Charlie Bewley, who will appear in the upcoming Twilight sequel, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, can also be seen in a VFS Film Production short called Stuffed - a whimsical film written and directed by Shane Tanny and produced by Michael W. Penny. Best of all, the Twilight fan community has caught on – notably Twilight Lexicon – which has led to a sudden rise in attention for their little short.

We caught up with Shane and Michael to talk about the Stuffed and all the new attention – and praise – it’s been getting.

How did Stuffed come about? What was the genesis of the idea?

Shane: The inspiration for Stuffed came from the idea that even one little flaw can cause grief for the most perfect of people. Originally, the concept involved a practically perfect but thumb-sucking adult, but after realizing a similar story had once been told, I drew into my own past, and chose to write about a stuffed animal that my father had bought for me the day before I was born.

Michael: This was actually the second film Shane and I had worked on together. After completing our first documentary, Shane pitched me very early on about his idea. I thought it would make a great little piece, especially with the inherent implication that even the best of us are never perfect. I was happy to come aboard as his producer and help make this picture everything he wanted to achieve his first time out as a director.

No matter what school they’re from, a lot of student films are pretty serious. What made you choose to make one that was more funny and sweet than dark and brooding?

Shane: I wanted to make one that would be set apart. So I chose to make a film that still had an important message about acceptance and judgment, but could also be a fun, memorable, and original experience for the audience. With so many pretentious and preachy student films out there, we were thrilled to have the opportunity to make something that everyone, even the most casual of moviegoers, could appreciate.

Stuffed producer Michael W. Penny, writer/director Shane Tanny, and casting director Ryan Radchenko

Michael: I actually like pretentious and preachy student films, and would later go on to make one of my own. (laughs) But yeah, we just saw this as an opportunity to do something different and cute. A lot of people thought it would be silly at first, but upon seeing the final picture, also thought it was a great little film. I think it’s very difficult to do comedy, and to do it well is even harder. Everything just kind of fell into place on this show. We’re very proud of the entire cast and crew.

What’s it like seeing the film’s renewed life from the sudden Bewley-related buzz?

Shane: Having this much buzz surrounding the film has been a great experience. Being able to reach thousands of people with a sweet and simple message was the goal of this film, and thanks to the success of the very talented Mr. Bewley, we have recently been able to accomplish just that. We have been grateful to have had this much attention drawn to our little film due to the unlimited potential of Charlie’s rising star.

Michael: Charlie himself was actually the one who sent me an email mentioning the explosion of the film earlier this week. We had no idea that Twilight: New Moon fans had found the show, but it seems those fans the world over have been clamouring to find anything they could about Charlie, and when they found it, they latched onto this picture. It’s a terrific feeling to be involved in something that takes off with such force.

What’s the story on Charlie getting cast? And how was he to work with?

Shane: Us finding Charlie was actually a godsend. We had very little luck in our original few rounds of casting for the character of Jesse. Luckily, our casting director, Ryan Radchenko, noticed Charlie in the lobby of our school, preparing an audition for another short film. He gave Charlie a copy of the sides and offered him an audition time.

The cast and crew of Stuffed celebrating production wrapping.

We saw Charlie about an hour later, and he blew us away. We could tell instantly that he was a star in the making, and we knew just how lucky we were to find him for this role. We decided almost on the spot that he would be our Jesse, and knew it was only a matter of time before he would be a full-time working actor.

The on-set experience with Charlie was memorable. It was my first show as a director, and it was the first film he had made as an actor. Together we learned much about the process and each other, and found a great groove. He was an absolute professional on set, was always very well prepared, took direction very well, and most importantly was a joy to work with and be around. He has a great sense of humour, and if he wasn’t working, he was making jokes with the crew and keeping everyone in good spirits.

Michael: I couldn’t agree more. We’re all very happy and excited for a great actor, and more importantly a great friend, to be achieving such success this early on in his career. He was always ready to go to work and always willing to do whatever it took to get the laugh in Stuffed, no matter how silly it felt at the time. I’d love to work with him again. In fact, given that we gave him his first job, and his new found fame with New Moon, I hope he’ll be doing the payback picture with us shortly… (laughs)

Thanks, guys! The buzz is well-deserved!

We’ll be catching up with Michael and Shane again soon to talk about another big project of theirs. Stay tuned! And in the meantime, here’s Stuffed in its entirety: