Rosalie Hale in Twilight: Who She Is and Who Plays Her

Rosalie Hale is a member of the vampire Cullen family, the adoptive household led by Dr. Carlisle Cullen and Esme Cullen in Forks, Washington. She is played by Nikki Reed, who is billed seventh in Twilight (2008), directed by Catherine Hardwicke, and returns in every sequel. In that first film Bella Swan notices the Cullens as a group of unusually pale adopted siblings at her new school, and Rosalie is one of that group.

Why is she Rosalie Hale and not Cullen? The Cullens are an adoptive family, and the credits give Rosalie and Jasper the surname Hale, while Edward, Alice and Emmett carry Cullen. The first film credits her only as "Rosalie", and the sequels use "Rosalie Hale", so both names refer to the same character.

Her closest on screen company is the rest of the household: Carlisle Cullen, Esme, Alice Cullen, Jasper, Edward Cullen and Emmett Cullen, who is played by Kellan Lutz. If you want the whole household in one place, the Cullen family page lays it out, and the full Twilight cast page covers every actor.

Rosalie's key relationships are with the Cullen household led by Carlisle and Esme (played by Peter Facinelli and Elizabeth Reaser), with Emmett, and with Bella, whom she guards during the pregnancy.

Why did Rosalie not like Bella? Twilight (2008) says only that some of the family worry Bella could expose their secret, and it does not single out one person. The clearest picture of Rosalie and Bella Swan together comes in Breaking Dawn Part 1, when Rosalie guards Bella as her health fails, and it is the biggest shift in how the two are shown.

Was Rosalie in love with Edward? No, the films never suggest it. Edward's love story is with Bella, from the first film through to the meadow at the end of Breaking Dawn Part 2.

Emmett Cullen, played by Kellan Lutz in all five films, is the family member who shares her household. Her bond with Renesmee matters in the final film, because the Cullens gather their witnesses for the girl's sake. The Volturi, led by Aro, are the threat that holds the family together.

In my opinion, Rosalie's best stretch is Breaking Dawn Part 1, because it gives the film a protector at the one point where Bella cannot protect herself. While Edward is frightened and Jacob has broken with the wolf pack, the family worries over Bella's health, and Rosalie guarding her makes the Cullen house feel like a real household and not a backdrop. It could be argued that this is also what turns her from a wary presence into someone Bella can lean on.

Perhaps the most useful group scene in Eclipse is the Cullens training beside the wolf pack while Jasper explains how newborns fight, because it shows the family working as a unit. In Breaking Dawn Part 2, the gathering of witnesses and the standoff on the snowy field give the whole ensemble a moment, since the Cullens are fighting to prove Renesmee is no danger.

If you want to meet her at the start, begin with Twilight (2008) and follow the Twilight movies in order. If you only have time for her biggest scenes, start at Breaking Dawn Part 1 and finish with Breaking Dawn Part 2.