Kristen Stewart doesn't want her "cat dying" to be the catalyst for her tears when she's shooting emotional scenes.

The actress is starring in upcoming Cali, which is directed by Nick Cassavetes. The film - which centres on a couple who sell a fake snuff film and disappear with the money - features some dramatic scenes, and Kristen has explained how she gets into her character's psyche.

"If you don't know why someone is the way that they are, then you're just playing a caricature of a girl," she revealed to WWD. "So if an emotional scene comes up or something, I never want to lie. I don't want to think about my cat dying when I was younger."

Kristen says acting is all about self-discovery. The 22-year-old star tries to relate to her character in any way she can.

"A lot of times, you'll read a script and you can identify with things that are very surprising, things that kind of shock you about yourself. And the process of making the movie is finding out why those feelings occurred," she explained.

"Sometimes they're not always easy to define."

Kristen has explained how she physically prepared for the big screen part. The gorgeous star will be sporting a Californian tan and light blonde hair.

"I'm going to get into the best shape of my life," she confessed. "I'm going to look like a stripper. I'm going to look like a porn star."