EXCLUSIVE: Why Robert Pattinson Based Latest Role on His DOG And Begged Suki Waterhouse for Help With Bizarre Preparation — As He's Branded a Hollywood Recluse
Robert Pattinson is said to be leaning on girlfriend Suki Waterhouse for all his life and career advice.
Feb. 28 2025, Published 11:29 a.m. ET
Twilight star Robert Pattinson plays 17 versions of the same character – and he based challenging role on his pet dog, with his lover Suki Waterhouse his guinea pig for his oddball preparation.
He begged Waterhouse, 33, to listen to read-throughs of his part in the sci-fi adventure Mickey 17, directed by Bong Joon-ho, whose 2019 black comedy Parasite was the first non-English-language film to win an Oscar for Best Picture, until her perfected the role, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Pattinson's new role is in a horrific comedy-drama about death and the evils of corporations.
Pattinson, 38, plays a man so desperate to escape the clutches of loan sharks that he agrees to be an "expendable" crew member on a mission to colonise other planets. Every time he dies, he is cloned with his memories intact, meaning that he had to play 17 versions of the same character.
The actor said: "Bong Joon-ho has been on my bucket list of directors I would love to work with for as long as I can remember. I’ve been watching his films since I was a kid, so when this came to me, I was very excited. Then I read the script and loved it. "I based him on a few different things, but yes, one of them was a very badly behaved dog I used to have. No matter how much you trained it or tried to stop its bad habits, it just wouldn’t learn.
"You could tell it off for doing something like going to the bathroom in the house, but it would just roll over on to its back and not care. That’s what Mickey is like to me, for the first 17 times. He lives, he dies, he comes back, but he doesn’t learn his lesson until he finally realizes, 17 deaths later.
"From the moment I read the script, I had this idea for what Mickey might sound like. At first, it was a more extreme version of what it is in the film. I tried it out, reading a few lines to my girlfriend, but Bong described it as like nails on a chalkboard, so it changed a little from there."
The couple keep their private life very private.
Pattinson and Waterhouse both grew up in south west London and fell in love after meeting in Los Angeles seven years ago, and now have a daughter.
They have protected their daughter’s privacy since she was born last March, keeping her name secret, and he admitted the success of playing Edward Cullen saw him branded a "recluse" after he didn't go to the supermarket for six years.
Pattinson is said to have been left scarred by his years of 'Twilight' fame.
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But the star of the years: "I had such a great time playing that character and making those films. I wouldn’t be able to do films like this now, if not for Twilight.
"It’s been such a strange ride. My entire life has been a roller coaster. I don’t regret anything at all, because Twilight meant I got to talk to people I wanted to work with because they don’t just hire you for the wrong reasons."
The film series grossed over $3billion worldwide.
