If any two actors were suited for a Depression era love story under the big top it would be Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon. As leading players in today’s real life media circus, they know a bit more as to why celebrity is the greatest show on earth. With ‘Water for Elephants,’ Pattinson and Witherspoon enter the center ring as star-crossed lovers. But is it possible that they actually played mother and son not so long ago? Find out more in this exclusive Roundtable moderated by the L.A Personalities Examiner earlier this month at the Fairmont Hotel in Santa Monica.
Considering the mania that follows Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon these days, it is a pleasant surprise to discover how approachable they truly are and not living in some studied lockdown mode. The rumpled chic of Pattinson, who literally stepped off a plane from work in Vancouver on the final Twilight film, Breaking Dawn, suited chipper demeanor in spite of a lack of sleep. A stylish Witherspoon, who was married only few days earlier, was also sunny, sharing a bag of peanut M&M’s with one journalist. Despite delays in a rather packed press schedule to promote their new film, Water for Elephants, one thing is certain. A formidable team, their friendly banter reinforced that have become quite adept in giving media what they want: a representation of true modern celebrity.
A studio marketing dream, their pairing in Francis Lawrence’s epic adaptation of Sara Gruen’s best selling novel was a foregone conclusion. A blend of magical realism and romance, it is a striking attempt to present life as the greatest spectacle on earth. The period certainly suits Pattinson, who delivers his best and most mature performance to date in the film. As for Witherspoon, she channels her inner 30s screen goddess while keeping a surprisingly modern streak of vulnerability and feist. While the actors were adept in finding the beauty in their roles as a veterinary student and star circus performer, their beast co-stars were ultimately a bit more unpredictable.
“The zebras stampeded when they weren’t supposed to stampede,” Witherspoon said. “They were lightly tethered to a sawhorse and they decided we were having an ‘acting moment.’ They all escaped and we all ran in one direction.
Pattinson added,“Reese and I had a moment when she and I ran away from a stampeding zebra because, well, it’s what any logical person would do.”
What was the Oscar winning actress’ solution?
“I took (co-star) Christoph (Waltz) and put him in front of me,” she smiled.
While the teaming of Pattinson and Witherspoon may seem like a screen first, it actually isn’t. Believe it or not, she played his, ahem, mother in Mira Nair's adaptation of the classic novel Vanity Fair.
“This sounds ridiculous,” Witherspoon laughed, “but Robert and I worked together on a movie where I played his mother. I was 27 years old and he was 17, or 18.
Pattinson confirmed,“I was 17. Also, my character, 10 years before that point in the movie, was a kid with red hair freckles.”
Witherspoon added that even she needed to be reminded that she had worked with Pattinson before.
“Someone said, ‘Oh I heard you played his mother in a movie.’ And I asked, ‘What are you talking about?’ And he said, ‘That guy from the Twilight movies.’ It was so unbelievable that he was supposed to be my son!”
So how was that first major love scene as lovers in Water for Elephants? Business as usual, made slightly unusual by Pattinson’s cold.
“She was spraying sanitizer during the scene,” Pattinson confessed.
Without missing a beat, Witherspoon countered with “I was. He was super sick. It wasn’t sexy.”
Here’s more with Pattinson and Witherspoon in these excerpts from the Water for Elephants press conference.
QUESTION: Robert, what was your motivation in choosing this particular role?
ROBERT PATTINSON: I wanted to work with people who are really great, like these guys. That’s the only way you can do it. You’re protected by the quality of the work you do, I think. Becoming ‘in demand’ quite quickly affords you the opportunities to work with people who are far more experienced than you. I think you just take those opportunities and don’t try to shoulder the burden yourself all the time. Don’t let your ego get ahead of you.
Q: What was it about your role as Jacob Jankowski that made you want to portray him?
PATTINSON: I have such a bad answer for this but it genuinely was just a feeling. I met (director) Francis (Lawrence) at the elephant sanctuary where Tai, who plays Rosie the elephant, lives. I spent some time hanging out with Tai and when I read the script that night I felt that I could add something to it. It was as though I knew my character; that he was real. And when I heard that Reese and Christoph (Waltz) were doing it, I knew the project had a high pedigree. That was about it. It was an easy decision.
Q: Reese, you grew up with animals; did any of that influence your performance or anything you would like to share about your experience with Rosie?
REESE WITHERSPOON: That was Francis’ magical ace in the hole. Whenever he wanted anybody to do the movie he would say, “Come with me to an elephant sanctuary.” You’d respond, “I’m not sure if I…” and he would say, “No, you’re going to really want to come with me to the elephant sanctuary.” I had a lot of horseback riding experience from when I was little because I grew up in Tennessee. But that was nothing like this movie where I was riding bareback in a leotard holding on with one hand. That was a unique experience for me, and certainly riding an elephant is not like any other experience I could describe. It’s sort of like riding a really big horse.
PATTINSON: I think everyone quickly realized that the only people who could give orders to the animals were the trainers. Even if we tried, I don’t think Tai (the elephant) would have done anything. She really only listens to Gary (her trainer).
WITHERSPOON: Right.
PATTINSON: We were all told early on that we were just props in Tai’s world, and I think there was definitely some truth to that.
WITHERSPOON: That was actually one of my first questions. I asked, “Will she listen to me?” Her trainer said, “No.” “Will she do anything I tell her?” and he said, “No.” I thought, “Okay, never mind.”
Q: Reese, what was your relationship with the elephant? Did your family meet her as well?
WITHERSPOON: My kids came to visit and they met Tai. I worked with Tai, in the movie she was Rosie, pretty closely and intensely for a while, developing the routine and practicing. Christoph was there too to catch me in case I fell, which I did. It was a very emotional experience for me, one that I didn’t fully realize until I was done working with her. The whole crew was so enamored with the experience of building this non-verbal relationship with another spirit. It was just incredible. One of my favorite stories, which speaks to the intelligence of the animal and her communicative capabilities, was when we were shooting a night shoot really late one night. The next day when she came in she was so tired. And I asked the trainers, “Why is she so tired?” And they said, “Well, she stayed up all night telling all the other elephants what she had been up to earlier that night.” She got home and they were all waiting up for her. She lives with six other elephants, who talk to each other by roaring, and they had asked her what she was doing. The trainers said, “They were up all night roaring.” The elephants roared for nearly an hour before they went to bed. So Tai was really tired. But I thought the complexity of their communication really shows you how deep their relationships are with people and other animals. It was incredible.
Q: Is an actor’s life the same as a circus life?
WITHERSPOON: As much as you can train with circus performers, you have no real understanding of the wear and tear on their bodies. You get a feel for the kind of incredible work ethic they have. They design and create the entire space for the circus; they put up the tents, install every sort of safety equipment, and then break it all down every two days. They then travel to another city and do it all over again. They never see their families and they never have any sort of a home base. It’s an incredibly rigorous job. I would say the only similarity with acting is the sense of camaraderie and family that you get on a movie set. Whether you’re there for three months or six months or two years, like Robert, however long he’s been on the Twilight movies, you get a sense of who the crew is and a real sense of taking care of each other and supporting each other. It’s a nice part of any kind of entertainment experience. It’s a collaborative art. So it’s nice to depend on each other.
Q: Robert, is Twilight like the circus life?
PATTINSON: Not really, I only have to travel to Vancouver, that’s it. We mainly film in various different forests around Vancouver. The one thing that was quite nice about making all of the Twilight movies with the main cast staying on set for a long time is that you have a sustained relationship with more people for a longer period.
Q: Reese, how did you approach the period aspects of your role as Marlena?
WITHERSPOON: I had this whole dream of doing this incredible 30s accent and then after the first day Francis said, “I don’t think you should do that anymore. It’s really hard to understand what you’re saying.” And I asked, “Why? When I talk like this does anybody understand what I’m saying?” I was really in love with that accent. But it was fun and Jean Harlow was definitely an influence as well as Constance Bennett.
Q: Reese, what was it like working with Robert? Has your husband seen this movie?
WITHERSPOON: My friend was teasing me. She said, “If you say anything the headlines will say `Reese snubs hubby.’ Rob possibly had the most hideous, horrible cold of any co-star I’ve ever had to do a love scene with ever in my entire—I’m talking green, infectious, disgusting—I’m not kidding! He was literally snorting and snotting through every second of it and it was not appealing. I’m going to say it was a little bit of a downer. I can’t say I wasn’t looking forward to it and I was a little disappointed. Maybe we’ll have a sequel or something. He was really, really ill. So I was just trying not to get sick the whole time!
‘Water for Elephants’ is playing citywide. Check out Fandango, MovieTickets and NCM for tickets and theater information on all Personalities Movies.
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