On Tuesday night's "MTV First: Snow White and the Huntsman," MTV News' Josh Horowitz caught up with Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron and Sam Claflin to get the juicy details behind their highly anticipated summer flick. The cast was in good spirits as Horowitz took them through a series of rapid-fire questions known as the "Yes/No Show" and Theron joked about how battling her costumes was more difficult than fighting Stewart.
But the actors also discussed the more serious topic of insecurities and their perception of beauty. As the underlying message of the film deals with the notion of beauty and outward appearance, Horowitz asked, "[As actors,] are you naturally vain people? Can you look in the mirror and not feel insecure like the rest of us?"
He threw the question to Hemsworth, who replied, "I think we all have our insecurities and whatever. Do I like who I see in the mirror? Yeah, I like myself because I feel like I'm a good person, and I think in the film, the Queen is there and obsessed with beauty on the surface. I think the message is it's what's underneath that counts and that's what's going to survive and conquer at the end of the day."
Hemsworth's co-star Stewart was thrust into the spotlight upon her unexpected "Twilight Saga" fame. With her privacy invaded and gossip blogs picking apart every outfit and hairstyle choice, you'd think the actress would get wrapped up in her insecurities. But the actress said she's feels secure in herself and Theron echoed that sentiment: "You are," the "Young Adult" actress said of Stewart. "I can say that. Seriously, it's incredible. I never had that at her age."
And while Stewart still gets nervous like the rest of us, she gives credit to her parents for raising her well and teaching her that self-worth doesn't come from appearances. "I'm still fully and completely overtly aware of my insecurities. My palms are sweating right now," she said. "I was raised well. My parents are really great. They've always told me the right things about how you should feel — I mean, there's no should. That was the whole thing: 'Be yourself, baby doll.' "
Theron chimed in: "And, in a way, the film almost has that because Snow White's mother basically tells her, 'What you have here is special and good, and don't ever lose that.' And it's the encouragement of 'Be a good a person.' And Ravenna, the evil queen, has a mother that basically tells her the only way you will survive in this world is through beauty and youth.
"I think those are the things that guide you in a way, so if you're being told that, and you go through life having that be the importance of your existence or your success, than that's what it's going to be."
In the movie, Ravenna says that men use women and then discard them. Theron said that while those words might not mirror her view on men, it was some of her favorite writing in the script, and she feels the sentiment rings true for a lot of women.
"I thought it was incredibly brave, because you're kind of putting yourself out there to create and say pretty early on in the film that this character is driven by this belief that she has," she explained. "But I thought it was really truthful for her, and I do think that is the truth for a lot of people.
"I think that there will be women who have experienced that sometimes in their life. I don't think everyone has the same experiences, but I felt like that was very truthful for Ravenna. You know, this idea that at 8, she's being given to a king, and by 16, she's already being replaced by somebody else. How can you come from that world and not think that men only use you for a certain period of time and then they're done with you?"
