''We were filming some additional honeymoon footage in St Thomas and the sun was coming up. We knew we had to stop shooting but we didn't want to let go!'' the actress says of the end of the five-film franchise, subconsciously putting her hand over her heart.

''We got to live in this world for so long and then it was like a weight was lifted. The fact that it was all done, that's when the pain gets you. Suddenly this thing I'd been waiting to relinquish and desperately wanting someone to take off my hands, I wanted it back!''

The 22-year-old has felt plenty of pain lately, after it was revealed she cheated on on- and off-screen partner Robert Pattinson (with her Snow White and the Huntsman married director, Rupert Sanders), prompting her public apology. The pair have reportedly reconciled, but it's the elephant in the room when she sits down to promote the film in a Beverly Hills hotel and she carefully refuses to address that personal saga directly.

''I have to have a really particular feeling before I can do a movie,'' Stewart says when asked why she put herself through the junket. ''You can't turn your back on it when it's time for people to see it, so it wasn't even a decision, it's just my job.''

In Breaking Dawn, Part 2, Bella (Stewart) awakens transformed; she's a wife, a mother and finally a vampire, too. But her happiness with Edward (Pattinson) is short-lived. After she discovers her best friend, and werewolf, Jacob (Taylor Lautner), has ''imprinted'' on her toddler daughter Renesmee, which makes them soul mates for life, they rally together to protect their strangely gifted child when the Volturi vampire coven incorrectly hear the child is a vampire and come to destroy them all.

This film marked the first time Stewart played a vampire, and there were surprises. ''I was doing a lot of wire work and in one scene I have to take a lion down so they pluck me off a platform and throw a huge foam rubber thing at me and expect me to tackle it and look really fierce,'' she says. ''But the first five times it just sent my stomach into my throat and that's embarrassing because I'm the one who's always looked at everyone else doing this stuff and said, 'come on, put a little back into it!'''

Still, the actress embraced her vampire role with relish. ''I waited so long to do this and it was great to watch her suddenly realise she's this fantastic version of the girl that you know,'' Stewart says. ''But what's also great is that she doesn't know how to use the tools that she's been given, so she's basically like a 10-year-old getting into a sports car and driving!''

Lautner admits he had his own awkward challenges playing Jacob in love with a toddler. ''When I was 10, I wanted to marry Jessica Alba but nothing as complicated as this age difference!'' the 20-year-old jokes.

''I just had to keep telling myself that it's a lifelong bond with Jacob and Renesmee and nothing more; you can't look at it in a creepy way because that's not what it is.''

As far as Stewart is concerned, there will be no more sequels. But Lautner says there are some things about the franchise that will never end.

''The biggest thing I am taking from it are the relationships I've made,'' he says. ''The entire cast are such good friends and those friendships outside Twilight are just beginning, so that's the most exciting part for me.''

Box-office bonanza

The first Twilight book by Stephenie Meyer was released in 2005 and all four books became instant bestsellers, with more than 250 million copies sold and translation into 37 languages.

Twilight (2008) - In the first film, Bella (Kristen Stewart) moves to Forks, Washington, to live with her dad and falls in love with Edward (Robert Pattinson), unaware he's a vampire. Worldwide gross: $US392 million.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) - Edward leaves Bella after an attack that nearly claims her life, and she becomes attracted to Jacob (Taylor Lautner), a werewolf. Worldwide gross: $US707 million.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010) - Bella must choose between Edward and Jacob. Worldwide gross: $US698 million.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 (2011) - Bella marries Edward and he turns her into a vampire after she almost dies during childbirth. Worldwide gross: $US705 million.

Source: boxofficemojo.com

After five years, star loses his enthusiasm

While some may feel the Twilight movies have lived up to their ''Saga'' moniker, it has only been five years since the first film. For Robert Pattinson, now immortalised as glittery vampire Edward Cullen, the time may not have exactly flown, but it has certainly moved at a superhuman speed from tree to tree.

''It feels like it's gone on for a really short time,'' he says.

''When I look at clips and things from the first movie, I'm like 'oh, wow, I was a lot younger then'. I think you kind of, ironically, get stuck. You stop ageing - I think I've stopped mentally ageing since I did the first one. My life hasn't changed.''

Pattinson reflects that Edward's ageless quality made his job as an actor easier.

''The wonderful thing about it is just doing five movies playing the same character, who doesn't change, doesn't age,'' he says.

The teen heart-throb, whose career has skyrockete, admits he has lost enthusiasm for the role. As a 26-year-old male, Pattinson isn't exactly a member of the Twilight target audience, and he admits that he does find the story silly at times. ''A lot of the time, but you kind of get that with every movie,'' he says. ''The core story of Twilight is very strange and this book is extremely strange.''

Giles Hardie

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN, PART 2

GENRE Romantic drama and fantasy.

CRITICAL BUZZ Twilight fans will flock to see the end of the franchise, and the box-office will be huge despite mixed reviews.

STARS Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner.

DIRECTOR Bill Condon.

RATED M.

RELEASE Now screening.