SANTA MONICA, California — It's one of the most intriguing Hollywood movies currently in development. It marks the filmmaking debut of Kristen Stewart's mother. It will once again pair her red-hot Hollywood daughter alongside another sexy "Twilight" actress. Oh, and did we mention they're playing dudes?
Very little is known about the movie "K-11" — until now.
"K-11 is where they basically put people who wouldn't survive in the general population," Nikki Reed revealed of the project when she stopped by the MTV studios recently for an exclusive chat. "Sometimes celebrities, people who are HIV-positive, people who have raped or beaten children — any of those things. My character [named Mousey] is a male prostitute, and he goes in and out of the jail because it is comfortable to have a place to sleep and recoup and relax and have food and shelter — [when he] gets sent back out, there is a lot of underground drug stuff that is going on. [K-11] is a world in itself."
As we reported back in November, the duo's gutsy "Twilight" follow-up will dramatize the little-known Los Angeles jail section set aside for in-danger convicts. Stewart and Reed plan to shoot the movie during a brief window this summer between "New Moon" and "Eclipse."
"It's a great project, and obviously I have a lot of faith in Kristen and her mom, Jules Stewart, who wrote the script and is directing it," Reed said. "Kristen is playing a boy, and I am playing a man who is quite a few years older than she is. I am working more on my accent. Mousey is Mexican, and she comes from a very specific place in Southern California."
While the acting skills of Independent Spirit Award-winner Reed and "Into the Wild" star Stewart have always been impressive, both realize that they'll have to dig deep to pull off the gender-bending transformations. "There'll be a lot of prosthetics, makeup," explained the actress, who plays Rosalie Hale in the "Twilight" saga. "I thought it was difficult stepping into Rosalie's shoes! It's gonna be a lot more difficult stepping into Mousey's shoes. It is a very raw, edgy take on this story in this setting; it is going to be very challenging. I am not going to run away from it, but it certainly takes a lot of preparation mentally and physically."
And for those keeping score at home, Reed's difficult challenge will have her playing a him , trapped in the body of a her . "I don't really have the most androgynous look, so that is going to be interesting," laughed the stunner. "I'm playing a man who has become a woman. ... I was born a man, but I never felt like a man — I always knew that I was a woman. I just was born with the wrong body parts."
But, despite the smile on Nikki's face as she tried to explain Mousey's gender, she was quick to point out that "K-11" is not a comedy. "I think that with any genre, any material that is super heavy — smart writers tend to add a comedic element," she said of the script. "So, there are funny moments in there, and some of the things I do and say are pretty outrageous ... but I wouldn't categorize this as a comedy."
Co-starring Kevin Smith fave Jason Mewes, Reed told us that the film should be announcing additional casting soon — and in the meantime, KStew and Nikki will be perfecting their "K-11" characters between takes of the now-filming "New Moon." "[Stewart] doesn't have the same level of physical transformation as me, but she definitely came to the table with a plethora of ideas ... her character doesn't have facial hair or an Adam's apple [because] she is playing more of a boy."
"It's a challenge," she laughed, looking forward to the shoot. "I mean, I am playing a man."
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