Back in town to unveil his new Aussie flick The Rover — a film miles from his turn as Edward Cullen in the Twilight series — the British thespian spent around 30 minutes greeting fans and signing autographs along Market Street of which a lane of traffic was barricaded for the event.
Such was the hysteria, even The Rover’s director, Sydneysider David Michod, admitted he sympathised for his leading man who — even three years after the last Twilight film wrapped — cannot shake the adulation.
“All the time … I feel for him all the time,” Michod said on last night’s red carpet.
“It’s kind of nuts the bubble that he has to live inside.
“There are kind of very few people in the world who can inspire that sort of bizarre ‘Beatlemania’ and it was one of the extraordinary experiences of working with him out in the desert. It was so freeing for him.
“To be able to sit out in the street with him at the end of the day and drink a beer.
“I hadn’t seen the Twilight movies but friends of mine had said he (Pattinson) was an interesting guy,” Michod said in Adelaide.
Pattinson, who gives a standout performance, hates auditioning but Michod used the process to explore the character of the wounded man who Eric (Guy Pearce) kidnaps in the movie.
“I put him through four hours of what he would call hell and I used three hours and 55 minutes to explore the character with him,” says Michod. “He has a really beguiling physical energy, clearly smart, and he was actively seeking out directors whose work he liked.”
Hi Robert! Welcome to Sydney. Tell us, what piqued your interest in the film?
‘I thought the script was so sparse and direct. It even looked different on the page, like the formatting was different. There were no commas! I thought it was so original, and my agent told me it was an offer, and I was like “Really? I never get offered stuffed like this!” And then he was like… “Oh no, I sent you the wrong email, everyone’s auditioning for this.” [laughs].’
How would you describe your character, Rey?
‘He’s very… dependent. He’s been told by everyone around him that there’s something wrong with him, that he’s kind of deficient in some way, and it’s not really established whether he is or he isn’t.’
What were some of the challenges in bringing Rey to life?
‘Mainly the costume! It sounds ridiculous but that was the most important part. As soon as I got the right pair of jeans – we went through, like, a million pairs of jeans! – And once we found the right jeans for him to plod around him, and sneakers that were slightly too big, [it all came together].’
Can definitely relate to that feeling! How important is fashion and costume is to a movie? Is it something you really focused on?
‘It’s massive for me! It’s weird though; I had such a specific look in [The Rover] – down to the colours of the t-shirt. We did a few screen tests and [when you have the right clothes] you suddenly walk different.’
What was the hardest scene to shoot? There are so many graphic, confronting moments.
‘My hardest scene – and this is probably a bit of a giveaway – but I had to have a pipe up my leg, with three guys controlling my pump, and that was probably my biggest scene in the movie. I didn’t know how complicated it would be with the set up.’
What do you think makes Australian film unique?
‘For the last few years, it suddenly became such a unique genre. I don’t know what it is! There’s something about it being so isolated – I think it feels very foreign. I think there’s a confidence in the filmmaking that doesn’t exist elsewhere. In Australia, there’s kind of vitality to it. A grim vitality.’
Robert Pattinson is attending Sydney Film Festival for new movie ‘The Rover’, as well as the LA premiere.
Stay up to date with the latest promo with this master post.
Thinking of Rob is not affiliated with Robert Pattinson or his management in any way.
There is no copyright infringement intended on this blog. If you are the original owner of any media used and would like it removed, we will be happy to do so, please contact us.
Copyright and Trademark Notice
All original content on this site, including any manipulations or enhancements, is the sole copyright of ThinkingofRob™ and ToR™.
Thinking of Rob 