TORONTO -- Kristen Stewart admits she felt pressured to "prove herself" in starring in the moody new drama "On The Road," a big screen adaptation of the iconic Jack Kerouac novel.
Directed by Walter Salles ("The Motorcycle Diaries"), "On the Road" also co-stars Garrett Hedlund, Sam Riley, Kirsten Dunst, Amy Adams and Viggo Mortensen as key members of the Beat Generation, who emerged out of the 1950s post-war era.
Riley stars as Sal Paradise, a character Kerouac based on himself, Hedlund plays his road-tripping buddy Dean Moriarty, fashioned after the real-life poet Neal Cassidy, and Stewart is Marylou, a fictional version of Luanne Henderson, an ex-wife of Cassidy who joined on their adventures.
In an interview on Friday, Stewart said she fell in love with the book in high school and was thrilled to win the coveted role.
"Obviously there's a huge intimidation factor, especially walking into something going, 'I loved the book!"' she said.
"There's this process where you feel like you need to prove yourself to the people that it really, really, really matters to."
Hedlund echoed her comments and said the entire cast was committed to getting the story right.
"The book was so wonderful, each and every one of us who were a part of the film were so passionately enthralled to be there," he said.
"Some had the benefit of video footage and photos from back in those days to get more of an idea physically how one looked.
"It was (also) meeting family members, it was meeting biographers, people that were very close to these people in real life, (they) were a tremendous help and I don't think we could've done it without them."
Stewart hopes some of her "Twilight" fans, who fanatically read the bestselling books by Stephenie Meyer, might pick up "On the Road."
"One thing I do know about 'Twilight' fans is they've got a lot of passion, a lot of heart," the actress said.
"The idea that we could have anything to do with even one person reading 'On the Road' that wouldn't have read it is mind-blowingly cool to us."
Stewart's appearance in Toronto has made headlines for more than just her latest movie.
The fest has marked her first appearance since admitting to an affair with the married director of her last film, "Snow White and the Huntsman."
The 22-year-old -- who had been dating her "Twilight" co-star Robert Pattinson -- publicly apologized for the tryst.
At the "On The Road" red carpet Thursday night she was greeted by a swarm of photographers. Fans, meanwhile, held up signs expressing their support for her.
The Toronto International Film Festival runs until Sept. 16.
For a full line-up of stories from TIFF, including photo galleries, celebrity sightings and more, click here.
