Stewart has been compelled to take smaller, more challenging roles for the chance to push her talent beyond others' and her own expectations. She cut her fee to work with "On the Road" director Walter Salles in the spirited and youthful adaptation of Jack Kerouac's novel. The film will be released on the heels of the final installment of the "Twilight" saga.

Times film critic Betsy Sharkey writes: "With each new film role, her performances continue to deepen; more layers of a complicated interior life are exposed. Stewart treats acting as a craft and one that she is constantly honing, working almost nonstop since she began at age 8 -- 30 roles in 14 years."