Robert Pattinson gave a surprisingly in-depth interview to The Guardian several days ago. He’s promoting Life, the film about James Dean and a Life photographer taking a road trip together. It’s based on the true story, and Pattinson plays the photographer. The film has been described as a sort of meditation on celebrity and fame, which means that Pattinson was asked a lot about how fame affects his everyday life and what it was like being a sparkly vampire to so many little girls and their moms. You can read the full piece here, and here are some highlights:
The interview takes place at the Shoreditch House in London: “I used to go to the gym here until I realised that I didn’t want people to see me going to gym. I was so embarrassed. When you’re trying to lift up your 10 lb dumbbells… Word spreads.”
He didn’t want to play James Dean: “I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I guess the only reason anyone would think that is from Twilight, because people always said about ‘brooding’. I’m not entirely sure what brooding is, other than a chicken sitting on her eggs. So I’m not entirely sure why that’s considered an attractive trait.”
Screwing up in the press when he first became a celebrity: “When the first Twilight came out, I’d definitely say dumb stuff just so I wouldn’t sound cookie-cutter or part of the machine…It’s not very difficult to shock people when you can literally just swear. You talk about being hungover and you just see the publicity department waving their arms going: ‘Shut up! Shut up!’”
The fact that James Dean brought a photographer to his childhood home: “The idea of taking a photographer back to my family’s house… it’s just insane! It’s not really even to do with the photographs – it might be nice to have a really good photographer do it, but it’s bringing your family into the public domain and then having to have them deal with this horrible cacophony of demons who live on the internet. That’s really ruined a lot of things, internet trolls, because no one wants to put themselves out there. Even if you can ignore it, and I don’t think anyone can really ignore it.”
He doesn’t think he’s famous anymore: “I don’t even think I am that famous anymore. I just moved back to London and the thing that always drove me crazy in LA was photographers. You don’t even really care about having your photograph taken, but it’s the following, the trailing, knowing that you can’t escape it. But I moved back to London and it just doesn’t happen ever.” Really? “Uh huh. Unless you’re at the Chiltern Firehouse or somewhere. That’s it. The infrastructure doesn’t exist here. And celebrity press – they are interested in different things in England. Which is wonderful!”
When asked about FKA Twigs: “Oh yeah, that. I’ve just found if you never talk about stuff it’s better. But thank you.”
He reads reviews: “I do read reviews to a fault, and it’s an awful thing to do. It’s an addiction. And you only read the bad ones, too, just to foster hatred, self-hatred, self-loathing. Yeah, weird habit.”
On his inner turmoil: “I think everyone does, really, but I definitely feel like I need to prove something, and I’m not entirely sure what it is. So that’s probably what my turmoil is…. Confusion! I’m definitely very confused. I spent basically my whole 20s having no idea what was going on. And I do feel now that I’m gaining a little bit of perspective.”
He’s proud that he’s still working: “In a lot of ways, I’m quite proud that I’m still getting jobs. To go from starting a job by accident when you’re 16 and maintaining it somehow and learning how to do it on the job as well. Because of falling into a job, you always feel like you’re a fraud, that you’re going to be thrown out at any second. So yeah, the main thing I do hope is to gradually get rid of that and really be doing what you want to be doing without feeling like you’re faking it. Does that make sense?”
Sparkles has been complimented time and time again for giving great interviews, in the sense that he seems honest, humble, funny and sort of charmingly bewildered, especially during the Twilight years. This interview reminds me of that time. I’m a little surprised to hear that he’s moved back to London, and The Guardian basically says he’s back there because of Twigs. So… they’re fine, I guess.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet, WENN & PCN.
The only interview I’ve ever seen with him was on The Daily Show and I found him truly charming.
He does come across as adorably neurotic (aka British?) in this interview.
I always enjoy a Pattinson interview, particularly those on camera. He’s funny, neurotic, a bit strange and charming.
I wonder if his personal traits might serve him well in clever British comedic type film (a la Richard Curtis). All his roles to date are so, “brooding” (ha!).
I definitely think it’d be good for him to take a comedic, 90s Hugh Grant type of role.
He could play the sort of parts Hugh Grant traditionally plays. I reckon he would suit that better than the stuff he is doing now.
Leah, here is a recent quote from Empire magazine about Rob and his movie choices. Rob doesn’t seem to want to be a romantic leading man (ala Hugh Grant) right now. I think Rob would be great at that kind of role, but on the other hand I do think his current choices suit him well. He is getting great critical praise for his performances the last few years.
…Odd to say, given his vociferous fanbase, but Robert Pattinson is quietly becoming one of our most interesting young actors. Those of us who dismissed the Twilight heartthrob as a pair of cheekbones who got lucky should now guiltily rescind the snark, as he’s not only growing as a performer but is unabashedly using his star status to pursue interesting, off-kilter work that may not otherwise get made. The wan vampire is on the side of the cinematic angels.
You see thats the thing, i feel like he is doing work that he is not a natural fit for, just to prove himself as a serious actor after twilight. I also wouldn’t say he is “quietly” becoming one of our most interesting actors. He is given a lot more attention then actors who do the same type of indie work and in many cases do it much better such as Garett Hedlund, Ezra Miller,Anton Yelchin, Michael B. Jordan, Ben Wishaw, even his friend Tom Sturridge and Harry Potter himself Daniel Ratcliffe is working in indie movies (to just as much if not more critical appraisal).
Thats why indie producers cast him in the first place,because he more so than most of those others brings a lot of publicity to their projects, which again makes it easier to fund them.
I do think he could potentially be a great fit for a witty, clever, well written romantic comedy.
Thats not to diss his ability.If you watch someone like Grant, he is very good at that style. There is nobody better, its a skill that not everyone has. He may not be an intense deep actor but if you gave say Sean Penn that kind of script I doubt he could do what Grant does so effortlessly. Personally i think Pattison will have a big hit again when he embraces this side of himself. Of course right now i don’t think he cares if his movies are hits or not. He wants to be taken seriously as an actor first and foremost.
Critical consensus seems to be that Rob is a great fit in the roles he is choosing, not inferior to those you listed. We all have our favorites, but critics have come around and are giving Rob the respect he is earning. One of my favorite quotes from a Rover review said something like if we didn’t know who Rob was before, he would be talked about as a great new find/talent.
I agree that he isn’t looking to become “a big hit” right now. But he seems genuinely happy with what he is doing. I don’t necessarily think he is just doing it to gain actor cred, I think that is the environment he loves. He said he came very close to signing onto a big studio project last year, but ended up not doing it because it didn’t feel like him anymore. It will be interesting to see where he takes his career going forward.
if you said he’s doing interesting work, working with some of the most interesting directors I would agree. Bit of a hyperbole to say he himself is one of the most interesting. Could think of at least 10 actors his age who are more interesting.
As far as former teen idols go, Daniel Radcliffe has better reviews in general ( Uks most influential critic mark kermode praised him repeatedly). However his fans don’t feel the need to go over the top with statements like he’s the most interesting actor of his generation.
Probably because Daniel was never slated the way rob was for his early work. Id say Daniel is actually doing it more quietly. Low profile private life, works in the theatre, as well as TV and movies, mostly keeps out of the gossip pages. Rob is much more Hollywood. His dating choices as well as lifestyle ( chateau, typical hoy wood scene).
Rob reminds me of Keira Knightley ( kermode infamously referred to her as ikea knightley). Neither of them are the most gifted actors, both have excellent taste and is eager to become better. Rob is becoming a decent actor and he has great taste in directors. Like Keira he will probably have a good career.
Leah, I agree with everything you said, and want to add:
•Hedlund and Yelchin. My. My. Hedlund is really great actor. I have a feeling Yelchin is also, although I haven’t seen him in much, but I find him so sexy(I wanted to eat him up in Star Trek) and I love the fact that finaly, there’s an actor of Slavic roots to love.
•Hugh Grant is a master at his type of roles, and he made some of the most legendary characters. I mean, I still remember the speech of the prime minister in Love Actually; the whole wit and confusion of him in 4 weddings and a funeral, and his last lines in Two weeks notice? Noting hill???? I can’t imagine anyone else in his place, tbh. And I think it’s silly to think less of theye type of roles, especially when Grant is a living proof that you need to have skill and talent to pull it off perfectly. I think many of the current A-listers couldn’t do it.
He seems like a nice enough guy. However, the constant mention of self-loathing, not wanting people to see him life weights, etc….the almost over the top self-depreciation that always pops up in the few interviews of his that I have read tend to make me roll my eyes a bit. It just reads as humble-bragging to me at times or like a overly-neurotic, nice guy who constantly picks himself apart to the point that it comes across as annoying and whiny.
I joke that I’m the only person on Celebitchy who prefers his ex-partners and current partners to him but I’m actually pretty serious. Give me the wildly artistic, sometimes strange FKA Twigs wearing an outrageous bondage dress while quoting Anaïs Nin (even if she occasionally comes across as over-confident) or singing her new wave Bjork music than this blandness.
Pattison is just very british. Mark Ronson does the same thing in interviews. His interviews are littered with self deprecating jokes and references to self loathing. Its not something americans get i think? Its like a national sport in the UK especially amongst the white middle classes.
I do agree that Twigs is a more interesting person though.
Tall Poppy syndrome. A lot of it is fake and done in order to seem relatable, but i do think RP has issues with confidence, especially to do with his acting – and most especially if he is reading reviews because 80% of them are not that kind. He must also realize that he isn’t in the same league as his peers/friends talent wise. He’s good fiends with Eddie Redmayne for instance – if you are comparing yourself to somebody of that calibre it’s not going to be good for you.
I think it’s one of those YMMV situations. I love Pattinson’s sense of humor about himself. I don’t think it’s humblebragging; I think he legitimately seems himself as slightly pathetic and this is endearing. Him making fun of Twilight for its particular brand of ridiculous was the highlight of the entire press tour a few years ago.
He still has the anvil of the massively mocked franchise and mere pretty boy heart throb to carry around. And he hadn’t done much before Twi (other than Harry Potter) so he didn’t really have any rep before becoming an overnight sensation in a terrible franchise. I think he is winning over critics and will eventually have the same respect as his peers. But it takes time. With each great performance he completes, he gets more and more notice of his abilities. Rob always refers to ten years as his measure of how long it will take to establish himself outside of that.
I think his habit of self-deprecation comes from mainly from the Twilight years where people were falling all over themselves to give him attention – attention he didn’t feel he deserved or wanted. Maybe it’s a defense mechanism, a “look I’m not that guy” sort of thing.
I would never describe him as bland. Bland to me is Liam Hemsworth or Zac Efron. Pattinson is hilariously weird, though I admit I’d never date someone like him because after awhile the neuroticism would drive me crazy.
I find a guy who can tell a good self deprecating joke sexy as hell.
And I absolutely loath guys (peeps in general) who are over-confident (often with absolutely no reason). Luckily tastes are different.
You didn’t include one of my favorite quotes from the interview, about the online hate/Internet trolls, and the guilt he feels that his family is affected by it:
…There’s not anger in Pattinson’s voice, just acceptance of the uncomfortable Faustian pact he’s made for success in his chosen field. ….. “you just bring people into something they have not asked to be part of,” he continues. “It’s impossible for you to stop it afterwards. All you can say is: ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry for bringing this darkness into your life. And also you don’t get anything out of it either.’ It’s just nothing but bad, yeah.”
Looking at twigs’ Instagram, and what his sisters must get on their twitters, it must be very difficult to deal with, and there is nothing he can do about it. It is a price to pay.
Darkness? They are only taking pictures of you FFS. If Kstew, Jennifer Lawrence or Emma Stone said something like this everyone will be taking them to task for comparing getting papped to Darkness. He should blame his fans since they are the ones that feed the voracious hunger for his pics.
Yet again another example of White mediocrity in Matt Damon’s Hollywood “meritocracy”. The bar has been set so low for him all he has to do is be minimally competent and not do romantic or teen films to be applauded as a good actor.
Hmmm I don’t think he’s talking about the pictures alone, but about the nasty comments or harassment online . It’s about the intrusiveness in the lives of his family- which as he said, they did not ask for or can control. I can understand a critique of him complaining about himself, but I’m not sure that’s what he is saying here.
And I would not have any issue with any of the actresses you listed expressing a similar sentiment about those close to them.
Exactly. This is why i will always prefer Kstew. She can’t breathe without having gossip blogs and trolls ripping into her. Rpattz can basically do his awkward British guy thing and he is excused for saying dumb things, insulting the very thing that made him famous and rich, and saying ‘pretentious’ things. Female celebs are judged so much harder so go play your violin somewhere else, Sparkles!
@Original T.C.
He wasn’t talking about photographers taking his picture at that point, he was talking about the crap people in his life gets on the Internet.
well, Twigs had to deal with a bunch of racist trolls who called her a monkey, and this was because his fans were mad that she was dating him, so I actually think darkness is fairly appropriate word usage in this case.
I still see absolutely horrendous and vulgar comments posted on sites whenever Twigs name is mentioned. Not only racist comments, but people calling her a gold digger, “whore” and much worse. Many of these comments are absolutely pornographic. There absolutely is a dark side to the internet, and he knows that a lot of these comments are coming from his fans or ex-fans. So yeah, I think that would be incredibly difficult to deal with.
@Original T.C, Rob is not talking about photographs but more about the comments on the internet his family and friends have been subjected to because of him. And let’s be straight here, the nasty comments about Twigs are not coming from HIS fans but those of a previous girl friend who seem to think it’s okay to call his new girlfriend names like “monkey”, “Twugly”, etc.
And yeah, Rob has said he doesn’t like his picture being taken by paps….I don’t think any celebrity likes that except those that are fame seeking…..Rob already has fame no need to seek further.
To all above: Twigs is a new addition in his life. Pattinson has ALWAYS made hyperbolic statements about PAPS and looked like getting pictures taken is the worse thing in life while making $20 Million. He also based Twilight a lot in the past and made fun of Stephanie Myers. I am a regular Celebrity reader and have seen female celebs (as well as less beloved male celebs) crucified for saying 10% of the stuff he says. But he is a guy that has a massive female fan base who swoon at everything he says and does.
P.S. The PAPS are not responsible for vile comments about Twigs, his own fanbase is. AND he will never have the balls to call them on it because he knows his fame and riches are due to them. Again they are the ones also responsible for PAPS chasing him so they can make more screen savers of his image.
I disagree. His statement in the recent article was about Internet trolls, not paps. Rob did not name any specific group when he called them trolls, and you can’t pretend that it is only Rob fans leaving hateful comments. There are horrible people like that in every segment of the fractured ex-Twi fandom. I don’t think he cares one way or the other who they are, he just hates what they bring to his loved ones, and feels responsible for it and the pain it causes them.
Rob has hated the paps since he filmed Remember Me, when they couldn’t even film an outdoor scene without the paps shouting at him to try to get a reaction. But he has never lashed out, never made vulgar gestures, never talked to them or acted inappropriately with them, he puts his head down and walks fast. You call him hyperbolic -how? By saying they drive him crazy and make his life difficult? Of course they do, and he doesn’t like it. Admitting that it not hyperbolic, it’s human.
The reason Rob can get away with some of the stuff he says is 1) A man in his 20s isn’t expected to be into Twilight, 2)He understood and could express the humor and absurdity of the situation he found himself in, and 3) He tries to be pleasant and nice, he has natural charm, and he is generally likable. He never came off as mean or superior, it was more like bewilderment and amusement.
Original T. C Please read what Anname wrote in her post …. she said :
You didn’t include one of my favorite quotes from the interview, about the online hate/Internet trolls, and the guilt he feels that his family is affected by it.
Online trolls… not paparazzi taking his pictures. 2 different things.
Finally he moved back to London, good for him! I think he seems pretty grounded and likable in this interview. And shows us how to appropriately handle the girlfriend-question .
Yes – the move back to London suits him. Good for him.
I don’t like him, but just like with McAvoy, I like his taste in women.
Anne Marie Duff and Kristen Stewart are twice the actors of James/Robert.
It really shows how easy it is for guys to sail through the whole fame thing. Have a penis, a cute accent and throw a few insults at yourself and people accept you and your (lack of) talent
– OK, James is a good actor but Anne-Marie is AMAZING!
Yawn
Mcavoy is a very good actor, much, much better than Kstew, who like Pattison is effective in some roles but ultimately is a tad limited at this point.
Fyi Mcavoy is a classically trained actor unlike Pattison and Kstew. He put some work and time into becoming good at what he does. I don’t know why you brought gender into it their ability and craft?
@Lou, and why would anyone compare a KS and RP as actors. I’m sure you’ve noticed they are different genders and would not be up for the same roles. You’re simply perpetuating a competition that should not exist between the two actors.
I think James is absolutely brilliant. I’ve loved him in everything I’ve seen him in since “The Last King of Scotland”. I even loved him in the movie “Filth”, which I actually loathed as a film, but couldn’t stop watching his performance. He made even the most loathsome and disgusting character sympathetic, which is no mean feat!
Actually the interviewer was trying to congratulate Robert on his engagement on that Twigs part above. He didn’t talk about it, but he did say thank you, so I guess that’s the confirmation some needed.
He’d do much better to get Twigs to spank him on a regular basis.
I like him.
I think Rob is honing his craft by working with wonderful directors and he will have much success in the future. He is spot on with his criticism of the Internet comments on his family and friends accounts. The comments are vile, vicious and vulgar and as a fan I wish they would stop.
I have always liked his interviews-the “brooding” comments re chickens was too funny. I also wish he would try a comedy, but he’s often said that those scripts are few and far between, and usually written for a particular actor in mind. Hopefully, “Life” will get a decent release- both he and Dane look good in their respective roles.