“Twilight was just another audition that came along, so I did it as best I could and sent it off and forgot about it. A month or two went by and then I heard it was down to me and four or five other guys, so I got myself on a plane to Vancouver, met the director and it all happened fairly quickly after that.
“It was incredible to be involved in a story of that magnitude that reaches that far and wide, and has a really passionate following.”
As for the fans, Samuel embraces the self-proclaimed Twihard fan base as a phenomenon in itself.
“Often people palm it off as craziness but it’s really a kind of cool thing when people are able to express their enthusiasm in that way.”
For a young actor breaking into the US market, being involved in a film with such a widespread release and enormous publicity as Twilight was a dream gig for Samuel, and he’s appreciative of the opportunities which have presented themselves as a result.
“I was lucky enough to go over to Berlin to shoot a film with Roland Emmerich called Anonymous, which is completely different to the tortured, comic world of The Loved Ones, and the vampiric, dangerous love triangle that is Twilight. This film is a political conspiracy thriller about the authorship of Shakespeare’s plays.”
And from the sounds of it, work opportunities aren’t the only perks Samuel has been enjoying since his role in Twilight – his paparazzi-credibility rating isn’t doing too badly either – snaps of Samuel are booming business, especially now he’s dating Iranian-born former Miss Europe Shermine Shahrivar (condolences to all interested Twihards).
But Samuel shrugs off the idea of being paparazzi fodder.
“It’s a weird thing to be judged on how tight your pants are, not how good an actor you are.”
As for the future, while the lustre of Hollywood beckons, Samuel says he isn’t ready to turn his back on the Australian film industry just yet, and is in negotiations to be involved in another local production.
“I think it’s always important to remain a part of the industry that has supported me in the first place,” he says.
“I guess I’ve been very fortunate in a way, the talent pool in Australia is so deep, and a lot of my actor friends aren’t working, so I have been very lucky that I have had these opportunities come my way.
“I don’t really have any prerequisites or any grand plan – I’d be happy doing shop-front theatre in Melbourne, it doesn’t really bother me as long as I get the opportunity to do what I love and sustain myself, it’s just gravy.”
While it’s unlikely we’ll see him Twilighting again (it’s somewhat difficult to resurrect vampires who have met their untimely death by decapitation), it’s safe to say we will be seeing a lot more of Xavier Samuel on the big screen.
‘It was incredible to be involved in a story of that magnitude that reaches that far and wide, and has a really passionate following.’
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