Stephenie Meyer: Bella has another option. She has a really good one. An option that's easier in many ways, that takes nothing - like her family, present or future - away from her. She would have love, and friendship, and family - an enviable human future. But she chooses Edward over all of this. This makes it real for me.

Stephenie Meyer: Bella's love for Edward, and his love for her, is very, very real. When Edward leaves, and Bella reacts not like a high school girl getting over her first crush, but a widow whose husband has died: that there was a clue. When Bella looked vampirism in the face and decided to go ahead with it, forgoing her present family and any future family (kids): that was a clue.

Stephenie Meyer: Edward really is hers to keep. No matter how perfect she thinks he is, or how imperfect she thinks she is, he belongs to her.

Kristen Stewart: ['Twilight'] deals with the universe, and what life is about. ... You can make that cliche and bullsh-- and make it with everything being on the surface, [or] in this case make it a pretty triumphant love story.

Kristen Stewart: The two of them would definitely die for one another.

Kristen Stewart: She's been thinking about this guy for the last couple of weeks anyway, but now it becomes a completely different thing. Now she sees that it's not just superhuman feelings that she feels for him; he really is not human.

Robert Pattinson: Edward is the reluctant 108-year-old vampire stuck in the body of a 17-year-old boy who falls in love with a mortal and destroys both of their lives, in a romantic and loving way.

Robert Pattinson: I kind of interpreted him being a perfect guy as seen by her. I mean, I kind of see her as the perfect girl, and it's just because she likes me that she sees me as that.

Catherine Hardwicke: I was really drawn to voice of Bella in the books. You really felt like you were back in your teenage days again and feel what it's like to fall madly, obsessively in love with some guy that you'd do anything for him. Even turn yourself into a vampire.

Rachelle Lefevre (Victoria): She's not a vampire, and I love this idea that she can't be with him for all these reasons. It's the "Romeo and Juliet" thing that we love, that romanticism of "What am I willing to do?" and "What am I willing to sacrifice to be with the person I love?" Like "Titanic" or "Romeo and Juliet," these are movies where there's something that gets in the way of the romance, where you really have to sacrifice something in order to have it. And in this case, it's her life, so what can be more romantic than that ... potentially having your life threatened every time you're with the guy?

Nikki Reed (Rosalie): I think really what the story represents is like some sort of unconditional love. There's nothing that can get in the way of their love for each other, even if it's the fact that his natural instinct is to eat humans.

Edi Gathegi (Laurent): Life is short man. Sometimes people are given circumstances in life that are often too difficult to change. There is so much pain and suffering in the world. Take a chance if you have the opportunity. Live forever. Do something good with your power. Bella is good. She could use her powers for good. Plus that's the romantic thing to do. Bella and Edward could capture their love forever young. Why not! He's been waiting for someone like her for DECADES. And she loves him. Why not!