14 DAY TRIAL // Robert Pattinson has always done amazing interviews. He’s smart and witty and self-deprecating, which appeals even to those who didn’t like any or all of his “Twilight” movies or to those who never kept up to speed with the drama in his personal life because of Kristen Stewart. His latest, with The Hollywood Reporter, is no exception.
Hot on the heels of the Cannes 2014 premiere, Pattinson is getting ready for the theatrical release of “The Rover,” a sci-fi action movie that sees him share the big screen with Guy Pearce and for which he endured hell in a remote corner of Australia, shooting on location.
He talks a bit about the film and how relieving it was to spend so much time torn from the rest of the world, in a town that had a population of 90. He also talks about his career choices after “Twilight,” touches on the role he played in the franchise, that of ever-brooding “vegetarian” virgin vampire Edward Cullen, and how he’s very afraid his next career step might not work in his favor.
Pattinson, you see, dreads having people think of him as Edward for the rest of his life, so, since “Twilight” was over, he struggled to pick projects that would show that he was in this industry because he was talented and, last but not least, because he loved his job.
He doesn’t seek fame or money (in fact, he says he’s still living out of his car, with his most – and only – prized possession in the world being a collection of vintage guitars), and he doesn’t want to have millions fawn over him, but he would appreciate acknowledgment: from his peers, from his fans, and from the critics.
Looking back on the role of Edward and how the “Twilight” phenomenon swept the world, Robert understands now that he wasn’t prepared for the whole thing, mostly because he never imagined the first movie would be so huge.
“Everything changed when they did the marketing, and the general public started to view [the films] in a different way when they started to push the ‘team’ aspect of it. It was like, ‘I'm on Team Edward or Team Jacob.’ That saturated everything, and suddenly there was a backlash. Whereas with the first [film], there wasn't a backlash at all,” Pattinson says.
Otherwise, “Twilight” was a great experience, not entirely lacking challenges. The media attention that came later in the franchise, especially after word got out that he and co-star Kristen were romantically involved, is something that he doesn’t consider a challenge.
He doesn’t talk about it that much (and not at all about Stewart) but, when he does, Pattinson says the excessive exposure is something you eventually get used to.
“It was quite a constricting character, in a way,” he says of the world-famous Edward Cullen. “You want to make [him] as dramatic as possible, but you have someone who never loses his temper, and so it's like, ‘How the [expletive] do you do this?’ I think that was one of the hardest jobs I've ever done.”
He has no regret about the choices he’s made so far and, even if his first post-“Twilight” attempts weren’t the roaring successes he anticipated (far from it, actually), he’s glad he got to work with all those amazing directors and cast members.
The full THR interview with Robert Pattinson is available at the link. Again, you don’t have to be a fan of his work in the vampire genre to find it a very enjoyable read so, go ahead, give it a try.