Forget what you heard: Kristen Stewart says she’s “lucky” to have experienced “Twilight”

The final Twilight film debuted five years ago. Since then, the whisperings among fans of the series is that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson ran as far from that franchise as they could. They seemed to give off a vibe that they were waiting for the series to end, and once it did, both actors dove headfirst into projects that seemed to be the antithesis, both in tone and subject material, of the teen vampire trilogy. However, we now know Kristen Stewart values her experience on Twilight. Stewart attended a benefit in New York last night to support her friend Julianne Moore when a reporter reminded Stewart that it’s been five years to the week that The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 was released. Surprisingly, Stewart then launched into a tribute to Twilight — the series that made her a household name.

“Every part that I’ve ever played has shaped me in such a significant way…I know from an outsider’s perspective you might have something to say about that like in general. But I kind of view it as every other thing that I’ve invested in and really loved. And I’m lucky to have had that experience,” Stewart told E! News.

This is a shocker for fans and onlookers who would casually scoff at Twilight and joke that Stewart has been trying to ditch her association with that film.

“I never really look back at my life and go, ‘What did that mean?’ I got a lot from it and it’s made me who I am,” the actress added.

Twilight haters can promptly fall back.