MTV Interview: Rob defends his character Edward

'New Moon' Poses The Question: Is Edward Cullen A Jerk?
Robert Pattinson faces our lighthearted inquiry and defends his character's case.

BEVERLY HILLS, California — Millions of women all over the world dream of being held in his arms. He's strong, handsome, charming and endearingly old-fashioned. But several scenes in the upcoming film "New Moon" seem to reveal a different side of Robert Pattinson's iconic character, moments that raise an intriguing question: Is Edward Cullen a jerk?

From uncool parking practices, to stalking, to abandoning his loved one in a time of need, perhaps the 108-year-old vampire needs a class in modern etiquette. For more on the topic, we took the spoiler-free evidence straight to RPattz himself for an all-in-good-fun investigation:

A Volvo Faux Pas? - It's not giving anything away to say that the first time we see Edward in "New Moon," Bella is watching him park his car in the Forks High lot. Pulling in sideways, he takes up three spaces (!) and then struts toward the camera defiantly. "Yeah," Pattinson laughed when asked if taking up multiple spots is a dick move. "I didn't help the situation much [with the strut], either. I always thought [parking like that] was a little strange myself." Blaming director Chris Weitz's instructions for the shot that was meant to make Edward look more cool than cocky, RPattz tried to defend Edward. "I think [he did it] because that was the only spot, there weren't any other spots available," he offered, insisting it looks better on film to drive across multiple spaces than to execute a three-point turn between parked cars. "It would be less of a dramatic entrance if I'm, like, backing up into something."

Please Stay 100 Yards Away From Bella - A critic once called Edward "one of modern fiction's best candidates for a restraining order," and after watching the "New Moon" movie, it's hard to disagree. He spies on her while she sleeps, gets angry when she sees friends he doesn't approve of, keeps deceiving her dad — and even when they're broken up, his apparition watches Bella's every move. "I guess that's what the story is about in 'New Moon'," RPattz admitted. "I love Charlie — Bella's dad's — attitude toward Edward in this one; he never gives him a break about anything, he's just constantly saying, 'That guy. He's just terrible for you.' " Dramatically, however, Pattinson said that a court decree to stay apart wouldn't make for a very romantic movie. "I guess the restraining order wouldn't really be very good for anyone," he joked. "But [Bella] could use a restraining order. I think if [Edward] wasn't a vampire, and this was in reality, a girl's parents would think he was an oddball."

Love 'Em and Leave 'Em - Sure, there are extenuating circumstances, but here are the facts: He told Bella he loved her and in the new movie he dumps her and splits for Italy. Not cool, Eddie, not cool. "One of the main things I felt [while filming the breakup scene] was what fans think of Bella and Edward's relationship, what that represents to them as the ideal relationship," Rob said, admitting he felt like he was being a jerk to all the female Twilighters when he dumped Bella. "You're breaking up the ideal relationship. I felt a lot of the weight behind that ... you could really feel the audience watching as you're doing it."

Source: MTV