Friday, July 17, 2009

A post NOT about Remember Me



15 Things I Learned About Robert Pattinson on the 'New Moon' Set

RPattz didn’t talk to me. (No one is more disappointed than I am). Here’s everything (like, everything) I picked up from stalking him around the New Moon set for two days:

1. Robert Pattinson is a sugar hound. There was a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups wrapper on the seat of Pattinson’s on-set chair and a can of Coke on the armrest. I toyed with the idea of stealing the items for some cash on eBay, but both were gone the next time I walked by. Did he finish them? Throw the rest away? We’ll never know. I drew the line at digging through his garbage.

2. Like the rest of the cast, Pattinson’s canvas director’s chair had his character’s name (that would be “Edward Cullen”) embroidered on the backrest. On Robert’s chair, however, “Edward Cullen” was covered with yellow tape, on which “ROBERT” was written in bold black marker. Seems our fantasy boy likes to keep things "real."

3. I watched Kristen Stewart, Ashley Greene and Robert film a scene in the Volturri lair. During this dramatic play-by-play, Robert wears an ankle-length maroon cloak very bathrobe in its design. It appeared to be velvet, but I couldn’t get close enough to touch him. It. I mean it.

4. Edward’s presence in the novel as a disembodied voice in Bella’s head clearly wouldn’t do for fans hungry for some larger-than-life RPattz on the big screen. The filmmakers recognized that a largely Pattinson-less New Moon would do little to satisfy fans; therefore, Edward appears to Bella in vision form. Sexy, sexy vision form.

5. Shooting these vision scenes required a massive (think warehouse-wall-sized) green screen and a camera on tracks that slowly zoomed in towards our boy. I got to watch Robert film one of these apparitions, and while he didn’t actually utter any lines, he did display a series of intense facial expressions. He also sported a very dapper gray suit.

6. Robert seemed ultra-eager to end his work day while filming some of this apparition work. After a particular take, Pattinson consulted with director Chris Weitz. A synopsis:

Weitz: (While inaudible, the director seems to be telling our star that another take is necessary.)

RP: “No! It’s fine, it’s fine!”

Weitz: (Inaudible speaking. Gesturing.)

RP: “F--k.”(Walks back to the set. Steps on his mark. The dolly rolls towards him. RPattz makes a pained-looking face. Weitz yells "Cut!" The whole process takes about seven seconds.)

7. Robert is friendly with his fans. When Rachelle Lefevre, who plays the villainous Victoria, introduced her little sister to the star, he seemed generally affable, shaking her hand and flashing a big smile. Then he laughed, and I think an angel somewhere got its wings.

8. Robert is alarmingly, nerve-wrackingly handsome in person. He also seems to have some sort of gravitational pull, as every woman on set, not limited to, but certainly including me, inched closer to him as covertly as possible when he was in the vicinity. He didn’t seem to care or notice.

9. The picture below (from the March 2009 issue of GQ) hangs in the New Moon production office at Vancouver Sound Studios:


There were also pictures of him coming out of the printer as I walked by it. Literally. Everyone in the buzzy office seemed to be as dazzled by him just as we, of the general population, are -- especially the harem of young, attractive women working there.

10. I stood behind Stephenie Meyer while watching Pattinson, Stewart, Ashley Greene, Michael Sheen, Cameron Bright and Dakota Fanning film a scene in the Volturri lair. It went a little something like this:

Edward, Bella and Alice stand in front of the Volturri. Edward, looking many gray shades of haggard, takes a dramatic step toward the vampires and seems to hit an invisible wall. He crumbles to the ground, writhing in pain. Alice, wearing red gloves, crouches down to tend to him.

Bella: “Stop, stop! Try it on me. Just stop hurting him!”

This scene was done at least five times, and despite it taking place on the other side of the set’s massive wall, I could hear the thud of Pattinson’s body hitting the ground each time. There’s no way this felt good. The man suffers for his art.

11. Robert has the confident, swaggering walk of a guy that does well for himself with the ladies. This success surely isn’t hurt by his carved physique, which I was able to thoroughly assess, as Rob’s cloak/robe was tied loosely enough to expose his chest. Although it was painted a vampiric shade of white, it was worth the risk of getting bit for.

12. Regardless of the international pandemonium he causes, Rob is, according to co-star Lafevre, really just a humble, friendly guy.

She says, “Twilight was a very ego-less set, and the thing that’s really a relief is that everyone has stayed the same way. Outside we may be able to go outside and just get in a cab, whereas Rob has to do CIA-evasive maneuvers to meet at the same restaurant, but when we get to the restaurant and we sit down, everything is exactly the same.”

13. People cater to the boy. One of the stage managers made a point of putting together a plate of food for Robert so he wouldn’t miss a meal while filming, saying: “Just tell me what Robert wants, and I’ll set it aside for him.”

This must be what it’s like to be treated like a movie star, as no one offered me anything to eat.

14. Even Taylor Lautner has Pattinson envy. When I asked Lautner the one bonus power he would bestow on Jacob, he responded, “I want to steal one of Edward’s powers.” Seems even werewolves get jealous.

15. The only time I saw the very elusive Kristen Stewart not on a monitor was when she walked by me on her way to the set. She was with Robert. Maybe this means all those secret relationship rumors are true ... nah, I’m pretty sure it was because they were both to be in a scene together. So I'd like to think ...

No comments: