Kristen Stewart spoke about the pressure to discuss her sexuality with the public.
In a new interview with InStyle, Kristen opened up to Happiest Season director and co-writer Clea DuVall about how she connected with the upcoming film. The Christmas movie is about a woman who brings her girlfriend home for the holidays despite not being out to her parents. As a queer woman, Kristen admitted she felt similar pressure to talk about her sexuality—except for her, it was with the entire world.
“The first time I ever dated a girl, I was immediately being asked if I was a lesbian,” she explained. “And it’s like, ‘God, I’m 21 years old.’ I felt like maybe there were things that have hurt people I’ve been with. Not because I felt ashamed of being openly gay but because I didn’t like giving myself to the public, in a way.
“Even in my previous relationships, which were straight, we did everything we could to not be photographed doing things—things that would become not ours,” Kristen continued. “So I think the added pressure of representing a group of people, of representing queerness, wasn’t something I understood then.”