves for Italy, because he knows falling in love with a mortal would be wrong, Bella pines for him, until friend Jacob Black, (Taylor Lautner) a werewolf, consoles her. When Bella learns that Edward is in danger, she runs to Italy to save him.

When asked if Bella’s obsessive and rash behavior sets a bad example for tweens, Stewart said she thinks the film’s message is good.

“New Moon” director Chris Weitz, who made 2007 fantasy “The Golden Compass” and teen comedy series “American Pie,” offered a different interpretation.

Bella and Edward debate whether he should bite her and transform her into a vampire who will live forever, like him. He sees a positive message in that.

“I’m going to use this word: sexuality. Which is OK to use, because really the message of these films is that it’s a very important thing, and these are actually quite traditional in their values,” Weitz said.

“When Edward is thinking about whether to turn Bella into a vampire, he’s taking this issue very seriously, the way that you might take sex seriously, or that you might ask teenagers to take it seriously,” he said.

“Twilight” sequel “New Moon” debuts in theaters on Friday, and the sequel to last year’s “Twilight” is expected to have a big opening.

It is the top advance ticket seller of all time for online outlet Fandango.com, and by Tuesday afternoon, MovieTickets.com was reporting nearly 2,200 sold-out shows.

The first “Twilight” made $384 million at worldwide box offices.