Kristen Stewart Photo: CFP

Kristen Stewart strides into the room in a power pantsuit and high-heeled pumps.Within minutes, the actress kicks off her shoes and sits cross-legged on her chair, getting comfortable to talk about the good moment in her career, a very different time from her blockbuster Twilight years.

Stewart has earned acclaim for her supporting roles in two art-house films: Still Alice, opening in Los Angeles and New York this weekend; and Clouds of Sils Maria, a Cannes Film Festival favorite out in US theaters this spring.

"I am thrilled. I love movies. I don't have those nagging, regretful feelings about either of them," Stewart said.

"Jesus, when the stars align and you are allowed to feel that way, it is why movies are made. It is why they affect people," she added.

Critics have taken note of the former child actress and teen phenomenon's latest performances. Variety's Peter Debruge called her "the most compellingly watchable American actress of her generation," and A.O. Scott of the New York Times said her recent roles "should help re-establish her as an insightful and unpredictable talent."

Stewart, who has known Still Alice star Julianne Moore since she was 12, said she knew Moore would deliver on the difficult role. "Her capability is astounding and motivating as all hell," said Stewart. Moore has received an Oscar nomination for her title role.

Raised in Los Angeles by parents who work in film and television, Stewart "idolizes this industry." She says she would love to do big franchise movies again and maybe even play a Marvel superhero.

People in the industry have pushed her to seek stories she wants to do and start a production company to have more power over her roles. But she's not ready for that.

"I like being hired," she said. "I like the feeling of having no control over something."