Robert Pattinson claimed he once made the decision to 'quit' acting after he was filmed actually carrying out a sex act for the sake of one of his movies.
I'd say that's taking method acting to a whole new level.
Most people know Pattinson for his work in Harry Potter, Twilight or The Batman, but it's not one of his major roles that we're talking about today.
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After all, I think we'd all remember if Cedric Diggory was getting down and dirty during the Triwizard Tournament.
Instead, Pattinson's unsimulated sex act took place before he stepped into the sparkling role of Edward Cullen, when he appeared in a movie about Salvador Dali titled Little Ashes.
Released in 2008 - the same year as the first Twilight movie - Pattinson starred as Dali himself as the film detailed his life along with filmmaker Luis Buñuel and writer Federico García Lorca.
In a conversation with Germany's Interview magazine, Pattinson admitted he 'had to do a lot of scenes' where he was naked in the movie, but there was one moment in particular that stuck with him more than the rest.
In fact, it had such an impact that it apparently made Pattinson want to walk away from his career altogether.
“I once decided to quit acting; it was when I did Little Ashes," the actor told the magazine.
He went on to reveal how he actually pleasured himself on camera for the movie - no CGI, no well-timed cutaways, just real, actual masturbation.
"I also had to masturbate. I mean really," Pattinson said, adding: “My orgasm face is recorded for eternity."
When asked why he didn't just 'fake it' for the camera, as so many other stars do when asked to record a sex scene, Pattinson expressed belief that faking it 'just doesn't work'.
Instead, he 'pleasured [himself] in front of the camera'.
It's not a choice every actor would make, but Pattinson is still moving from strength to strength in his career, so he's obviously doing something right.
Pattinson spoke further about investing himself in his roles in an interview with Backstage in 2020, when he discussed his approach to being a better actor.
He explained: “As far as I can tell, it seems like the times when you’re kind of good in something are when you can make yourself interested in what you’re doing between ‘action’ and ‘cut.’
"There’s something going on in your eyes. If you’re just trying to play the scene, it looks like there’s nothing going on. And so, if you’re trying to pull from everything in your life that you’re genuinely interested in at that time, and trying to figure out ways that that connects to that character, I think it makes it a little more alive.”
Whatever works for you, I guess!
Topics: Robert Pattinson, Harry Potter, Sex and Relationships, Film and TV, Celebrity
Emily Brown