Most people know who Robert Pattinson is. The British actor is best-known for his roles in Twilight and the upcoming Dark Shadows, currently has nearly 30 million followers on Instagram, and has been romantically linked to the opposite sex a few times over the years. Now that he’s officially single, he’s the subject of many Hollywood “mature” fans’ fantasies.
On Wednesday night, Pattinson joined Lopez Tonight to promote Dark Shadows, and the conversation didn’t exactly go as planned.
Here are some of the most uncomfortable moments from the interview, and why they matter.
1. When Lopez Asks About Marriage
The very first question Lopez asked Pattinson was about marriage. As you may have guessed, she was there to promote Dark Shadows, in which she plays opposite Pattinson’s character, Josette DuMaurier.
The question came as a bit of a shock; after all, the 31-year-old actor is considered one of Hollywood’s most eligible bachelors, and was last year’s cover story on British GQ magazine. However, as Lopez points out, Pattinson’s recent public statements about being happy being single demonstrate that he might be open to marriage. In an interview with Elle magazine in June, he said, “I don’t want to settle down just yet…I’d rather explore the world and see what comes next.”
Lopez then asked which of his current relationships he’d consider dating in a million years. For the first time in the interview, Pattinson didn’t have an easy answer. “I don’t know, I guess I’ve never really been in that situation…I’ve never really felt like this before,” he said. “To be honest, I kind of feel a bit uncomfortable being interviewed by a TV hostess because I don’t want to sound like a creep. So I’m going to pull my punches a little bit and not give too much away.”
Lopez followed up by asking whether he was open to meeting women in person. The star didn’t seem totally surprised by the question, and again he had to admit he’d never been in that situation. “Um, I don’t know,” he said. “Probably not. Sometimes I feel like an alien around women…I guess I’m not used to being in that situation.”
Lopez then tried to reassure the actor that she wasn’t going to ask anything too personal, and moved on to discussing his other upcoming projects. But the damage was already done. The candid interview made headlines a few days later, and drew comparisons to Jack Nicholson’s infamous 2005 interview with Conan O’Brien, which was similarly uncomfortable.
2. When Lopez Questions Pattinson About His Politics
Pattinson is generally considered to be a liberal, which was further evidenced by his 2017 movie, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., in which he played an agent who helps expose an international conspiracy. The movie was based on the 1961 film of the same name, which starred Robert Burton as John U. Persuasions and Elizabeth Taylor as Alicia Van Damme.
When Lopez asked about his politics, the actor seemed a little taken aback. “I’m a liberal,” he said. “I think that everyone should be equal and have equal rights and be able to follow their dreams and aspirations. I don’t really have an opinion on Brexit or the U.S. elections,” he continued, choosing his words carefully. “I think that everyone should be allowed to express their opinions, but I don’t really want to talk about politics in an interview. It’s not really my thing.”
Of course, this isn’t the kind of answer you give when asked about your politics. As Lopez points out, you don’t often get a chance to explore different sides of an issue when you’re promoting a movie. So it’s entirely possible that, even though he didn’t say it, Pattinson was hoping to skate away without having to answer the question.
3. When Lopez Asks About His Favorite Music
Pattinson has been known to rock out at the movies he’s promoted, and in the past he’s revealed that he loves bands like Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, and The Beatles. In the interview, he said that he was a big fan of the music created by British band The Smiths, and went on to explain why. “I love the way they present themselves in the music as well,” he said. “They’re very cool and collected in interviews, so it’s always great to see how they interact with the public…there’s always this very cool, collected quality about them that I find attractive.”
Lopez asked which singers he admired, and the actor cited several names, including Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga. When the TV hostess noted that he had a specific type of music in mind, he agreed. “Yeah, I do,” he said. “It’s very specific music that I listen to. It’s called ‘80s music, and it’s mostly from the ‘80s. As you would imagine, I grew up watching a lot of films from that era.”
Lopez suggested that the music reminded him of his ‘80s, and while the comparison was probably an unintentional one, it didn’t seem so to the actor. He then proceeded to tell her that he loved music from that era, identifying songs by The Cure, New Order, and Tears for Fears as his top choices. He also cited The Smiths as one of his favorite bands, and went on to compare their music to that of the ‘80s superstitions band, Fear. “I feel like they have this very unique and perfect sound,” he said. “It’s like they were made for the ‘80s, and no one makes music like that anymore, obviously. It’s just so perfect and iconic. There’s no other band like them.”
4. When Lopez Tells Pattinson He’s Going To Beddy Benton
On the subject of movies, Lopez reminded Pattinson that he was going to beddy Benton, a luxury hotel in Los Angeles’ Grand Central Market. “Is this a date?” she asked, jokingly. “Yes, it is,” he said, laughing. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but I do have a confession to make.”
Beddy Benton is the fictional name of a bar in the 1958 film, Clerks, and it continues to be used as a placeholder name for upscale hotels in the U.S. When Lopez reminded him of this, Pattinson laughed and said he didn’t know whether to be flattered or insulted by the comparison. “I don’t know what to think,” he said. “I guess I’m just going to have to get used to the idea of being compared to a film that I’ve watched many times.”
Then Lopez let him have it, comparing him to fictional character Vernon, the loud, obnoxious friend of Arthur Miller’s Dick Tracy, with the line, “You’re just like Vernon, except everything’s bigger and better in Texas.”
5. When Lopez Asks About Having A Family
When asked about having children, Pattinson seemed to lose his train of thought. At first he said nothing, and then he said, “Um…I mean, not now, maybe later.” Then he added, “I’d like to be a father one day, though.”
Lopez followed up by asking whether he had a specific person in mind when he said this. The actor smiled and said he didn’t, and that it was a combination of people. “I’d like to find someone I could share my life with, who I could grow old with and who would appreciate my jokes,” he said. “It’d be great if I could find someone who would let me be myself around them all the time and make me feel like things are alright. You know, someone who won’t break up with me when things get rough.”
It seems like every other star has a family they’re passionate about promoting, but when asked about having children, Rob Pattinson was relatively tight-lipped. Hopefully this means he’ll take the time to find that special someone when the cameras stop rolling.