Less than two weeks after "Twilight" extracted $69.6 million from the wallets of American moviegoers, Kristen Stewart nabbed the role of Joan Jett in the [article id="1600580"]'70s rock biopic "The Runaways."[/article] At the age of 18, the actress had established herself as a Hollywood star.

On Friday (March 19), little over a year later, "The Runaways" is set to open in theaters. Stewart is joined onscreen by her "New Moon" co-star Dakota Fanning, who assumed the role of Cherie Currie. The film is new territory for both teens, with its gritty exploration of drugs, sexuality and the temptations of the rock-and-roll lifestyle. And they're both earning critical praise for their turns as the boundary-breaking rock stars.

MTV News has been jamming out to "Runaways" production news since the project surfaced in late '08. Before hitting the theater this weekend, explore the film's essential liner notes -- otherwise known as our "Runaways" cheat sheet.

Becoming Rock Goddesses

In June 2009, we got to see how committed Stewart was to getting into character when she appeared in public with her long hair chopped off -- even though that would mean [article id="1633668"]wearing a wig to play Bella Swan in "Eclipse."[/article] KStew also hit the recording studio to [article id="1614042"]lay down some tunes with Jett[/article]. As Jett would tell us later, "She's an actress of weight, honesty, integrity and depth, and she's very serious. She takes it as art."

The Runaways Arrive

MTV News exclusively debuted the film's first teaser trailer in December, delivering our first glimpse at Stewart busting out the band's iconic tune "Cherry Bomb." By then, we already knew the film would have its world premiere at Sundance, and shortly before the January festival, some new footage and photos hit the Web.

Days later, [article id="1630370"]Stewart took Sundance by storm[/article]. She and Fanning chatted with us about their [article id="1630405"]kissing scene[/article], their [article id="1630489"]inner rock stars[/article] and their [article id="1630652"]drug use in the film[/article]. We've been fans of their flick ever since.

Rocking the Red Carpet

With the movie's impending release, Stewart and Fanning have been everywhere: late-night talk shows, comic books and red carpets. Sitting down to talk with MTV News, the actresses discussed their dedication to their characters, how they [article id="1633806"]bonded on set[/article] and how to capture the [article id="1633763"]essence of a rock star[/article].

Soon after, we again caught up with Stewart and Fanning, as they opened up about the [article id="1634146"]film's biggest challenges[/article], working with their real-life counterparts and their [article id="1634077"]love for Lady Gaga[/article]. Finally, on Wednesday night on the New York red carpet, we talked yet again with the ladies. Stewart dished about her [article id="1634166"]make-out scenes[/article], while [article id="1634173"]Fanning reveled[/article] in the fact that she gets to do what she loves for a living.

It's been a crazy ride for both of them, but that's all part of the fun. "I don't remember the last time I wasn't really freaked out before I started a movie," [article id="1634146"]Stewart told us[/article]. "And the second you sort of get into the groove, you find it. It becomes what you thought it would be when you read it. You have to have that second [of fear], or else you're probably not doing something very worthwhile."

Check out everything we've got on "The Runaways."

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