Robert Pattinson: Impossible to Avoid, Impossible to dislike
By Mariane Morisawa (Translated by ViviLitt )
“New Moon”, the second part of the saga “Twilight”, hits theaters around the world on Friday (20). You may think: “Forget it, this is for teenagers”. But you will not be able to escape the wave that will sweep the planet. And I suspect – actually, I know – that a lot of women (in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s …) love the series written by Stephenie Meyer. Plus, they love Robert Pattinson, the actor who plays the vampire Edward Cullen.
I did not understand why so much confusion, until I watched, way later than most, the first film (about two months ago). As a movie, “Twilight” is really bad. Neither the special effects and makeup are good, something serious in a production about vampires. But it was easy to understand why the fever. Edward Cullen is a romantic vampire, without that extreme self-confidence that these beings often have. He falls for awkward teen Bella (the equally awkward Kristen Stewart). He really fears, however, not being able to resist his impulses and hurt her. Worse, he fears that she is hurt by any of the other vampires. The parallel between blood and sex is explicit here. But this makes him a dream lover of any teenager.
That’s not all. Everyone, especially those of males, may speak ill of Robert Pattinson. ‘He does not take a bath’. ‘He looks like a drunk’. The truth is, however, that it has been a long time, probably since Leonardo DiCaprio, that did not appear a guy with such a hearthrob vibe. And what’s wrong with that? The film industry needs it. Robert Pattinson sells. Hence the cover of Vanity Fair, a magazine that is far from being for teenagers. Hence the cover of Entertainment Weekly, the bible of the entertainment.
Intrigued, I began to look for and read the interviews of the 23 year old boy. And you know what? You cannot NOT like Robert Pattinson. First, let’s agree that the boy is a little young (certainly too young for my taste) but really handsome – take a look at the photoshoot made by Bruce Weber for Vanity Fair and disagree if you can.
Second, he exudes great sincerity and no arrogance, so typical of youngsters who start to be successful. On the contrary, he does not take himself seriously, making fun of himself. “It sounds silly, but in many ways my hair is 75% of my performance,” he told Entertainment Weekly that hit newsstands in the U.S. last Friday (13). Other than that, thinks that he is to blame, for not coping well with the harassment – that is so intense that he can not even leave the hotel room. “I’m not the kind of guy fit to be on a movie franchise. I don’t like crowds” he said to Vanity Fair.
And he seems to want to be a real actor. Such that he has chosen more alternative projects, like the western directed by actress Madeleine Stowe ( “Unbound Captives”) and a romantic drama with Emilie de Ravin ( “Remember Me”). For all that, you can say with ease that he has far more qualities that 90% of 23 years actors out there. So, leave the boy alone.
