So you may have heard… Robert Pattinson has a new girlfriend! Or, as some of our friends like to put it: “Robert Pattinson has a new porno.”
What happened was, back in October, Rob Pattinson was on a vacation with his family in Italy when an Italian newspaper reporter tricked him into posing for a “barefoot and vintage” photo shoot. (In Italian, the phrase “baresi e vintage” means “barefoot and vintage”). When the photos were published and gained popularity on social media, people started referring to Pattinson as “baresi” — or “barefoot” — which eventually led to his new nickname, “Barefoot Rob.” And since then, he’s been featured in various European publications and even a few American ones as well, for a total of over 62 million views on his Facebook page alone. (The average American woman spends 27 minutes a day on social media, according to a new study.)
Since then, “Barefoot Rob” has been photographed with various celebrities and even a few famous tennis players, and has appeared in three different music videos. (He’s even been touted by some as the new David Beckham.)
And in the midst of all this attention, our intrepid reporter decided to dive into Rob’s head to see what’s the real reason he’s doing porn. (Full disclosure: This is a real story, but the names have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved.)
Here is what we found.
Pattinson’s Own Words
Last week, we posted on Reddit what Pattinson had to say about his new lifestyle choice. In part, he wrote:
“I never thought I’d be doing this in my 20s… I grew up in public and was always surrounded by cameras and people. The idea of having someone invade your privacy like this and capture all your intimate moments without your consent… it’s terrifying.”
The takeaway: Rob was obviously not comfortable with his newfound fame, and didn’t know how to handle it. One of our commenters wrote:
“I don’t believe that he made this decision lightly, it’s more that he feels embarrassed and insecure about being so famous that he has no choice but to do this. Pornography isn’t a crime, but harassing someone is.”
Indeed, as it turns out, there was quite a bit more going on behind the scenes than what Pattinson has revealed in the media. For instance…
The Pressure Is On
In the Reddit post, Rob discussed how much pressure he was feeling from his new bosses at Lionsgate. “I had to take a call from one of my managers yesterday,” he wrote.
“He told me that they’re ‘very excited’ about the photos and videos that I’ve done so far… but that it’s not enough. They want more. They want to push me, and I’m having trouble coming up with new ideas.”
So he’s feeling a little overwhelmed and pressured by his latest gig. Which makes sense, because, you know…
It’s A Numbers Game
“Porn is a numbers game,” Rob told us. “If you want to break into the industry, you need to be doing as much as you can to get your name out there.”
Specifically, Rob said that he went through about five casting calls before he finally got the part in Dog Days, a movie directed by Greg Berlanti and written by Kevin Williamson. (Berlanlanti is also the creator of The Vampire Diaries, one of the biggest and most popular TV series of all time.)
Rob’s part was that of a werewolf, and he actually had to go through a canine transformation into a handsome hunk. (He also had to lose a significant amount of weight and get tattoos during the shoot.) He said that the experience was both terrifying and exhilarating.
Once he got the part, he started getting more and more callbacks for various roles. According to Rob, he’s had about a dozen meetings with various studios and producers, and is currently in negotiations with a major studio to star in a movie next year. (He wouldn’t elaborate on which movie or which studio but…)
In other words, the more he does, the more opportunities he’ll have, and the more likely he’ll eventually make money off of it. So that pressure is on.
Pattinson’s Conflicted Moral Compass
While we were curious about what was motivating Pattinson to enter the adult film industry, we were even more curious about what was running through his mind during the filming process. (For those of you playing at home, did you know that we’ve been asking questions about ethics in porn since 2014? You can read all our previous coverage here.)
We asked Lionsgate, and they responded with the following statement:
“We appreciate you asking about Rob, however, this is a confidential matter and we ask that you respect his privacy. We have great respect for Rob as an artist and can say that he’s made a conscious choice to align himself with men and women who share similar views as he does, regarding sexual issues and the adult entertainment industry. We look forward to the day when he decides to discuss his time in the industry candidly and we hope that he continues to find success.”
So it would appear that Lionsgate has no comment on whether or not they think that what Rob is doing is right. Or wrong. Or something in between. (In other words, they’re leaving it up to you, the reader, to decide what you think.)
We then asked Pattinson, and this is what he had to say:
“I’ve been approached by a lot of people in the industry, and I think overall, the response has been positive,” he told us. “I’m not naive enough to think that it’s been easy or that it’s been an easy choice to make. But I’ve never felt pressured to enter the industry. I’ve always pursued my goals and ambitions on my own terms. This has always been my plan A: to be a successful novelist, and then, if that doesn’t work out, to do some acting.”
He went on to say that he has “always been very mindful of what I put out there, and I think that’s made a difference. I don’t regret a thing. I’ve always been very happy with the way things turned out.”
But then he admitted that this new path has brought with it some new anxieties and insecurities. The biggest, perhaps, is that of being recognized on the street. (Pattinson lives in London; we presume that this is why he wasn’t comfortable doing the “baresi” photo shoot in Italy.)
“I get stopped by complete strangers all the time,” he said. “I’ve had a few awkward moments, where I don’t know how to react or what to say. Especially when I’ve recently shaved off my facial hair. But I’m getting used to it.”
So apparently, Rob isn’t quite sure how people are going to react to him now that he’s “shaved off his beard.” We don’t know about you, but we’ve always felt that facial hair was the key to unlocking Rob’s true identity. (Some of our favorite moments from the actor have been when he’s had a full, bushy mustache or a thick, dark beard.)
We also asked if there were any situations—porn or otherwise—that he wouldn’t do, for fear of losing his “normal” life. He responded:
“I would never do anything that would jeopardize my ‘normal’ life,” he said. “I’ve always tried to stay true to myself and maintain a consistent lifestyle. This has been a good lesson in that regard.”
And finally, we asked if he’s concerned about the effects that digital pornography is having on young people. (It’s a question that’s been asked a lot over the years, and most adults can agree that it’s something to worry about.)