The ‘Twilight’ director finally explains why Emmett carries around a bag of hard-boiled eggs in the cafeteria scene

• "Twilight" fans have noticed a strange detail in Catherine Hardwicke's 2008 movie in recent months.
• In the cafeteria scene that introduced the Cullens, Emmett was seen carrying a plastic bag of eggs.
• Hardwicke told Insider she saw star Kellan Lutz with the eggs off-camera and wrote it into the scene.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A bag of eggs was hiding in plain sight in "Twilight" and fans only recently noticed the baffling detail. Now, director Catherine Hardwicke is explaining what was really going on.

The 2008 movie starred Kristen Stewart as an ordinary teen who falls in love with a brooding vampire named Edward Cullen (played by Robert Pattinson).

"Twilight" was based on the first novel in Stephenie Meyer's fantasy series of the same name. It became a worldwide phenomenon upon its release, sparking four sequels and propelling the cast to new levels of fame. More than a decade later, people are still praising the film's iconic baseball scene as a cinematic masterpiece.

All the movies in the saga were filled with hidden details, goofs, and callbacks – but somehow, many fans didn't realize that "Twilight" included literal Easter eggs carried by Emmett Cullen (Kellan Lutz).

The sneaky moment happened early in the movie when the Cullen family made their grand, slow-motion entrance in the cafeteria, which established all six of the vampires' distinct personalities.

When Emmett (the buff and athletic Cullen) appeared, he was seen carrying a clear plastic bag with several eggs inside. The bag was again seen seconds later as the Cullens sat at a table, Bella kept turning back to glance at them, and Edward stared back at her wondering why he couldn't read her thoughts.

Throughout the brief moment, Emmett was never seen doing anything with the eggs, so its inclusion baffled fans.

Many didn't even catch the detail until months ago, as people began pointing it out on Twitter, Reddit, and TikTok. Those aware of the bag of eggs have referred to Emmett as "Eggmett."

Lutz himself acknowledged the chatter on Instagram in September 2020, when he posted a photo of him on set in the cafeteria scene while holding the bag of eggs.

A post shared by Kellan Lutz (@kellanlutz)

The confusing detail again made its way onto TikTok in a viral video posted by user @sarahelizabeth327 in April 2021.

When reached for comment, Lutz told Insider via email that he's "taking that secret to the grave."

Hardwicke, however, shared context while speaking with Insider recently and revealed that the "super quirky detail" was inspired by Lutz.

"I saw Kellan one day carrying a bag of like, one dozen hard-boiled eggs," the director recalled. "I'm like, 'What in the hell is going on? You're not gonna eat like a dozen eggs, are you?'"

Hardwicke said that the actor was likely eating the protein-packed food because he was working with a trainer and adjusting his diet for his vampire role.

"I never had seen anybody carrying around a Ziploc bag of one dozen eggs and going to eat them all day long," the director said.

"I was just laughing so hard," she continued. "I'm like, 'OK, [Emmett] has to have those eggs. You have to carry that in that scene because it was just outrageous.'"

Hardwicke added: "So that was really it, just a super quirky detail that the real Kellan was doing."

The "amusing" habit also worked in the context of the scene because vampires don't eat human food, so the Cullens used various items as props to blend in. The hard-boiled eggs weren't consumed by Emmett during the scene, but they didn't go to waste either.

"After that scene, [Kellan] ate those eggs because that was his real meal for the day," Hardwicke said, explaining that she enjoys any opportunity to "weave in any little bizarre thing" into her projects.

Perhaps the eggs went largely unnoticed by most viewers because they were too busy focusing on the Cullens' slow-motion debut or fawning over Edward's knowing smirk after Bella's new friend Jessica explained that he's "totally gorgeous, obviously, but apparently, nobody here's good enough for him."

Hardwicke, however, is not surprised that eagle-eyed fans notice even the most minute details of the hit movie.

"When people see a movie as much as 'Twilight,' they do start picking up on all the funny little things you sneak in there," she said. "So, I love it. It's great."