Kristen Stewart's Wife Dylan Meyer the 'Shot-Caller' Behind New Movie
Newlyweds Kristen Stewart and Dylan Meyer were all over the Cannes Film Festival earlier in May promoting their new flick, A Chronology Of Water, and a source exclusively tells Life & Style the Twilight alum had no problem relinquishing much of the control and big decision-making on the project to her extremely strong willed and take-charge spouse.
“The process on Chronology of Water has been long-running, to say the least, and Dylan Meyer has been a shot-caller throughout all of it, including the film getting accepted to Cannes after people were surprised the movie didn’t show up at the Sundance Film Festival this past January,” says the insider, who has known the LA-based couple for years. “Remember, this movie has been finished for months and months and everybody has been waiting to see what kind of director Kristen really is.”
KStew, 35, made her feature directorial debut with the upcoming flick, which she cowrote alongside Andy Mingo and is based on the memoir of the same name by Lidia Yuknavitch. According to the synopsis, the film portrays the life of Lidia, played by Imogen Poots, “growing up in an environment torn apart by violence and alcohol,” as she “struggles to find her path.”
The coming of age tale that focuses heavily on themes “that seem universal to many girls’ and young women’s lives,” and “explores how trauma can be transformed into art.”
Ever the artist, Kristen dove into her directorial duties, which she described as “natural” compared to acting in an interview with Time, adding that when directing a movie, “nothing happens unless you make it happen.”
Behind the scenes however, the source notes it was Dylan, 37, who’s been both supporting her wife’s artistic endeavors and dealing with the economic realities of movie production in order to get this thing out there and make it a success.
“It’s too strong to say that Dylan pushed her to this point, but of the many, many producers on this movie, Dylan is the one who spends every minute of the day with Kristen and Dylan is the one responsible for making sure this movie makes money,” the insider explains, adding that facing that pressure has taken practice, just as making a movie without being the star has been a learning experience for the Love Lies Bleeding actress.
“She has embraced that, just like Kristen has embraced working on a movie where she isn’t the star or in every scene.”
“They’re both in uncharted territory, and they’re navigating it confidently,” the insider assures, “but everything eventually came down to how this movie was received in Cannes and how it will be viewed going forward upon a wider release.”
The historic film festival ran from May 13-24 this year — Kristen’s debuted on May 16 to a six-and-a-half minute standing ovation — and featured a record number of women-directed films. Though, the source notes the couple are far from even a warm reception from a wider audience after the festival wrapped up. “Kristen is a beloved figure in European film circles, but she and Dylan are risking that reputation on Chronology and Dylan is sure that they have a hit on their hands. We will see soon enough if she’s right.”