YOUR FAVORITE MTV SHOWS ARE ON PARAMOUNT+

Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning Defend Drug Use In 'The Runaways'

'This is their real experience,' Fanning tells MTV News of rock-and-roll biopic.

Sex, drugs and rock and roll -- they are three powerful, dangerous temptations that have gone together like peanut butter and jelly for many years. They are also three things fans don't normally associate with teenage actresses Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart.

That is, until now.

Over the weekend, KStew and ... um, DFan? ... premiered [article id="1630489"]"The Runaways" at the Sundance Film Festival[/article]. For those of you who've been sleeping under a '70s-era Marshall stack, the film tells the tale of the real-life all-girl rock band that broke boundaries, laws and lots of equipment four decades ago. It also features the two "New Moon" stars snorting cocaine in a bathroom -- which could potentially be a problem for two young actors who many look up to as role models.

"I've been exposed to everything under the [sun]," Kristen said of her own upbringing, implying that teenagers are smart enough to see other people's mistakes and not necessarily follow in their footsteps. "I think that if you don't realize the people you look up to [are just acting, that's a problem]. This is also a really hard question for me."

The fact of the matter is, when the film hits theaters March 19, fans will be watching two actors portray rockers Joan Jett and Cherie Currie -- real-life people who participated fully in the sex, drugs and rock and roll of the mid-'70s. Some, however, will inevitably find it difficult to see Jett and Currie instead of Stewart and Fanning.

"This is [about] real people," Fanning said, defending the scenes. "This is their real experience.

"It's the story," she added. "[Us doing drugs] is just about finding the beats, you know what I mean?"

Based on the mostly positive reviews the film has been receiving in Park City, Utah, Stewart and Fanning were able to find the beat. And, as jarring as it may be to see Bella Swan snorting cocaine, Twilighters might want to start getting themselves ready for that sight -- as well as what might be the best performance of her career.

Latest News