Robert Pattinson wants to use his star power to help independent filmmakers get their movies into cinemas.
After his breakthrough role in Twilight, the British actor took an unexpected career path and went down the indie route, going for challenging experimental films that possibly wouldn’t have received the funding to get made without his involvement.
Speaking with the BBC, Pattinson admitted he gravitates towards characters and parts that are “a bit perverse and a bit crazy” and wants to use his name to keep independent movies in cinemas.
“I definitely am on the side of trying to get independent movies into theatres and getting somebody to see them,” he said. “I think if every single obscure filmmaker was just completely drowned out by conglomerates then that would be an awful thing.”
Pattinson, whose recent films include Good Time, High Life and The Lighthouse, explained that he picks challenging films that he would like to watch himself.
“When I first started getting into film, the movies that I’d be buying DVDs of would be slightly obscure things from Cannes or whatever,” the 33-year-old continued. “And I just think... I don’t want to feel like someone’s trying to entertain me. It’s like if you go to a party and there’s someone there who’s just trying to entertain everybody. You might have a chuckle at them, but you know they’re really just a throwaway, pointless person with no depth… But if someone’s very much themselves and has an intriguing, independent point of view, then they are an interesting person to converse with. I just look at movies the same way.”
The Harry Potter star, who has started production on The Batman, in which he’ll star as the Caped Crusader, added that he is aware his career could end at any moment and he would hate to finish on a film that he took simply to elevate his box office status.
“I always think that whatever movie you’re doing, there’s a potential that it’s the last movie you’re ever going to get, and so I don’t want to end my career on a ‘transitional’ movie,” he stated.
