Kristen Stewart on the current state of queer films: 'We've been here the whole time'

Kristen Stewart has some thoughts on the current era of queer films, and she’s tired of having to stand on a soapbox to get the message across.

At the Berlin Film Festival promoting her most recent thriller flick, Love Lies Bleeding, Stewart told reporters about everything from starring in Happiest Season, the first lesbian-centered Christmas rom-com, to the current status of queer films, all the way down to her recent gender-bending Rolling Stone cover that saw her posing in a jock strap.

Regarding Happiest Season, Stewart said the experience has led her to look for queer stories where their narrative dives deeper than just their sexuality.

“I’m really kind of into the idea of unearthing sidelined perspectives and not making it all about the reasons that they’re sidelined, but their actual experience," she said, according to Variety. What they love, what their desires are, where they come from, where they want to go. And then not feeling like you always have to stand on a f**king soapbox to be everyone’s spokesperson.”

In Love Lies Bleeding, where Stewart takes on the role of Lou, "a reclusive gym manager" who falls for the "ambitious bodybuilder" Jackie (Katy O’Brian), according to the film's description, Stewart addressed how the twisted film changed her perspective on queer stories in cinema.

“I think we can’t keep doing that thing where we tell everyone how to feel and sort of pat each other on the back and receive brownie points for providing space for marginalized voices, and only in the capacity that they are allowed to speak about that alone,” she said.

“We’ve all been here the whole time.”

She also defended her highly controversial Rolling Stone cover by saying, “The existence of a female body thrusting any type of sexuality at you that’s not designed for or desired by exclusively cis straight males is something that people are not like super comfy with, so I’m really happy with it,” she said. “It’s crazy that there aren’t more pictures like that. It wasn’t that big of a deal.”

Love Lies Bleeding is set for a theatrical release on March 8.