The Twilight Saga (film series) on the set of "Adventureland" when Hardwicke visited her for an informal screen test, which "captivated" the director. Hardwicke did not initially choose Robert Pattinson for the role of Edward Cullen; but, after an audition at her home with Stewart, he was selected. Meyer allowed Pattinson to view a manuscript of the unfinished "Midnight Sun", which chronicles the events in "Twilight" from Edward's point of view. Meyer was "excited" and "ecstatic" in response to the casting of the two main characters. She had expressed interest in having Emily Browning and Henry Cavill cast as Bella and Edward, respectively, prior to
Edward Cullen had once been considered romantic, but had fallen out of popularity for decades". Meyer says that Edward is a combination of her three favorite leading men - "Jane Eyre"s Edward Rochester, Fitzwilliam Darcy from "Pride and Prejudice", and Gilbert Blythe from "Anne of Green Gables"—particularly Edward Rochester, who, like Edward Cullen, sees himself as a "monster". A recurring theme in the series, especially in the first three books, is that Edward is constantly trying to avoid accidentally harming Bella, due to his vampire nature. In "Twilight", Edward meets Bella Swan, a human girl whose thoughts he is unable to read,