Actor Robert Pattinson has finally put an end to our decade-long romance with his on-screen persona. The actor plays a foul-mouthed, cigar-chomping, motorcycle-riding entrepreneur in the new movie, Life. In the film, which hits theaters today, he trades insults with his co-stars and flirts with the women in his life. Despite the laughs, this isn’t the Rob Pattinson we’ve come to know and love. This is an entirely new character who doesn’t seem to have much in common with the fun-loving Englishman we’ve grown to respect.
For those who have followed Pattinson’s career for a while, his transformation in Life may come as a surprise. While he’s always been a scene-stealer and a character actor who can play an array of hilarious, interesting, and complex roles, his recent movies have shifted his focus to playing more mature and responsible characters. In 2013, he starred in the biopic The Beach, which follows the early life of author and poet Alexandre Dumas. Last year, he played a young John Lennon in the critically-acclaimed documentary All That Glitters, the story of one of the most influential and well-loved musicians of all time. Now, he’s back to playing a character with a more realistic edge, which perhaps goes to show the depth of his abilities as an actor.
A Realistic Edge
Perhaps the biggest challenge for any actor is translating a script into a fully formed character. Especially when working with a relatively new writer, it can be hard to know how much their take on a certain character will reflect the real person. This is especially tricky when it comes to biopics, where the story hinges on the authenticity of the source material.
While Life is a fictional account of the early life of F. Scott Fitzgerald, it still suffers from some of the same storytelling problems as any other biopic. For example, much of the dialogue in the film is delivered in a stilted and artificial manner that doesn’t do the real Scott Fitzgerald or his family any favors. That being said, the new Rob Pattinson is a more realistic depiction of the literary legend than many people could have hoped for.
In the most recent issue of GQ, Pattinson shared his thoughts about playing a more mature role and the importance of getting the details right. “When I read the script for The Beach, the first thing I thought was, ‘Wow, this is an opportunity of a lifetime,’ because it was based on a true story, so I wanted to do it justice,” he said. “Then, as I started reading it, I realized how much of a responsibility this was going to be. You’re playing a character who is going to be seen by millions of people, so you want to make sure that you do it justice.”
For decades, Hollywood has been dominated by males, with the exception of a few female-led films here and there. Even now, Hollywood is still predominantly made up of white men, and that isn’t going to change anytime soon. While a handful of successful movies have been led by women (think Birdman and Grand Budapest Hotel), this number is small compared to the huge success that most Hollywood movies enjoy. At least part of this has to do with the limited roles available to women. After years of discrimination and under-representation, women are finally starting to have more of a voice in the industry, with #MeToo and Time’s Up movements spotlighting inequities and demanding change. While this is undoubtedly a step in the right direction, there is still a long way to go.
An Insult Comic Book
This is also why it is probably best to wait until you’ve seen the movie to dive into the comics. After all, the whole point of a biopic is bringing to life the story of a real person, and in that case, the real person comes first, and the story follows. Which makes it tricky to review the comics before you’ve seen the movie, since the majority of the humor in Life relates to the way Robert Pattinson plays the part. It would be like trying to review Harry Potter without having read the books first. While some scenes are clearly meant to be taken as jokes, others serve a much more pivotal role in the story.
When talking about his character in the upcoming movie, Pattinson shared a story about the way he approached the role, and the importance of getting the laugh right. “There is a scene where I am trying to start a fight with one of the other characters, and I am using my body as a football, and he is kicking and screaming as I try and pin him to the ground,” he said. “I did a lot of research into American Football, and the positioning of your arms and legs in relation to the goalpost, which is what makes all the difference in the world. It was very educational.”
If you’ve been following Robert Pattinson for a while, it may come as no great shock that he’s playing a character who is more than a little similar to himself. While he’s always been a scene-stealer and a character actor who can play an array of hilarious, interesting, and complex roles, it seems that his recent movies have focused on complex characters and stories that demand more attention.