Your character and Kristen’s shared so many romantic times during the filming, especially the last day of filming.
The last day of filming in Saint Thomas was great. It was just Kristen and I. The only time we were able to film with a nice weather. It was literally the last day of filming, and we were filming a scene in which we’re kissing in the ocean, all night. So it wasn’t a bad way to say goodbye. Then everybody stayed to watch the sunrise. It was beautiful.
Can you share something about Kristen?
The only thing she likes to watch on TV is the cooking channel, especially when she’s on set. She has her TV on all the time in her make up trailer. That’s her only diva behavior (laughs); the cooking channel must always be on, any time, everywhere.
What was it like playing a dad? Was it hard?
Not at first. You’re holding a baby, which is not easy to do, but nobody knows how to be a father at first. You can’t prepare for it. It was weird whn Mackenzie Foy had to play my daughter because you start to think: “My daughter is now 11. It’s been two months that she’s been born and now she can talk.” It was complicated to play. But it’s a fantasy movie, so you have to believe it.
You said you were nervous of taking off your shirt this time.
When I did New Moon, someone in the studio said I needed a six pack and I had to work out. I had to look like a vampire, it was part of the character. As soon as they told me I neded a six pack, I stopped working out and I never did it again for the rest of the series. They realized they shouldn’t have told me anything. In this last movie I spent six weeks in Baton Rouge with nothing to do, so I started running. And then I started going to the gym and I became obsessed. I ran 14-16 km everyday. I even rode a bike. Until I got bored. Plus, when you’re filming, if you want to go to the gym you need to do it at 4 am. That’s just not worth it (he laughs in a very infectious way).
With this fame you have and your relationship with Twilight, do you think it will be harder to get the type of work that you really like the most?
Of course. Before Twilight I did castings for so many things, and I was always left on the top 3. They gave the role to someone who was already more famous than me, and I kept thinking how unfair it was, so I thought the only way was to become more famous. But when you’re super famous, you get offered tons of bad stuff, in movies where they’re not even concerned with the cast. And if you haven’t done much work, directors look at you like an unknown and there’s not stigma attached to your name. It’s harder to get some roles sometimes. It’s weird.
So you’ve had doors closing to you…
If you’re a complete unknown, you have more chances. After Twilight, things are very different, depending where the money comes from. If there’s not a star attached, there’s no way that you can sel a movie, so that forces you to make a good movie. But if you don’t, it’s like “Since he’s involved, we need to get teens interested,” so they change the story, and you end up having that pressure. A good director will prefer not to deal with that stuff. But it’s true that if you find the eprfect role, everything will fall into place. But there’s less options. Now that I have a very specific image, it’s hard to find roles that fit into it.
That didn’t stop you from getting Cosmopolis.
It was amazing. I let my spiral of paranoia go out of control and I thought all the good directors would want nothing to do with me now. And then Cronenberg makes this offer directly to me. I had neve even met him before.. I had a grat time during filming, and I kept saying “Am I good enough? I don’t know what I’m doing,” and he said “why do you think like that? You are an actor,” and the only reason that happened to me it’s because I became this sort of celebrity, and I’m worried that people won’t take me seriously.
What did Cronenberg see in you that he chose to cast you?
Nothing. Just interviews. And he saw Remember Me. But this character looks like nothing I’ve ever done before.. When I first read the script, I thought I couldn’t play the character. I loved the script, but I was afraid. I said I called him in a week to find out if I wanted the part or not. I spent an entire week thinking how to say no. The only thing I thought was “Look, I can’t do this because I’m a coward and I don’t know how to play it (laughs really loudly). So I said yes, and told him I didn’t know what the story was about. He said he didn’t know either. So we started collaborating from that point on. I had never worked with a filmmaker that had so much confidence in himself. He just said everyday “let’s see what happens,” there were no rehearsals, nothing. It was insane.
We know you love to watch movies, what was the last movie you saw?
Red Riding Hood. That was the last time I saw anything. Going to the movies is impossible after Twilight. You’re trapped in a dark room and don’t know what is going to happen, and I get nervous and think of everything that I’m going to have to deal with after it’s over. That time there were 60 people outside the theater. Before I saw Inception. I went to a theater in the middle of nowhere and there were 20 paparazzi waiting for me outside. I couldn’t get rid of them all day.
Rob never let serious subjects like his insecurities affect his sense of humor and his desire to have fun in every circumstance. He talks openly about everything. We have now the image of an actor who, answer after answer, shows himself rebellious, unconformed and against the ideas Hollywood tries to impose on him. We shake his hand and he says goodbye. Outside, we find the best surprise ever: his dog, Bear, a half-breed he adopted in Baton Rouge. It looks like Bear takes after his master: simple, sweet. It’s the only thing that explains the reason why he jumped at us and licked out feet.
Read the full interview at Twilight Poison
Rob's Interview with Cinemania
