Not at all afraid of the daylight. Robert Pattinson now plays in a new league: In David Cronenberg’s “Cosmopolis” he doesn’t show his teeth anymore, but much more naked skin and an interesting personality. A SKIP-talk about festivals and the financial crisis.
SKIP: You were a vampire in “Twilight” and an animal trainer in “Water for elephants”, but the stock speculator in “Cosmopolis” is definitely your strangest part so far. What will your fans think?
Robert: Of course, “Cosmopolis” is quite unusual, but if just one out of a hundred gets something out of it, I’m happy. To me, cinema is more than just entertainment.
SKIP: You’ve recently said, you didn’t want to make any movies for teenagers anymore.
Robert: I was misunderstood. I mean, the biggest percentage of people going to the movies, are young people – it would be insane to say I didn’t want to make movies for them anymore. Sometimes it’s just difficult to make movies that are restricted by the American MPAA-rating. Everything involving sex is being censored right away, while violence is much more accepted – that’s completely crazy! I don’t think there is anything particularly bad in “Cosmopolis”. I wouldn’t have been shocked by any of it at age thirteen – and if you think about, that nowadays every teenager is probably watching some hardcore porn on the internet anyway, it really puts it into perspective.
SKIP: Maybe it’s more the fact that there’s a lot of dialogue in “Cosmopolis” that could scare young people…
Robert: Exactly (laughs)! And the parents are gonna complain: “Hey! I don’t want my kids to be confronted with so many words at the same time!”
SKIP: What was your favorite moment in this past year?
Robert: To be invited to Cannes with “Cosmopolis”. I had been dreaming about being invited for ten years or so, to be in competition here. All those years during “Twilight” I always got asked: “Are you scared of being typecast as the teenage vampire? Are you scared you’ll never get another job?” And now my first job after “Twilight” leads me to Cannes.
SKIP: Eric Packer, whom you play in “Cosmopolis”, is a very strange character.
Robert: Yes, but right in the beginning I found something to connect to him. It’s funny, everybody keeps saying how this is a movie about the financial crisis. But I was more fascinated by the weird kind of humor, and that it’s almost lyrical. I liked the structure of the sentences, they almost sound instinctively right.
SKIP: Which is your favorite line?
Robert: “What you are smelling are my peanuts” (laughs). But there is more which I’d better not quote right now (grins). It’s so strange to see how people don’t really know whether they should laugh at certain scenes or not. “Cosmopolis” is one of those movies, where you could feel completely out of the loop, if you’re not paying attention from the beginning. I personally think the movie is hilariously funny. Some of the things Paul Giamatti says, are really brilliant: “I am currently experiencing my Korean panic attack” or “I believe my sexual organ is retreating into my body right now.” (laughs)
SKIP: So you laughed a lot on set?
Robert: Yes, all the time! For instance during the scene, in which I cry and say “my prostate is asymmetrical” – that’s so absurd! That something like this becomes part of a movie, is ridiculously brilliant.
SKIP: Has your approach to looking for parts changed now?
Robert: Sure, I’m older and more confident. I was always afraid that I would never get offered any roles like this one. And to be invited to Cannes on top of it all, you suddenly begin to really see yourself as an actor. I mean Wow, I can really do cool movies as well (laughs)! I have very recently signed on to a couple of projects which, at this time last year, I wouldn’t have thought I’d be able to do. In one of them I’ll play a soldier who was present when they arrested Saddam Hussein. To prepare I’ve spent some time with the guy and of course it’s very important for him that we get it right. That’s quite a lot of pressure – but I like it that way!
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