Tired Robert Pattinson on the cover of ES Magazine

ES Magazine featured Bruce Wayne in the recent Batman movie on the cover of their new issue and headlined an interview with him "Being Robert Pattinson." The pictures were taken by acclaimed photographer Louis Banks when the actor came to his studio after a bit of sleep and a busy day of filming with Korean director Bong Joon-ho. Their new work is a fantasy thriller about space and clones. But despite the fatigue and even exhaustion that can be seen in the published photographs, in a conversation with journalist Alexandra Jones, he was frank, telling with the same "British" humor about the recent panic attacks on the dance floor, why he is trying to get rid of the title of a sex symbol and what for it means "smell of a woman".

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Alexandra Jones: He came to the interview with his face hidden under the visor of a baseball cap. His eyes were opened that day at 4 am, and our conversation began at 7 pm. However, Pattinson assured me that he was fine. The early rise is due to the height of the filming of the new film, which he is very excited about. "I'm working with 'Parasite' director Bong Joon-ho, and I've never had that kind of experience before," he says. "The film is crazy, it's a completely different way of working." In Mickey 17, based on Edward Ashton's dark sci-fi novel, Pattinson plays two versions of the hero (both clones) who team up to work together. “There is a lot of talk about it now,” he says. He stayed in a small hotel in Bedford (UK) near an empty aviation hangar, adapted for filming. In the evenings he returns to the room, greatly worrying about the other world. “Anyway, today I suddenly realized that I still don’t see ghosts - but this is probably because I drink 17 cups of coffee a day.” We confirm: Robert Pattinson isn't crazy, he's just really, really tired.

Pattinson has been one of the most consistent, interesting, character actors of his generation for quite some time now. Most recently, he stepped into blockbuster territory as the pleasingly original Bruce Wayne in The Batman (2022). For the past ten years, he's honed his craft in arthouse and indie films, playing scumbags, weirdos and freaks for some of the world's most respected directors such as David Cronenberg and Christopher Nolan. My favorite of Pattinson's portrayals is the deeply unsympathetic street swindler Connie in the Safdie Brothers' boisterous Good Time (2017). You forget that you are watching a person who was once recognized as a teenage sex symbol, which, in fact, was required to be proven. There is still an opinion that Pattinson chooses roles based on the reaction to the fame that fell upon him, and to some extent imposed on him after playing Edward Cullen in the Twilight franchise.

But be that as it may, he also acts as the “face” of Dior fragrances, when the fashion house relaunched Dior Homme Sport and added shaving cream to the popular product line. He has been with the brand for a happy 10 years, telling me that he has become close friends with many people in the company. “I can’t even call it wonderful. This job and these personal relationships bring me, perhaps, one of the greatest pleasures in life. As for scents, he says it's hard for him to choose a favorite," "but I guess it's a bit cliche: if you love someone, then her smell is special to you ... something like" girlfriend in a peignoir ". His lover is model and actress Suki Waterhouse. They've been together for years, despite only recently making their first "official red carpet" appearance, and given the public's interest in his previous relationship (with Kristen Stewart, FKA twigs), it's surprising they've been out for so long. fields of view.

What he particularly likes about working with Dior is the opportunity, he says. In a recent ad campaign for the fashion house's men's fragrance, he was given the chance to face one of his biggest fears and dance in public. “I thought I had broken the curse when I saw this scene (the actor is energetically shimmying in it, swaying his shoulders and holding his body in place). But when I went to a party a few weeks after that, thinking I looked like Billy Elliot, and as soon as I stepped on the dance floor, I experienced one of the biggest panic attacks of my life. . You know, when you think you're that guy and suddenly you're brutally humiliated. Yes, it's like my father caught me driving happily. I came out in a cold sweat; I think I left the party after that." Pattinson has said many times in the past that he doesn't feel comfortable being the center of attention and that he doesn't like crowds.

Acting seems like an odd career choice for someone with such aversion, even though he apparently didn't expect to be the object of desire for nearly half of the world's teens. Perhaps his most honest response to fame was the 2017 three-minute short film Fear and Shame, for which he wrote the script and starred. In the film, a hungry celebrity finds himself on the verge of a nervous breakdown as he races through the streets of New York in search of a hot dog. When he tries to dodge the barking paparazzi and go unnoticed, you get a glimpse of the claustrophobia and paranoia of a person in that position.

The problem is that he is really attracted to himself. Even with minimal sleep, Pattinson is likable enough to make you blush (although I haven't been on Team Edward in the past): with a sharp jawline and leonine personality, he's also unassuming, self-deprecating. He came to the photo shoot for this issue very modestly (taking a bag with a picture of a dog and putting lunch in it), that at first no one even realized that it was him. He walked around the room, shaking hands with everyone, saying "Hello" to each member of the crew in turn. He's not as charming as that soft LA style is, he's too English and restless, but he's funny. It's not what I expected, it's so rare to read something about him, but everything he says has a sarcastic-ironic tone. He has a keen eye for the absurd and is quick to laugh, often at himself. A few days before our conversation, I randomly stumbled across people who know him or met him, and they all gave great reviews. The Descendants screenwriter Lucy Prebble, for example, is delighted with him; they are not close enough, but have met several times, and he is very cheerful, can perfectly support the company.

I can't tell you what the formula is for one good-looking actor to end up being the "serious guy" while another is written off as just "eye candy." But Pattinson is certainly not the first to find his role disappointing. Alexander Skarsgård said that after his first movie job, he was put on a "stupid" "list of hot guys", and then no one took him seriously. In the past, Pattinson has talked about resisting pressure to break free from the roles that are being forced on him, including Batman. It was a joke (when "I said I didn't work out"), he claims, but definitely alludes to his discomfort with being a sex symbol. And it's also, he says, "pretty embarrassing when you start answering questions about training because there's always going to be a guy who's in better shape than you."