Robert Pattinson is one of Hollywood’s most eligible bachelors. The actor has been linked to some of the most beautiful women in the world, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Kristen Stewart. Though he’s rarely been married before, the 24-year-old Brit is already a father. As well as being an accomplished solo artist and musician, he’s also an accomplished dramatist. His stage work includes the 2012 Broadway production of The Man Who Loved Trees, which earned him a Tony Award nomination.
Pattinson is best known for playing the role of Edward Cullen in the Twilight films. The actor has won numerous awards for his portrayal of the reserved Edward, including the MTV Movie Award for Best Actor. He also received Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical and Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical.
The actor has spoken openly about his passion for art, especially the fine arts. In an interview with the Evening Standard, Pattinson said: “I’ve always been really close to art, especially painting and sculpture. They’re always there for me. Whenever I feel lonely or depressed, I always go into my room and pull my painting notebook out.”
Pattinson has long been inspired by the work of Edvard Munch, whose expressionistic painting The Scream became the basis for the 1993 film of the same name. The British actor is a great admirer of the artist and has owned a number of his paintings. Despite his admiration for the artist and his work, Pattinson has never fully identified with the angsty teen spirit that is a characteristic of Munch’s art. Instead, he said in the same interview: “I wouldn’t say that I identify with the anger of The Scream. I think that Munch’s work is really powerful, but I wouldn’t say that I necessarily feel like that all the time. I think it varies depending on the day.”
Though the actor plays diverse characters in his work, he’s mostly associated with one role – that of the reserved and mature Edward Cullen.
‘The Interview’ Is Different
Set in the future, The Interview focuses on a Hollywood Reporter journalist (James Franco) who lands an interview with the notorious North Korean leader (Kim Jung-un). During the course of the interview, the journalist discovers that he’s somehow managed to get himself into a lot of trouble. The journalist is forced to hide in a soundproof room while trying to figure out how to get himself out of the mess that he’s found himself in. Alongside Franco, who also wrote and directed the movie, the main roles are played by Pilou Asbæk and Simon Russell Beale. The film marks a departure from the usual gangster-chasing-a-storyline that Franco usually tackles in his movies. Instead, “Interrogation” is a character study about a man wrestling with himself and the choices that he makes during a time of extreme duress.
Set in an unnamed country, the film opens with a lengthy and detailed explanation of how all of this came about. In order to secure the interview with Jung-un, the journalist sets off for North Korea in an attempt to curry favor with the dictator and save his own skin. While in North Korea, the journalist ingratiates himself with the local police by feeding them information about an anti-government rebel group (the North Korean rebels) who are holed up inside a church. As a result of this information, the rebels are arrested and imprisoned. The journalist then realizes that it’s in his best interest to help free the men whom he’s been reporting on. The rebel leader (Beale), in particular, sees the British journalist as a way out of their prison camp. The leader offers the man a way to secure his (Beale’s) freedom in exchange for taking him (Beale) and some of the other rebels to Hollywood, where they can interview the famous foreign journalist. The deal looks good to the imprisoned rebels, and they agree to the proposal. A car ride later and the five men are on their way to the interview – which turns out to be a setup and a trap.
‘The Interview’ Is No Walk in the Park
The interview takes place at the dictator’s instruction. During the course of the interview, Franco’s character makes several references to the recent assassination of Kim Jong-un’s half-brother, which took place just a few weeks before the interview was due to take place. The journalist says that he’s never met Jong-un before, but assures the dictator that he’s a man of his word and that he’ll give the interview as promised. The interview goes smoothly for the most part, with Franco’s character delivering the goods and proving his worthiness to the North Korean leader.
The Interview ends with Franco’s character being hauled away to a police station by the local cops. Having secured the interview, the journalist heads home, hoping that his bosses at the Hollywood Reporter will appreciate his good work. Only then does the viewer discover that it was all a hoax. The whole point of the interview was to get the journalist arrested so that he could secure his freedom. Having played the fool in the process of securing his freedom, the journalist is now faced with spending the rest of his life in a North Korean prison.
One of the reasons why “Interrogation” is a different sort of movie is that it doesn’t focus on the action that unfolds during the film. Instead, it spends a lot of time establishing the main characters and the circumstances that led up to the making of the film. The movie also spends a considerable amount of time showing the different sides of James Franco – the interviewer and the interviewee. Though Franco plays the role of the hapless journalist throughout most of the movie, the actor switches gears in the final scenes and puts on a very different face. He goes from looking like a frightened little rabbit to looking like a dangerous and cunning predator. It’s this aspect of Franco’s performance that earns him a part of this year’s British Academy of Film and Television Awards ‘Outstanding Actor’ award.
Though “Interrogation” is a dark and serious affair, the film is full of humor. Simon Russell Beale’s character is a representation of English wit and charm, and one of the reasons why the English language has been spoken so frequently in the credits is thanks to Beale. The comedian has an uncredited role as “Logan,” a North Korean policeman who befriends James Franco’s character during the course of the interview. Logan is a character that Franco has frequently played on stage and in films, and the movie marks Simon Russell Beale’s acting debut. Beale is one of the most respected actors in the UK, having won multiple awards for his roles in stage and screen. He’s also well known for playing “The Bishop” in the TV series Peaky Blinders.
Peaky Blinders’ creator Steven Knight has said that “The Interview” was one of the main influences on his series, though he hasn’t worked with Franco previously. Knight has also said that he wanted to do for North Korea what Peaky Blinders did for the early 20th century London – shine a light on a previously shunned society and allow it to be portrayed in a positive manner. The series explores life in a British boarding school during World War II, and though much of what happens is morally dubious, it does so using humor and dark satire.
“The Interview” is a critical and commercial success, earning $30 million at the box office in the U.S. As well as earning some critical praise, the movie has also gathered a huge amount of attention thanks to its controversial subject matter and Franco’s daring role as the interviewer.
The role of the foreign journalist – both in real life and in film – has traditionally been played by an actor of European descent, and “The Interview” is no different. Though Franco plays the part of an outsider, he still feels at home in front of a camera. The interviewees are often world leaders or celebrities, and the fact that this is a James Franco movie simply adds to the intrigue. It will be interesting to see what James Franco gets up to next. With so much to choose from, he’ll no doubt go on to direct at least one more film before the year is out.