Robert Pattinson covers the latest, Cannes-themed issue of Premiere magazine, and for everyone who’s ever rooted for the guy to shed his sparkly, vampire skin, this is a photoshoot to appreciate. (WARNING: One of the shots is fairly graphic in terms of violence, so I’ve placed it below the text of this story.) The Premiere feature gears itself towards promoting Cosmopolis. Since I’m one of those annoying people who reads books once they find out a movie adaptation is in the works, I’m going to go on record saying that I’ve got no idea how even David Cronenberg will deal with the book’s controversial ending or how well it will go over in theaters. Of course, the scenarios depicted within this photoshoot are not directly lifted from the book itself but carry the same surreal feel as the project as a whole.

Like I’ve mentioned before, this movie is a huge break for Sparkles, but he seems to hold his own in the trailer. The fact that Cronenberg cast him as warped billionaire Eric Packer speaks volumes, and while I still don’t know how Rob will pull off his latest announced role as the soldier/interrogator who captured Saddam Hussein, it’s obvious that the guy is already benefiting from Cronenberg’s endorsement. In this Premiere story, Rob admits that he had a hard time believing Cronenberg really wanted him, and Rob doubted that he was good enough for the role. Now Rob says he has gained “balls” from the whole experience:

Even hunky vampires sometimes struggle with self-confidence.

In a new interview Premiere magazine’s special Cannes-themed issue, Robert Pattinson opens up about how filming David Cronenberg’s sex-and-violence filled Cosmopolis helped give him the confidence he needed to tackle heavier roles.

“Filming Cosmopolis with David changed something in me,” the Twilight star, 25, tells the magazine. “It gave me balls.”

Prior to signing on to star in the dark drama–based on the Don DeLillo novel of the same name, about a billionaire who nearly loses everything (including his mind) in the span of one day–Pattinson admits he “spent time doubting myself. As soon as I read a script that I liked, I was working myself up, asking myself if I was good enough.”

But now?

“I tell myself: ‘F— it! If they want to hire you, go!'” the actor exclaims.

For his part, Cronenberg says he never doubted Pattinson’s leading-man abilities.

“Yes I found him interesting in Twilight . . . I saw him in Little Ashes and Remember Me, and I am convinced that he could be my Eric Packer,” the acclaimed, gritty director told Italy’s Cinerepublic last month. “It is a heavy role, he appears in each scene and I do not think I’ve ever done a movie before where the actor is always on the screen. The choice of an actor is a matter of intuition, there are no rules or instructions.”

[From Us Weekly]

I ran portions of the interview through Google Translate, and most of the text is actually Premiere talking to David Cronenberg. Interestingly enough, Cronenberg states his belief that Rob could go on to have a career like Johnny Depp. I think this sounds plausible but only “in reverse” — as in Johnny started out with amazing, cutting-edge projects but has largely devolved into a franchise robot. In contrast, Rob has been somewhat handicapped for his role as Edward Cullen yet has the potential to produce much more compelling work. It will be a struggle for Rob to ever be taken seriously by many people, but Cronenberg’s endorsement might speed up the process.

It’s strange how I find myself rooting for Rob even though he really doesn’t need the acting work. In fact, he’s made so much money playing Edward that he could immediately retire, never work another day again, and still live a life of luxury. Does anyone else slightly fear that Rob’s newfound “balls” might eventually cause him to lose his self-deprecating edge and make him less fun during interviews? I hope that never happens because at this point, loving the RPattz is just so easy to do.

Update: Vulture has more quotes, including the following gem from Rob.

“I’ve been doing movies for eight years and I’ve been criticized often and all of a sudden, this teaser is released and everyone is excited,” Pattinson laughs. “‘It looks great! His acting is good in it!’ It’s ridiculous! I’d like to ask a question to those people who think I just started acting well: What do you think I was doing in Twilight? Do they think it’s how I act naturally? No, I had to make decisions as an actor. I find it funny when I read stuff like, ‘Will Cosmopolis finally prove that he can act?’ What does that even mean?”

[From Vulture]

The man has a point, and I think he’s made some great post-Twilight choices in roles. We’ll see what happens when this movie comes out.

Photos courtesy of Premiere magazine