Robert Pattinson may be at the top of his game when it comes to his career at the moment, but that doesn't mean the Twilight actor is entirely convinced that his job is worth doing. As his dark thriller Maps to the Stars hits Blu-Ray and DVD, the 28-year-old says he can't understand his character Jerome's obsession with getting to the top.
Based on the novel by Bruce Wagner (who also penned the script), David Cronenberg's Maps to the Stars shines a light on the seedy side of Hollywood. Agatha (Mia Wasikowska) returns to Los Angeles after a long period away, where she meets wannabe actor/writer and limo driver Jerome (Pattinson) and gets a job as the PA for fading movie star Havana (Julianne Moore). The film scored rave reviews on the festival circuit after its glittering Cannes premiere, with Moore going on to pick up a Golden Globe nomination. This week the film is finally hitting DVD, which means we all get to see it, and check out Rob's darkest role to date.
Robert Pattinson stars as Jerome in Maps to the Stars (Entertainment One)
"I said yes to this without even reading the script," the actor gushes of the project. Maps to the Stars and the David Michod drama The Rover were the two big projects Rob worked on after wrapping the Twilight Saga movies in 2012, and the sheer contrast between those projects and the teen world of Edward and Bella was the real appeal. "I read it and within two pages I was like ‘;wow this is so unbelievably different'" he says. "Within the first two pages you're like ‘;oh my god, I don't even know what people are gonna make of this, but it feels dangerous'.”
Reuniting with his Cosmopolis director was also a big draw for Rob, as he's such a huge fan of the messed-up worlds the acclaimed filmmaker brings to the screen: "It's an incredibly weird comedy about crazy people and about people who just lie to themselves," explains Rob. "Jerome is 95% of everyone in LA. He's in denial of his reality.”
And that's where Rob and his character are worlds apart. The British actor has got his feet firmly on the ground when it comes to the dizzying heights of his chosen career, unlike Jerome. He's working hard on back to back projects (next up is the epic Queen of the Desert which also stars Nicole Kidman and James Franco) but says he's just enjoying living film to film. "All I've found from acting is to try and have fun doing it and it's kind of a nice life but I don't know if it's really massively satisfying, like a fundamental part of me. But there's people who will just build it up in their heads and will just stay for years and years and years, I don't really know what they're waiting for."
Watch more from the chat with Rob in the video below. Maps to the Stars is available on Blu-Ray and DVD from February 2, courtesy of Entertainment One.
