Robert Pattinson on shedding his movie star image

Robert Pattinson’s early days included starring in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and the Twilight films. Apart from a big paycheck, the films earned him the label of ‘movie star’ but Pattinson wants to be known as an actor and not a pin-up poster boy. So the actor has spent the last couple of years doing offbeat, indie films. A case in point is his most recent film, Good Time that premiered at Cannes Film Festival earlier this week.

“I always wanted to look like I’ve been street cast,” Pattinson said at a press conference about his wayward looks in the film. “Because we were shooting guerrilla style, I was so nervous [about] people finding out about the shoot and paparazzi being there. It destroys the illusion of it. What I was doing as a person was feeding into the character, trying to disappear, trying to be a ghost in the crowd.”

Not only is the film experimental but it also downplays the actor’s looks, a feat that was achieved by Pattison’s willingness to commit to the role.

“We experimented with a few different things,” he told the press at Cannes. “You’ve got these pock marks in the skin and no one recognizes you. We shot the movie on the streets of New York, and no one took a cell phone picture.”

Luckily for the actor, his role has received a positive response at the prestigious film festival with some calling it Pattinson’s best performance to date.

“I feel like the character was a conduit for a lot of different people’s energies,” said Pattinson, before adding: “I don’t know how much of it was really me other than being really manic. No one really sees that. That’s a private thing. I’m someone who just stops at a red light and I’m just revving.”