The Twilight World

MTV: Tell us about working with Chris Weitz. What were your thoughts when you first received his now-famous “orientation guide”?

Robert Pattinson: When he gave that out, it was such [a surprise]; I mean, I’d never had that from any director. It was 40, 50 pages long, this thing. And this is in addition to a bunch of letters and e-mails and everything [he had sent the cast], trying to show that he’s on the same page as us and he’s completely with us in making the film. And he didn’t falter from that attitude throughout the whole movie. It probably sounds ridiculous how much praise this guy gets. I was just with his wife and him in Japan, and she was even sick of it! But he is like a saint. He’s one of the best people I’ve ever met, let alone directors. I think in a lot of ways that shows in the movie — it’s got a lot of heart.

MTV: Since you’re only in parts of the film, did you feel disjointed from your castmates? Did you wish Edward was in “New Moon” more?

Pattinson: Those [hallucination] scenes were the hardest scenes. They weren’t really at the time, but when I saw the first cut of the movie, I was like, [we need to re-do this]; we’ve changed them quite a bit in the edit and ADR, mainly because it’s so difficult. It’s not Edward who you’re playing, it’s a manifestation of Bella’s loneliness and desperation. That was always very difficult — I was trying to ask Kristen, “How would you play it?” As for being alone, I think I’ve always felt a little bit aloof as the character throughout the whole series. I think that’s how he is.

MTV: But do you appreciate Edward more with each movie?

Pattinson: It’s funny, because when I read “New Moon,” it gave me ideas about how to play him in the first one. It’s the one I connected to the most, and the one that humanized Edward for me the most. In the first one, he remains from beginning to end an idealistic character; in the second one, he makes a mistake that’s acknowledged by everybody, including himself. He’s totally undermined by more powerful creatures, and he’s undermined emotionally by people as well. I think that’s what humanized it.

MTV: Are you a romantic person in real life?

Pattinson: I haven’t done that many romantic things in my life … I like the romantic scenes. I felt like a lot of the story line in “New Moon” is very heartbreaking and true. And I didn’t think I was doing something just for the sake of romance. In a lot of ways, it’s a very sad story. Hmmm … what’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever done?

MTV: Have you ever serenaded anybody?

Pattinson: Oh no [laughs]. I don’t think that would ever be romantic. You have to have so much balls to do that. I actually can’t think of the most romantic thing I’ve ever done. I put a flower in someone’s locker when I was 15 years old, this girl Maria. Maybe I was 14. Anyway, she thought it was somebody else. And the other guy claimed it [was him], which was great.