Robert Pattinson and David Cronenberg interviews promoting Cosmopolis: "He's desperately searching for any kind of chaos."

Robert Pattinson and David Cronenberg interviews promoting Cosmopolis: "He's desperately searching for any kind of chaos."

UPDATE: Added another print interview from David. I like what he says about Rob. :)) Scroll down
UPDATE: Another interview with Rob talking to FilmBeat via CineVue



Love this interview from Cannes. I like the home video quality too. LOL
IntellectualRob talks about Eric and the "misweave". I'm seriously praying David and Rob do a DVD commentary.
Plus, super cute Rob speaking italian at the end with his giggle and toothpick. I die.
Spoiler at :30-:40 and 2:45-2:50



David spoke to Total Film and the Rob mention is within the first 2 minutes but the whole interview is worth a listen.



UPDATE: Another David interview, this one from the Irish Times. An excerpt:

Not surprisingly, the marketing men are focusing much attention on their leading man. For some time, our own Colin Farrell was pencilled in to play the protagonist. Sadly, scheduling commitments on the upcoming remake of Total Recall ruled him out.

“What age is the character? Colin Farrell was 33 or 34. Are we going to go with that? We were thinking of him. At which point, we maybe would have had Marion Cotillard as his wife. But once we got Rob, it was clear she’s not the right wife. You don’t just cast one person; you cast the whole movie. Maybe, Colin was too old.”

So, why Robert Pattinson?

“Don’t you think he’s good?” he says.

I do actually.

“I knew he would be good, but I had to convince him he would be good. He is a serious enough cinephile that he doesn’t want to fuck the movie up. All actors have this insecurity that they’re going to be the bad actor in the piece. Even guys like Olivier worried that they were not good enough. It goes with acting. It’s up to me to say: ‘You can do that’.”

 Click HERE to read in its entirety.

Great interview from David in TimeOut. No Rob mention in this part but I liked his answer :D

Does it frustrate you when critics accuse your recent films of being talky, as if your early work was somehow different?
‘It’s inevitably a little frustrating. You feel that they haven’t been paying attention. A casual filmgoer is forgiven, they’re allowed to be careless. You pay your money, you can pay as little attention as you want. But for a film journalist, it’s not very professional to drop that ball

This section, David talks about Eric Packer and Rob.

Is it fair to say that ‘Cosmopolis’ is more interested in mood and tone than in logic or narrative?
‘I’m glad to hear you say that! People who are used to Hollywood movies where everything is explained may be frustrated. There’s no way anybody can follow some of the things Samantha Morton’s character says, for instance. At least not the first time. I think of it like a sci-fi movie where the intergalactic pilot is explaining the way his spaceship works. You don’t need to know what he’s talking about, you just need to believe that he knows what he’s talking about. Eric Packer understands when his Chief of Theory is explaining how the future connects with capitalism. It excites him, and that’s all you need to know.'

What do you think about Eric Packer – and is it important to like your central character?
‘I think it’s important to feel empathy, not necessarily sympathy. You need to have some understanding of him, but it doesn’t mean you have to like him. You need to be fascinated enough to stay with him throughout the movie. Which is why you need a charismatic actor like Rob, who has a face you want to keep looking at.’

Does casting a star like Robert Pattinson have any significance for you, beyond the fact that he’s right for the role?
‘No. It’s similar to when I cast Viggo [Mortensen, in ‘Eastern Promises’]. It’s important for the financing. If Rob hadn’t been famous from “Twilight”, I couldn’t have had him in the movie. But for me creatively that means nothing. Once you’re on the set, it’s just you guys. There’s no-one else there. It’s as if he never made another movie and I never made another movie.’

Do you like the idea that Twi-hards might have their horizons widened by ‘Cosmopolis’?
‘I do. A lot of girls who are fans of Rob’s have created “Cosmopolis” websites, and some of them are really elaborate and beautiful. And they’re reading the book and talking about it. They know it isn’t “Twilight” and they’re still excited. We had some girls standing outside at 3am while we were shooting. They’d made a T-shirt that said “Nancy Babich” and had a pistol on it [a reference to Pattinson’s bodyguard]. So I happily wore that for them! Undoubtedly there will be some Rob fans who’ve never heard of Don DeLillo, or me, who will see this movie. It’s not the cake, but it’s the icing on it.’

I love that David keeps bringing up how Rob's fans are supporting Cosmopolis and interested in Cosmopolis. :) There's also a Rob interview on Flicks & Bits HERE but there's nothing new. It sounds like it was pieced together from the presscons and junkets videos we've seen.