Esquire Tells Us How What Robert Pattinson Knows Can Save Us All

You can save me anytime you want Rob,oh just not on April 2nd coz I'll be watching "Remember Me" but any other time you want....


You want to hate him. But then you get to know him, and he gets to know himself, and you wonder if Vampire Boy (Kate: Ugh don't call him "Vampire Boy")
might just turn into the man who teaches a generation of jaded sex symbols how to be movie stars we love. (Kate: Oh alright then you're forgiven, this time, don't do it again though!)

By separating his surprisingly modest personality from his gratuitously oversexed persona, Pattinson has obliquely demanded that he be taken seriously.

A funny, unexpected thing happened to me on a recent Saturday in New York: I literally ran into Robert Pattinson, and he left me... starstruck. (Kate: LOL He seems to have that effect on everyone who meets him) He had to earn it, though, as I tend to cow neither to celebrities nor the young male heartthrob kind. I'd met the actor at an event for his new film Remember Me, which comes out Friday, but an accidental encounter with him and his entourage in a hotel corridor — where the stench of sycophancy lingered like stale piss — got things off on the wrong foot. About twenty minutes later, Pattinson and a not-quite-as-rank entourage greeted me and a handful of other journalists. I didn't expect much. His vagina allergies aside, the world's most conspicuous vampire since Dracula is notoriously shy, and Remember Me wasn't especially good. What was left to discuss? (Kate: WHAT not especially good. Say that again, I dare ya)

A lot, as it turned out, most of which hinged on the basic separation of persona from character, of public from private, of myth from man. Not that Pattinson himself, as one of the world's most in-demand men, would dare reduce his life to such binary terms. Instead, he went on and on about his limitations. "If I could do supporting roles in things, then I'd love to do that," he told me. "But it's difficult to get supporting roles because it would be really weird most of the time. 'Well, there's the guy from Twilight playing the parking warden,' or something." He smiled and laughed beneath that notorious shock of hair, not quite swearing off ambition as much as suggesting the cost of self-importance was simply too steep to pay — even for a twenty-three-year-old who made $18 million last year. He was down to earth about being stratospherically famous, and it was... refreshing. (Kate: Finally, here was me getting the impression you didn't like him. Wonder what gave me that idea :-?)



Now I don't know what exactly I expected from Pattinson, but it definitely wasn't this kind of canny profile management. In a day and age when other young sex symbols seem to grapple with the burden of perspective, Pattinson transcended his brooding pulchritude with modesty and charm. "What can you do?" he seemed to ask. It's a shame he couldn't infuse Remember Me with some of that lilt, but ultimately, the movie needs it much less than the general culture around Pattinson. And by general culture I mean feeding frenzy from middle school gym class to the upper reaches of Hollywood studios and, yes, to the lives of ordinary grown men who like going to the movies.

Indeed, Pattinson might do well to host some sort of seminar for his colleagues: Persona Control in the New Age of the Sex Symbol. From his co-stars in the Twilight franchise to the megastarlets and overexposed princes around whom increasingly more of Hollywood orbits, you can sense the resentment of what fame has wrought. I often find them bristling and pouting their ways through surreal everyday scenarios like the one above, consumed with anger and fear that they can have anything they want except what they really want: to be taken seriously. But as an outsider, it never occurred to me to take someone like Robert Pattinson seriously at all — until he relinquished the compulsion to convince me. That was the star move, and don't be surprised to see it adopted by an entire generation of would-be stars once they realize that, if they want to survive this racket, they have no other choice.

For starters, take Kristen Stewart, biting her lip in protest — as per usual — on her way to the podium on Oscar night. Pattinson's Twilight co-star was all gorgeous, coiled sulk — a hilarious counterweight to co-presenter (and her other Twilight co-star) Taylor Lautner, whose plasticine perma-grin defied Stewart's public existential crisis. Lautner may seem all looks and no brains, but at least he knows when to live in his abject superstardom. Not so with the nineteen-year-old Stewart, who despite growing up in Hollywood and having acted half her life still insists on playing the outsider. But what, exactly, are young women like her defending against? Ask anyone who's worked with Stewart and they'll tell you she's too stubborn, too ambitious, and too sensitive to sputter out-of-control — to throw away the talent that she's clearly displayed in smaller films like The Cake Eaters and Adventureland. In fairness, I can't imagine the pressure of being tethered to her Twilight siren, Bella Swan, for years to come, either. Yet this contrived distance between the Stewart who'll soon appear as a young Joan Jett in The Runaways and the one who'll throw herself at Pattinson and/or Lautner this summer in Eclipse has stretched too thin to support the young woman in the middle. Discomfort in one's skin is one thing. Snarling entitlement is another.

Maybe Megan Fox, at twenty-three, can save herself from the same fate. Much has been made of her apparent motivation to corner the market on sex symbolism and voice of a generation, but I'm one of the few people who'll stick up for Jennifer's Body, which purposely enlisted her to demonstrate the steep costs of sexuality for sexuality's sake. That she played along with it (and pulled it off, I swear) was a testament to the "serious actress" Fox can be — the clever young woman who spotted and took the opportunity to redeem her own myth. The problem is that Fox spent the entire run up to Jennifer's Body explaining the joke to death, complete with the angry punch line, "I am a serious actress." Whereas once she couldn't outrun the Transformers franchise fast enough, now she appears to realize it can enable both contrast and freedom in her career. She may have missed this with Jennifer's Body, but she'll do better going forward. Or at least as well as the current face of Emporio Armani underwear and the pistol-packing prostitute in this summer's mega-comic-movie Jonah Hex can do without blaming everyone else for turning her into a cartoon. Professor Pattinson would tell her to just own it, and he'd be right.

Again, I don't pretend to know what it's like to negotiate this terrain at such an age, and I definitely wouldn't ascribe this complex to beautiful young women alone. After all, though they're a little older (and should thus know even better), you can't escape the likes of John Mayer and Ashton Kutcher swooning at their sounds of their own voices. Mayer is Mayer, knowingly edgy enough to infuriate but too much of a self-righteous pussy to commit — just another blame-the-media type, even if one of the media is Twitter and he's burying himself 144 characters at a time. Kutcher's not as bad (is anybody?), though I love that he thinks Twitter gives him some leverage against those who'd dare to compromise his public citizenry. "It's a beautiful environment," he said recently. "You can take the control back in your relationship with the media. You can dictate your own view." Yes, Ashton, because your encounters with Lady Gaga or your upcoming film Killers — a romantic comedy with that other persona-embattled young thing, Katherine Heigl — demand only the purest standard of dissemination.

But just in case the lessons of Pattinson are lost on them all, there may yet be hope for youth. Watch and see what happens with Greta Gerwig, the indie darling whom Noah Baumbach recruited as the female lead in his upcoming Ben Stiller dramedy Greenberg. She already has acquired a sort of mini-legend from her concerted, clothes-allergic "Mumblecore" efforts like Hannah Takes the Stairs and Nights and Weekends. But Gerwig's presence opposite Stiller — and her charm in the promotional realm over the last month — may portend a new kind of model for the accessibility of the earthbound hottie. Which also brings to mind Alice Eve, whose She's Out of My League directly addresses that very accessibility with a schlub played by Jay Baruchel; Eve has done just fine expressing her concerns about objectification without all the baleful moans and mopes.

And of course, there's Pattinson himself — that new ambassador of extraterrestrial beauty — who seems to get how fleeting, how absurd, how extraordinary it all really is. Oh, and how to make it work. Shouldn't we all be so lucky?

Source Esquire

34 comments:

Leenie FJ said...

He saves me every day. <3

Gwen Cooper 426 said...

One of the most unstructured, rambling pieces of writing I've ever read.

Interesting that the only light in it, is his impression of Rob. Not that any of us are surprised... Ambassador of extraterrestrial beauty. LOL, oh, but true.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to blame this on being awake for 48hrs, but this interview just sounds wrong. He is torn between complimenting and criticizing so he just does both and comes off sounding pompous and entitled. Perhaps if he sat down with megan, kristen, taylor, or his other fodder he felt the need to bring into this article his opinion on them may change as did he preconceived notions of Rob.

Holly LeCraw said...

Does anyone else find this unintelligible? e.g., is the writer defending KStew or criticizing her? I honestly can't tell.

This article is basically just 1000 words on how Rob has a deep, basic confidence in himself, and is good at trusting himself and his own instincts instead of the cacophony of fame around him. Funny that that's so unusual. But we knew that. We already knew he was amazing!

Hopefully faith in himself, and the respect he has earned from others just by being decent, will carry him through the depressing reviews of RM too. We love our boy.

Anonymous said...

@toomuchpretty - complimenting her acting and criticizing her personally

Holly LeCraw said...

that's what I thought--but since he was criticizing Taytay even more I was a bit confused. And he was complimenting Megan Fox? ok. whatevs.

slightly OT, but the negative reviews of RM are depressing me. I want to see it and decide for myself. But I also feel like Rob, while being immensely talented, could benefit from disappearing and getting more training somewhere. Probably an impossibility. It just must be so hard to learn on the job and in the public eye, as he's had to do...

Yelida said...

I just don't know wether He's saying what a great personality Rob has or just insulting him. I think it's a little bit of both. Too sarcastic and ambiguous for my taste. I think the author was just too prejudiced before he met Rob and I think He's prejudiced about all the other celebrities he talks about here.

Over all, I didn't like this article. It seems that he really liked Robert and hates to admit it to us and himself.

skorpia said...

I said it before-Rob isnt even my type...and Im madly in love with him. He's so earthy and genuine in everything he says..its hard not to smile! even when he's being a smartazz. He won me over with his wicked sense of humor. How much he gives himself (in his sincerity) I mean this guy tries so hard to be completely REAL and not full of sh!t. Fake. After all these stars and there showmanship-its so refreshing to FINALLY find someone who is Genuine and just adorable in everything he does. IFLTM!!! Till Im 6ft under-even then in heaven RObsessed!!

*imitates scarface*

"-what do I want? the WORLD chico-,and everything in it" Bravo ROb,you deserve it:)

skorpia said...

oh-and that guy who wrote the article?? sounds like a jealous beyotch too me...just had to throw it out there :) Reluctant fan? dude-either you are or arent. Im throwing you off the train..we're still partyin.

annieEvilRobPornPusher said...

@Gwen Hi, ITA :D
who can be immune to Rob,dead and blind people??

lulu patz said...

Let me translate this absurd article...
1. Rob is awesome and unbelieveably beautiful.
2. Taylor is a Hollywood puppet.
3. Kristen is a social misfit.

What a very strange article indeed...
I would only agree with the first statement ;-)

skorpia said...

If men are noticing the pretty..NOBODY can escape. The pied piper lures us all with those deadly FK me eyes. My dog is still licking my laptop.

Barbara said...

After reading this review, I

Y
A
W
N
E
D
!
!

Something no one will do after seeing or speaking with Rob.

@ Gwen - You are so right. Well put.

wensdazzled by ThePretty said...

@qwen--ITA he is going to take overthe world LOL

wensdazzled by ThePretty said...

<3 him

just me said...

*just me*
i'd say the author suffers from split personality syndrome and it has nothing to do with professional critique.

RPLover said...

ITA with you, Gwen! This gave me a headache. This guy sounds cranky and confused-grudgingly giving Rob some praise, but indicating that Megan Fox is somehow a better person/actress than Kristen (WTF?!) and then going off about John Mayer for a while...I'm dizzy, I need to lay down. LOL

Whatever, dude, sounds like jealousy with a touch of crazy/ADD to me. ;)

Kate said...

I'm glad I wasn't the only one having trouble with this article!

Lexi C. said...

first of all, I didn't get this article nor the point of it. On the reviews, remember me has been getting great reviews, I've just read only like 4 so so reviews, and most have complemented rob's performance, so i don't worry about this stupid article!

ROB IS HOT!

HeneciaD said...

kate I am like that too why are theytalking like this he is just perfect are those people blind

AP said...

The kind of writing one might expect from someone who's byline is 'VanAirsdale.' Pretentious - moi? lol And, I agree, it's his own preconceptions that were confronted. The one point I note is that Rob is getting more skilfull at dealing with the media and using his charm to disarm.

Fiftyshadesofpink said...

I was left scratching my head after attempting to read this badly written bollocks.
Just a confusing list of conflicting impressions IMHO.
Just one look at the accompanying photo saved me, Ambassador of extraterrestrial beauty indeed...

jh said...

I waded through this article twice and still don't know what he's trying to say. Overwritten, wordy, intellectual claptrap. The kind of thing that gives writing a bad name. Why can't he just say he met Rob Pattinson and thought he was awesome?

Geez.

Robs Bitch said...

Roger Ebert gave Remember Me 3 stars. :>)

Holly LeCraw said...

@Rob's B: hooray! hooray! don't know why I am so nervous about reviews. I just want him to get the accolades he deserves but I know there's a big target on his back.

ShariG said...

I would say he is definitely criticizing Kristen but praising Robert in the different ways that they are handling super stardom. He also put is a dig or two at Taylor Lautner with his plasticine smile (fake)(full of himself). I have to say I have been searching for older interviews of Rob and Kristen lately and she has been smiley and sweet in many of them, so some of the criticism towards her seems to me unjust. She is only 19 and this is all quite a bit to handle. That having been said, I still think she is the one who wants to keep the relationship private. Think about it. She seems to have a bit of a war going on with the media invading her life. Rob has said and proves everyday that he tells everyone everything all the time. He just isn't the type to hide anything. Kristen on the other hand may take an odd pleasure in keeping fans guessing under the guise of wanting to keep some things private. Their life isn't private. Its the price you pay for mega success. But as Rob says there are many benefits of success to counter the inconveniences of constant attention and recognition. Rob reminds me of Reneesme. If people have a chance to know him, they love him.

AP said...

forgot to say thanks for the pic, Kate - how I do 'remember' Rob, with script ever in hand, going somewhere in a hurry... :)

Marna said...

I agree with everyone else, this was one strange interview. I'm not even sure what they were trying to say, & this sentence "where the stench of sycophancy lingered like stale piss" Mickey Spillance much? Seriously, this was an interview, not a hardboiled detective novel LOL

Rather Not said...

I enjoyed this article but mainly because I agree with the author.

For me, the self-deprecation is cute, I am a total sucker for men who are self-aware, and I am grateful for Rob's attempts at forthrightness (with appropriate boundaries, natch. But what I enjoy the most about Rob is that he actually seems to have perspective. That is the ability to see your situation almost as if you were floating above it - being able to distance yourself from your own feelings, desires, wishes enough to accurately glimpse how you appear to others. Frankly, it takes courage to do this because sometimes the difference between who you are and how people see you is so vast. I genuinely admire this characteristic.

And I wish for him---work that he can be proud of, maintenance of dignity in an industry that feeds on degradation, continued emotional and spiritual growth, and the fervent desire that fame does not take away from him the same everyday comforts the anonymous enjoy - a long and healthy marriage, a protected and secure childhood for his children, an inner sense of peace.

jessegirl said...

Oh for heaven's sake.
I've nothing to say about such an asinine and ridiculous piece.

Marna-about it.

Gwen-Rob the ambassador. Oh yeah.

ShariG--He is like Renesmene isn't he? I hardly know anyone who doesn't like him after they hear him.

jessegirl said...

Rather Not--lots of great wishes for Rob. Ditto.

jc(britlover) said...

Okay, pick a topic and stick to it. ITA w/Gwen! Sometimes people just like to hear the sound of their own voice. Sheesh!

tina tri said...

March 11, 2010 10:21 AM
Blogger ROBsDemi said...

Let me translate this absurd article...
1. Rob is awesome and unbelieveably beautiful.
2. Taylor is a Hollywood puppet.
3. Kristen is a social misfit.

Agree with the above for those who don't get it...........
What a very strange article indeed...
I would only agree with the first statement ;-)

jessegirl said...

Let's just stop at, "unbelievably beautiful". MmmHmmm.

 
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