Do children still dream of running away to join the circus?
Sara Gruen’s best-selling novel, “Water for Elephants,” evokes an earlier time, when towns came to a standstill to watch the circus folk parade down Main Street, the glint of tinsel could pass for glamour and the smell of sawdust could make a boy’s heart race.
To be more precise, the novel is set in 1931, a few years after the heyday of the Big Top. The Great Depression is culling the stragglers, and the surviving outfits scavenge off the remains, picking up flea-bitten big cats and starving artistes on the cheap.
Directed by Francis Lawrence (“I Am Legend”) from a screenplay by veteran Richard LaGravenese (“PS I Love You”), the movie version does a pretty good job balancing the surface exoticism of the Benzini Brothers Circus and the shabbiness that’s fraying away at the edges.
Robert Pattinson was always willing to spend time with Tai… Rob, if we needed to rehearse something, he was more and more willing to accommodate. I just can’t say enough nice things about him, because he was great. He’s a big deal. To me, being a novice, he seemed to work very hard on this. I think he gave 110 percent. And he’s just the nicest person, not one ounce arrogant or anything.
Tai’s elephant memory brought some recognition when she reunited with her “Elephants” co-stars a few months after the shoot… After we finished shooting “Water For Elephants,” a couple months later, we wound up doing stills with Rob and Reese. It seemed like she kinda knew who they were. They both came over individually when we arrived to say hi, and I think she had a little recognition of them.
Here’s an interview of Robert Pattinson with the Chicago Tribune
When many of you think Robert Pattinson, tabloid headlines and all things vampire come to mind. Pattinson, even more than any of the other main actors in the popular “Twilight” movie series, seems to be purposefully creating a body of work outside of his tween following.
This weekend, Pattinson shows that there’s a lot more depth to him as an actor than we’ve seen in his “Twilight” character Edward, as he co-stars with Reese Witherspoon in the adaptation of the best-selling novel “Water for Elephants.” When we talked recently, I wondered if there was a lot of pressure on him because of his “Twilight” success.
“I think it’s actually a little less pressure. It’s a little weird. There’s a kind of a strange thing that happened and it’s the same thing that happened when I did first did ‘Twilight,'” he said. “I’d never heard of the ‘Twilight’ book series. I didn’t know anyone who’d read it. I just kind of did it, so I wasn’t nervous at all. Later on, it became this huge thing. With ‘Water for Elephants,’ again, I’d never heard of the book. … And then, I accepted the part and suddenly noticed people sitting next to me were reading it on three different airplane rides. So I guess I just missed the thing again and therefore also missed the nerves again. Now I just love it. Kind of everything about it. I could really connect to it all.”
Not a lot of men connect with the movie so passionately. It’s not really what might be called a “chick flick,” but it’s very romantic and very beautiful. I know. It’s strange. My dad loves it and he never reads anything. I think maybe because the reality of working in a circus? And then it can be so harsh … maybe (it’s) more relatable to men. But it’s not really a totally romanticized story. It’s impossible to romanticize.
You’ve worked with werewolves in “Twilight.” What was it like working with Tai the elephant in this? She’s incredible. She’s one of the best actresses I’ve ever worked with. She plays Rosie in the book, and that’s an incredible difficult part to play. It’s really integral to the story. It’s really difficult casting to find an elephant that could pull it off. … Plus, she does impressions.
Seriously? She does impressions of chickens and stuff. And her general attitude is crazy, but she was also just so calm. She could be in a massive crowd of people … but she just stayed totally calmed, looking quite cheerful all the time. She just needs a bit of hay and that’s it.
You two have that in common, right? I’ve seen you very calm in massive crowds of screaming teenagers. Yes, but I complain about it afterwards. She doesn’t complain about it; she is an incredible creature.
We know many of you went to see Water for Elephants last night or are going to see it in the coming days so we’re creating a post where people can discuss the movie. What were your thoughts on the movie? We can’t wait to hear from you guys!
If you haven’t seen the movie the comments will contain spoilers.
In an extravagant gamble worthy of the fictional Benzini Brothers Circus itself, Fox gives Sara Gruen’s grassroots bestseller “Water for Elephants” the glossy, big-budget treatment fans crave, counting on adult women — plus a younger female contingent keen on seeing “Twilight” heartthrob Robert Pattinson paired with sweet-as-pie Reese Witherspoon — to prop up a production with a cost apparently on par with a small tentpole. Unlike the story’s colorful gang of roustabouts, who dismiss ticket buyers as “rubes,” the filmmakers clearly value their public, crafting a splendid period swooner that delivers classic romance and an indelible insider’s view of 1930s circus life.
A present-day prologue finds nursing-home escapee Jacob Jankowski (played with endearing mock surliness by Hal Holbrook) reminiscing about his tenure under the big top. Taken in by a young circus worker (Paul Schneider) and then encouraged to share his story, Jacob proceeds to explain how a family tragedy on the eve of vet-school exams spared the would-be Cornell grad a predictable life, and led to his hitching a ride with the Benzini Brothers’ traveling show instead.
Moviehole
But the main attraction here is the performances of the three stars. Witherspoon has been very scarce on screen since winning the Best Actress Oscar in 2005 for “Walk the Line.” In the six years before winning the award she appeared in no fewer than nine films. Since, she has appeared in half that number. Her work here is perfectly nuanced in a role that could have quite easily been cliché’d. Waltz is perfect as August in a role that shows us why that Oscar win was so well deserved. But the surprise here, for me anyway, is Pattinson. Quiet and brooding in the “Twilight” films he seems to jump off the screen here, matching Waltz and Witherspoon scene for scene. Who knew this kid could act?? Well done young man. Applause also to the great Hal Holbrook, whose performance bookends the film. And I would be remiss if I didn’t include praise for Rosie the elephant, Queenie the dog and the other animals that help tell the story.
Robert Pattinson
c/o Curtis Brown Group Ltd.
Haymarket House
5th Floor, 28-29
Haymarket
London, SW1Y 4SP
England
or
Robert Pattinson
c/o Endeavor Agency
Stephanie Ritz
9601 Wilshire Blvd. Floor 3
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
USA
Calendar
March 2026
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Partners
DISCLAIMER
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 