With the “Twilight” saga coming to an end next week following the release of “Breaking Dawn Part 2,” Pattinson, 26, can now fully focus on defining himself as an actor who appears in movies that don’t feature the Volturi. How does he feel as he makes that transition? What does he have to say about accusations that his relationship with Kristen Stewart has been a marketing tool used to sell a semi-steamy vampire romance? And is he really so up for a part in the “Star Wars” franchise that he would willingly play a live-action version of Jar Jar Binks?
During a recent phone interview, I did my best to get the answers to some of these questions. Here’s a transcript of our conversation.
I remember being at Comic-Con in 2008, prior to the release of the first movie, and thinking that you and Kristen Stewart seemed particularly shellshocked by the massive fan response. Do you remember what was going on in your mind then?
Pattinson: Yeah, I mean, it’s kind of exciting, but it just seems so separate. It’s always seemed so separate — that whole part of it — from doing the actual movies. That’s never changed for me. It’s a totally independent part of the job. You always get asked more about that aspect of it than anything else, you know, all the screaming and stuff. And I’ve never had a single lucid, analytical thought about it. It still just seems like screaming to me.
Pattinson: Yeah, I mean, it’s kind of exciting, but it just seems so separate. It’s always seemed so separate — that whole part of it — from doing the actual movies. That’s never changed for me. It’s a totally independent part of the job. You always get asked more about that aspect of it than anything else, you know, all the screaming and stuff. And I’ve never had a single lucid, analytical thought about it. It still just seems like screaming to me.
Why do you think people tend to ask more questions about that aspect of “Twilight”? Just because it seems so insane?
Pattinson: Yeah, I mean, it is the weirdest thing. There’s plenty of people who do movies and even big movies and stuff, but it’s weird to have that reaction for a series … but I don’t know why it happens.
Pattinson: Yeah, I mean, it is the weirdest thing. There’s plenty of people who do movies and even big movies and stuff, but it’s weird to have that reaction for a series … but I don’t know why it happens.
So you haven’t gotten more used to than you were three or four years ago?
Pattinson: You kind of get used to it a little bit but you still get a good energy. I like [being] at Comic-Con and stuff, it’s nice to have that size a crowd. Especially at Comic-Con, you get the Q&A or whatever so there is some kind of performance involved. At the premieres and stuff, where it’s just screaming at you, that’s kind of harder. It’s quite tiring, because you don’t really know what you’re supposed to be doing.
Pattinson: You kind of get used to it a little bit but you still get a good energy. I like [being] at Comic-Con and stuff, it’s nice to have that size a crowd. Especially at Comic-Con, you get the Q&A or whatever so there is some kind of performance involved. At the premieres and stuff, where it’s just screaming at you, that’s kind of harder. It’s quite tiring, because you don’t really know what you’re supposed to be doing.
Your last day of shooting on “Breaking Dawn Part 2” was in April, is that right?
Pattinson: Um. [Pauses] God, I have no idea.
Pattinson: Um. [Pauses] God, I have no idea.
It was earlier this year, let’s say.
Pattinson: Oh, no no no. It was ages ago.
Pattinson: Oh, no no no. It was ages ago.
Was it? I thought you did some reshoots earlier this year.
Pattinson: Oh yeah. Maybe.
Pattinson: Oh yeah. Maybe.
The reason I’m asking is that I’m trying to see if you can remember the last day you were shooting on this and reflect on that. I don’t know if you can talk about the nature of the last scene you shot — I’m guessing not —
Pattinson: [Laughing] I forgot about the reshoots.
Pattinson: [Laughing] I forgot about the reshoots.
You forgot about it? Excellent! What was going through your mind? Although if you forgot about it, then maybe not much.
Pattinson: What was going through my mind? Oh yeah, we were shooting the hunt scene … when Edward and Bella hunt the deer together at the beginning. And uh, I was thinking — to be honest, what I was thinking was, this is a much better way of shooting it than how we shot it originally. And I wish we’d done it like this before. But uh, yeah, the last few shots and the reshoots were fairly insignificant. They’re all kind of movement shots. I don’t know, I remember I was learning how to skateboard, like the dorkiest 26-year-old. I thought 26 was like the last year where you could attempt to be a novice skateboarder. I just sort of realized, well that’s really weird. If a producer saw me doing this two years ago, they would have called up my agent immediately.
Pattinson: What was going through my mind? Oh yeah, we were shooting the hunt scene … when Edward and Bella hunt the deer together at the beginning. And uh, I was thinking — to be honest, what I was thinking was, this is a much better way of shooting it than how we shot it originally. And I wish we’d done it like this before. But uh, yeah, the last few shots and the reshoots were fairly insignificant. They’re all kind of movement shots. I don’t know, I remember I was learning how to skateboard, like the dorkiest 26-year-old. I thought 26 was like the last year where you could attempt to be a novice skateboarder. I just sort of realized, well that’s really weird. If a producer saw me doing this two years ago, they would have called up my agent immediately.
Why were you skateboarding?
Pattinson: I was just doing it for myself outside the trailer, and one of the studio executives walked past and didn’t say anything. I was like, I would not be allowed to do this two years ago.
Pattinson: I was just doing it for myself outside the trailer, and one of the studio executives walked past and didn’t say anything. I was like, I would not be allowed to do this two years ago.
Because of the potential for injury.
Pattinson: Insurance and stuff.
Pattinson: Insurance and stuff.
Now at this point, they’re like, break your head open. It’s fine.
[Pattinson laughs.]
At the risk of angering any of the directors you’ve worked with on “Twilight,” is there one film that stands out as the most meaningful to you, either because of the experience or the way you felt that it turned out?
Pattinson: Definitely the first one. By a huge margin. It was just an entirely different world. For one thing, it was just a really, really fun movie to shoot. It was difficult and it was crazy, but the experience was so different. Just having a really big, young cast as well — I have never done anything like it since. Everyone was kind of unknown and had a feeling about the movie. There was definitely some excitement there, that it could either be a total miss or something could happen with it.
Pattinson: Definitely the first one. By a huge margin. It was just an entirely different world. For one thing, it was just a really, really fun movie to shoot. It was difficult and it was crazy, but the experience was so different. Just having a really big, young cast as well — I have never done anything like it since. Everyone was kind of unknown and had a feeling about the movie. There was definitely some excitement there, that it could either be a total miss or something could happen with it.
Was part of the excitement that it hadn’t become a huge phenomenon yet, so it was sort of like you were working on a smaller film?
Pattinson: Oh yeah, completely. Especially because me and Kristen were kind of really, really fighting to try and — we didn’t want it to be a teen movie. We were kind of ridiculous about it. It was fun fighting against the studio executives and the producers and stuff and butting heads with then all of them all the time. But then once it gets so huge and once you’ve already dived in, basically, you can’t — it’s a strange thing. You don’t really know where you should focus your energy afterwards. On the first one, it was really easy to know.
Pattinson: Oh yeah, completely. Especially because me and Kristen were kind of really, really fighting to try and — we didn’t want it to be a teen movie. We were kind of ridiculous about it. It was fun fighting against the studio executives and the producers and stuff and butting heads with then all of them all the time. But then once it gets so huge and once you’ve already dived in, basically, you can’t — it’s a strange thing. You don’t really know where you should focus your energy afterwards. On the first one, it was really easy to know.
Some people have been critical of whether your personal lives are being used to market the “Twilight” movies, in particular your relationship with Kristen. What is your response to that?
Pattinson: Being critical of?
Pattinson: Being critical of?
You know, people saying “Their romantic relationship is being used as a marketing tool for the film.”
Pattinson: [Pauses, then laughs] For one thing, it would be a terrible marketing tool, and it’s not utilized very well at all. People will say anything. I’m still amazed that people even believe anything [that’s said about us]. I mean, it’s one of the craziest things about the whole situation, where you can see the whole — is paradigm the right word? — of celebrity gossip, celebrity culture type stuff that’s literally entirely made up. There’s a story line. You have a set character and your story line is written for you. And it doesn’t matter what you do. I talked to Reese Witherspoon about it a while ago, and she was the person who really told me, you get given a character. I mean, I’ve literally tried to do things to throw people off, and it just doesn’t get printed.
Pattinson: [Pauses, then laughs] For one thing, it would be a terrible marketing tool, and it’s not utilized very well at all. People will say anything. I’m still amazed that people even believe anything [that’s said about us]. I mean, it’s one of the craziest things about the whole situation, where you can see the whole — is paradigm the right word? — of celebrity gossip, celebrity culture type stuff that’s literally entirely made up. There’s a story line. You have a set character and your story line is written for you. And it doesn’t matter what you do. I talked to Reese Witherspoon about it a while ago, and she was the person who really told me, you get given a character. I mean, I’ve literally tried to do things to throw people off, and it just doesn’t get printed.
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