Kristen Stewart ‘Really Happy’ With Rolling Stone Cover Shoot Amid Controversy

Kristen Stewart speaks at the ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ press conference during the 74th Berlinale International Film Festival in Germany on February 18, 2024. – Credit: Sebastian Reuter/Getty Images

Kristen Stewart defended her recent Rolling Stone cover shoot and dismissed the controversy over the images Sunday at the Berlin Film Festival, where her new film Love Lies Bleeding screened.

“The existence of a female body thrusting any type of sexuality at you that’s not designed for exclusively straight males is something people are not super comfy with and so I’m really happy with it,” Stewart said of the photos that accompany our cover story (via The Hollywood Reporter).

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“It’s OK to take different pictures and mix them up in a way that people aren’t used to and want to go, and that’s OK, too.”

There was, predictably, a right-wing meltdown over the images after the cover was revealed earlier this week, with both Stewart and Rolling Stone accused of pushing “‘Queer’ and non-binary ideology.”

At the Berlin Film Festival, Stewart stood by the Collier Schorr-photographed images and dismissed the uproar they’ve caused in those right-wing circles. “In fact, it’s pervasive and it’s everywhere and it’s being denied, and it’s crazy that there aren’t more pictures like that,” Stewart said. “I loved the opportunity.”

She added, “The era of queer films, being so pointedly only that, is over. It’s done. Maybe they’ll happen, but I think things develop and move on. It’s just so inherent to how we’re all moving forward. It’s not making (movies) about the reasons that they’re sidelined, but peoples’ actual experiences, what they love, what their desires are, where they come from, where they want to go and, yeah, not feeling like you always have to stand on a fucking soapbox and be everyone’s spokesperson.”

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