Did you know this year marks twenty years since Twilight was first published? Stephenie Meyer’s vampire series has been a phenomenon for two decades now, and it’s perfect that the movies are returning to theaters later this month. Amid the buzz, director Bill Condon has had a chance to reminisce on making the Breaking Dawn movies, and he recently shared the sweet story of a dance that was performed by the cast on set.
Condon has a new film on the 2025 movie schedule, and it's the musical film Kiss of the Spider Woman, starring Jennifer Lopez and Diego Luna. Of course, the Twilight films are far from musicals. However, while at the movie’s New York City premiere, Condon recalled this memory while working on the “big battle” at the end of the franchise's final installment:
Suddenly the speaker started, and there was music from West Side Story, and they all had created a dance for me because they knew I love musicals, and that's something I'll never forget.
Of course, Bill Condon is talking about the very memorably big twist at the end of Breaking Dawn – Part 2 that left fans stunned. And, as Taylor Lautner once told us, it led to a “hysterical” reaction at the movie’s premiere. Bill Condon said he as well as the cast and crew were working to perfect that scene for “like a month,” so it was pretty fun when one day he showed up to set to the whole cast getting down to the Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” and a West Side Story-type rumble.
Bill Condon is not only a big fan of musicals, he wrote the movie version of Chicago and The Greatest Showman and wrote and directed 2006’s Dreamgirls. On top of that, Condon helmed the live-action version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. His latest movie is a musical as well that serves as an adaptation of the 1992 stage musical of the same name. Considering Condon's love for the musical genre, his Twilight collaborators couldn't have honored him in a better way.
I had to dig up and see if anyone had shared the bonus features from Breaking Dawn – Part 2, including that dance scene performed on set. Luckily, I found the following Instagram post, which shows how the fun unfolded:
Apparently, Toni Trucks, who also portrays Mary in the movie, was the mastermind who really put the dance together along with MyAnna Buring, who plays Tanya, and even Lee Pace (Garrett). While it was all the work of the vampire side of the cast, per the bonus features, it led to a full-on dance off with the Volturi as well after they’d been secretly practicing for a week.
It’s been almost 13 years now since the last Breaking Dawn movie premiered, and we’re still talking about it. You can relive the Twilight movies from October 29 and November 2 and, if you can't make it to a theater, then stream them all with a Hulu subscription. Also, check out Condon's Kiss of the Spider Woman in theaters now.
