Gossip Teen

Oliver Irving directed a small independent film How To Be that featured Robert Pattinson before he exploded in popularity as Edward Cullen of the Twilight series. Pattinson had been a part of the Harry Potter phenomenon with his role of Cedric Diggory in Goblet of Fire, however his fan base was nothing compared to what it became with his vampire role. Irving cast Pattinson in between those two blockbusters for the part of Art, a 25 year-old guy stumbling through life confused and without much direction. Irving got very lucky and thanks to Pattinson’s fan base, How To Be is being seen by a wider audience than it probably would’ve been otherwise. With the upcoming DVD release on November 17th – right around the premiere of New Moon - the director is praising Pattinson’s ability to inhabit the character he developed for the film.

How was Robert Pattinson chosen for the role of Art? Did his musical ability play a role in his casting?
“We found him after a year and a half’s worth of casting calls. He just seemed the right person for the job. He was interesting to look at – but down to earth enough to play the part. He really seemed to “get it” – he knew people like the characters in the script, and understood the main character ‘ART’. Not having gone through drama school, Rob’s acting and response to direction fit in well with other main cast members who were not trained actors either. Rob actually underplayed his musical ability in the auditions, as he knew the character was meant to be rough around the edges when it comes to musical ability – but it actually was invaluable in the end that he understood the music references and had the technical ability to pull off what we were asking from him.”

I look forward to catching this on DVD and want to see his flick with Pierce Brosnan and Emilie de Ravin Remember Me when it comes out in February of 2010.

Who caught this film on the IFC Channel a couple of months ago? What did you think of the movie? Was Pattinson good? Tell us what you thought of his un-Edward performance.

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