The rumors are true. Just a few days after walking the red carpet at the premiere of his new film, A Most Wanted Man, actor Rob Pattinson stepped out on a double date with his co-star Kate Winslet and director Michael Winner. The couple looked happy and in love as they made their way into the sunset on a yacht in the bay of Naples, Italy. A few hours later, the Internet was abuzz with news that Pattinson and Winslet had gotten married in an intimate ceremony that was completely attended by family and friends. The newlyweds have chosen to keep their wedding details private, but it seems that everyone is pleased that this long-awaited union has finally happened.
The year was 2004, and British actor Rob Pattinson was just 24 years old when he burst onto the scene with his breakthrough role in the hit film, The Lost Boys. Since then, he has become one of Britain’s biggest exports, starring in blockbusters such as The Beach, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Most recently, he has been cast as the malevolent Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which is being produced by Tim Burton. In 2019, he also starred alongside Reese Witherspoon in Toni Morrison’s final film, The Light Between Worlds.
Pattinson always had a flair for the dramatic, and after acting in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, he began writing a screenplay about the life of German composer Richard Wagner. After securing the rights, he spent a year and a half crafting The Walking Wasp, a dark fantasy about the life of the 19th century composer. He is currently at work on a follow-up project, which he hopes to shoot this year.
Stray Dog
Since his youth, Pattinson has been fascinated by the criminal world, and in particular, by the legendary American bank robber Willie Sutton. Inspired by Sutton’s quote, “I just felt like I could do better than what was expected of me,” Pattinson began working on his bio-pic, Stray Dog. The result is a fascinating character study about the life of this infamous bank robber. Although it was not yet filmed when we went to press, we were able to watch a private screening and have a lengthy conversation with the director, Michael Winner, about the making of the film.
In a movie filled with memorable characters, it is safe to say that Pattinson’s portrayal of Willie Sutton is going to be discussed for years to come. The actor has clearly devoted a great deal of research into the life of this notorious outlaw, and much of the credit for bringing this character to life must go to his agent, Emma Wight, who secured the rights to Wagner’s screenplay.
Sutton was born William Henry Sutton in the US state of Georgia in 1898. He was the son of a coal miner, and grew up in extremely humble circumstances. In fact, his family home was so small that when he was five years old, he reportedly asked for a dog so he could have company. His mother, who worked in a laundry, named him after one of her favorite songwriters, Willie John Sutton.
The young Sutton became obsessed with guns and was eventually expelled from school for bringing a loaded shotgun to class. It was at this point that he decided to become a bank robber. He began his criminal career in Boston, where he was hired to safeguard a shipment of gold coins. In the end, one of the guards was reportedly killed, and the other was wounded. The police arrived just as Sutton was preparing to flee, but he was already several miles away. Following his heist in Boston, he was arrested and spent a year in a Missouri prison. He was eventually transferred to Alcatraz in San Francisco, where he was eventually released in 1934 due to good behavior.
The Making Of Stray Dog
As it turned out, a lot of the filming on Stray Dog took place in London, and not in exotic locations as one would expect from a Hollywood blockbuster. The movie is filled with glamorous shots of the city and the Thames, not brown hills as one might expect from a Richard Curtis screenplay.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Pattinson revealed the one scene that viewers may find most surprising. When asked about the film’s most memorable moment, he replied:
“There is one scene in the movie that I think is going to surprise people. It is a scene between me and Jonny Lee Miller, who plays Willie Sutton. I have always been interested in gangsters, and Jonny and I got along well. We talked a lot about crime, and the idea for that scene came from real events. In the scene, we have a discussion about the nature of evil. I play the part of an extremely charming and likeable guy who gets mixed up with some very bad eggs, and I think that people will really like it when they see it.”
Wagner: A Life In Music
It is well documented that Wagner was an extremely problematic individual who spent much of his life obsessing over his own fame and attempting to live up to his own high standards. He was also a man of many contradictions, as while he was known to be generous, he spent much of his time in poverty. Today, Wagner remains one of the most famous composers in the world, and his music continues to be performed. However, many people still believe that he was a man of great talent who was hindered by his own ego and megalomania. We asked Michael Winner whether he thought that the world would have been better off if Wagner had never existed, and whether or not he felt that it was his duty to create a sequel to Stray Dog.
“I think that what Wagner would have created had he not died would have been fantastic. The fact that he lived was a tremendous gift to mankind. Had he not been born, the world would have been a very different place, and I think that Willy Sutton would have been just another Joe Blow on the streets. Instead, he was a figure of mythology, which is what his life really amounted to. The gift that he gave us was incredible, and we are truly grateful that he shared his talent with us. It is my great privilege to be able to continue his story on the big screen, and I am confident that audiences will be gripped by this unique and compelling character. If any man deserves a sequel, it is Willie Sutton.”
Pattinson has already hosted a series of events in his honor, including a concert that was attended by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as well as England’s Prince Harry. We can only hope that he will continue to be celebrated for many years to come.