Why 1935?

This is one of the questions I’m asked most often: Why was Emmett’s story the one you chose to tell first?
Well, here’s the tea: it wasn’t.

I mentioned in my earlier blog that I rediscovered my love for acting and performance through the Twilight character Carmen of the Denali Coven. What I didn’t fully explain was just how deeply I fell into her world. As an actor, I rely heavily on backstory, on understanding who a character is beneath the surface, so that, for a moment, “Lily” can quietly step aside and allow someone else to step forward in her place.

When I returned to Australia after my trip to Forks in 2019, I decided to continue exploring Carmen through cosplay. One quiet afternoon, with a warm cup of tea beside me and my MacBook open and ready, I began what I thought would be simple research. I wanted to understand Carmen’s history more deeply, to portray her properly.

That’s when I realised how little canon information actually existed. For those unfamiliar, canon simply refers to what is officially true within the books and the original creator’s world. And Carmen’s canon amounted to very little: she was born sometime in the 1700s, she was turned, she met Eleazar, he left the Volturi, and together they eventually found family among the blonde sisters in Denali. The end.
Her life — her humanity, her fears, her joys — were left almost entirely unspoken.

Now, here’s something my team at The Haus of Luce is quickly learning about me: I am a stickler for authenticity. I care deeply about honouring a character as they were written. But with Carmen, I was faced with a little dilemma; how do you portray someone truthfully when so little of her truth exists?

I did the only thing I could.
I researched.

I immersed myself in the history of Spain. I studied what it meant to be a woman in that era: the limitations, the dangers, the unspoken griefs. I took notes… And then more notes… And then even more. Eventually, those notes grew into something else entirely: two fan-fiction novels, The Carmen Chronicles. The first, appropriately named: The Beginning, told the story of her childhood, an arranged marriage, and her fight for survival against a devastatingly charming yet deeply cruel husband. The second (my personal favourite), Rebirth, followed her first year as a newborn vampire.

I never set out to be a writer. And yet, through this character I barely knew, storytelling found me. In giving Carmen a voice, I came to understand her more deeply and, in some ways, myself as well. When I formed The Haus of Luce, it felt natural to bring Carmen’s story to life on screen. A period piece set in 1700s Spain. A forgotten vampire. A love story shaped by survival. I gathered a small team, cast the roles, and began the work.

But as time went on, a small truth became quietly unavoidable. This story, as dear as it was to me, might actually work against us. Firstly, it wasn’t canon-accurate. But more importantly, Carmen simply wasn’t a character many people felt emotionally connected to. And in the world of fan films, connection is everything. A change was needed, if I ever hoped to see this passion project become something real.

Because we cannot seek traditional funding due to copyright, every costume, location, and frame of film is made possible only through personal funds and the generosity of those who believe in us, like those on our Patreon. For this dream to live, it would take the full support of the Twilight community, and Carmen, as much as I loved her, wasn’t going to carry us there. The Cullens are the family we all fell in love with, and if this project was going to soar, it needed one of them to lead the way.

But then, why Emmett? Why not tell Carlisle’s story, or Rosalie’s? The truth is, it was never really a choice at all. Emmett Cullen has always been my favourite immortal in the Olympic Coven. His heart, his humour, his loyalty… There was never another option once I knew this story would be told through a Cullen’s eyes.

In a world of infinite choices, I will always choose Emmett Cullen.

Lily x

P.S. Have you heard? We have found the actor set to portray Emmett Cullen in our film! We won’t be announcing him publicly on our Instagram just yet, but if you ever want the updates before the public, consider joining our Patreon — starting at just $6 a month, it’s where our inner circle receives first looks, early announcements, and little moments of magic long before the general public release. Tap here to join today.