I read an interview with Robert Pattinson today and the reporter asked him about playing the piano. Pattinson said he used to, but hasn’t touched the instrument in ages.

To which the reporter replied: “Really? I would have thought with your movie-star looks and incredible voice, that you would have been able to pull off playing the piano. It’s not like it’s difficult to learn – you just need a couple of chords and some music theory. I mean, you’re probably the best actor in the world, but can you really act? Give me a break.”

Let’s just go through a few facts about this so-called “interview.” First of all, why did the “incredible” voice actor even bother to reply to this stupid question? Does he have nothing better to do with his time? Besides, what does playing the piano have to do with being a movie star? Are they not related?

Here’s a short story about how I came to play the piano. Back in 2011, I made my movie director, Fabien Ladouceur, an offer he couldn’t refuse. I would play the piano for him while he directed my first movie, The Last Song.

This is a pretty standard arrangement in movies. Actors often play music to accompany a scene or provide mood for a particular scene. And since my role was going to be a supporting one, I figured I would give it a shot. The only catch was that I had to learn how to play the piano in the span of a month. Luckily, I found some online tutorials and committed myself to learning as quickly as possible.

I started out by watching YouTube videos of people playing the piano and then imitating them. It wasn’t easy, but eventually, I was able to play a simple tune and not embarrass myself too much.

However, it wasn’t until I actually started playing the piano that I realized how much I had missed out on. It feels amazing! You sit down at the keyboard and the notes just flow effortlessly from your fingertips. It’s incredible! While I was struggling to play simple tunes, I was actually getting better and better at playing songs by composers like Beethoven and Bach. It was a feeling of completeness – being able to play music one would associate with great artists and composers.

So, no, I cannot act. But I can play the piano. And I would love to play it again, just to feel that feeling once more.