Ashley Greene Says Fans Tell Her Alice Was Gay Awakening

It's been 10 years since the last installment of the "Twilight" saga hit theaters, but star Ashley Greene still gets recognized for her role as the vampire Alice Cullen. 

"They definitely still call me Alice, which I don't mind," Greene told Insider of the franchise's fans. "She was such a big piece of my life for so long."

"Everyone sees Alice as this best friend and this positive impact in people's lives," she added.

Greene said that she has recently noticed a difference in what newer "Twilight" fans tell her.

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"I guess one thing that has changed is a lot of people have said that Alice was their gay awakening," she said, explaining that she "didn't get that when the films first came out," but "can fully recognize how and why now."

"The first time someone told me, I cried," Greene recalled. "I was like, 'That's so incredible! You know the impact that 'Twilight' had on people, but to kind of go that extra step and be able to allow people to be their true selves is really special."

Greene first portrayed the vampire with the ability to see into the future in "Twilight," which was released in 2008 and based on Stephenie Meyer's best-selling fantasy novel of the same name. 

The film centered on a vampire named Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) who fell in love with an ordinary teen named Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart).

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The global success of Catherine Hardwicke's film led to four sequels, all based on Meyer's book series: "New Moon" (2009), "Eclipse" (2010), "Breaking Dawn: Part 1" (2011), and "Breaking Dawn: Part 2" (2012).

In recent years, the franchise has had a resurgence in popularity. Fans have been rewatching the films on streaming services to get their fill of nostalgia, while Gen Z has been discovering the movies for the first time.

Etsy shops owners have created their own merch, from candles inspired by the iconic "Twilight" baseball scene to shirts emblazoned with Jacob Black's now-famous "New Moon" line: "Bella, where the hell have you been, loca?"

There's no shortage of "Twilight"-themed videos on TikTok, memes on Twitter, and dedicated fan accounts like @twilightreborn. Stars like Olivia Rodrigo and Kylie Jenner have also been vocal about their love for the vampire franchise on social media. 

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Greene said that she sees "the occasional meme" and has friends on TikTok who tell her about the trending "Twilight" videos. 

"Obviously, it's less intense now, but the same thing is happening where there are certain people who are Team Edward and Team Jacob," Greene said, "and it's people that I look at and I admire for their body of work also."

She added: "It's very cool to see your peers praising you for your work, even if it was done 10 years ago. It's neat to see. And we all knew that 'Twilight' was something special when we were part of this and we were releasing in theaters. But to see it be able to have this kind of traction 10 years later, it's very unexpected."

Greene will be joining in on the "Twilight" renaissance by launching a podcast called "The Twilight Effect" with Kast Media.

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As part of the podcast, Greene will reminisce about the franchise with her best friend, Melanie "Mel" Howe. Fans can expect the actress to chat with other cast members and share new details about what it was like starring in the "Twilight" films.

The first two episodes of "The Twilight Effect" will be released on March 15, with new installments dropping weekly.

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