For our interview, Robert was dressed in an old T-shirt, jeans and unlaced trainers. Throughout, he nervously ran his fingers through his gorgeous, floppy hair and revealed he doesn’t feel comfortable talking about himself – which was rather sweet…

Is it difficult to master the American accent?
Not really. All of my favourite actors are American and I grew up watching American movies. It’s weird, but I used to do a New Jersey accent in every audition in the States just because I liked to do it, really. It’s completely bizarre. Everybody would ask: ‘Where are you from?’ And I would say, ‘Oh, I’m from London.’

In the novels, Edward Cullen is described as gorgeous, do you see yourself as that?
Not really! I put off doing the audition for months because of that. I read the book and I thought, well, there’s no point in going in. I thought the whole point of the part was to give a purely physical performance. Like a modelling job. And I thought, I’m not going to go to the gym for one thing, so I’m already ruled out because he’s meant to have this amazing body too. So did you get in shape for the role?
(Nods) I did go to the gym for the movie in the end. I didn’t just want to have a six-pack, I wanted to have no fat at all.

What superpowers would you like to have in real life?
I wouldn’t like to read minds. No way. If they’re not going to tell you what they’re thinking, then you wouldn’t want to know. I think I would like to have infinite wishes.

Are you friends with the guys from the Harry Potter films?
Well we were briefly, but not really now. We did stay in touch for a bit. The thing about Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) is he was so busy, like all the time, even when we were shooting, because he was still in school. I rarely had the chance to talk to him. He would have to run off to do schoolwork or something.

Do you remember the first time you felt famous?
Yes, it was terrifying! And it started months before Twilight even came out. The power of the internet. There was literally one day when it all changed. A few people had recognised me from Harry Potter, and then one day someone came up to me on the street in LA and asked: ‘Are you the guy from Twilight?’ And I had only been shooting for a week.

How do you feel about being recognised?
A lot of the time it’s really annoying, but, at the same time, I know for the jobs that I want to do, it’s extremely important to have that and to nurture it as well. Plus it really only happens in big cities where people just know stuff.

Where are you living these days?
I used to own a flat in Soho (London), but I am essentially a nomad. I sort of stay in LA for long periods for work.

How do you feel about the living out of a suitcase lifestyle?
I like that, because I don’t want to have any responsibilities. (Laughs) When I had my apartment in London I had a constant flow of bills. I couldn’t handle anything. I was completely falling apart! All I ate was takeaway pizza. Disgusting.

Do you feel like you’ve made it?
I don’t think you can ever feel that cocky. But I remember when I bought my flat in London’s Old Compton Street, I felt I had kinda made it. I remember sitting up on the roof terrace with this great view of London. I remember standing there with the keys in my hand thinking, this is kind of ridiculous. I have a place in Soho and I’m an actor!

Do you hang out with the fellow Brit actors when you’re in LA?
I’ve never found that British crowd. But I meet tons of British people all the time in LA. I hang out with a lot of musicians. People are so accommodating there. They are so much more willing to hang out with you, especially if you’re a stranger. I met someone the other day and I was like, do you want to hang out? And they’re like: ‘Yeah!’ I was like: ‘But what happens if I decide to kill you?’ They give you the benefit of the doubt so easily.

Do you ever get starstruck?
I just shot a film with Dennis Hopper where I had to have a massive emotional breakdown in this scene with him. I was very nervous about it. I can definitely claim to be an actor now. (Laughs)

Would you like to do a romantic comedy?
Yeah, but it has to be the right movie. I saw this movie the other day called Russian Dolls. It’s a romantic comedy for guys – it was strange seeing a romantic comedy set from a guy’s perspective. I’d like to do something like that.

Who would be your ideal leading lady? Who would you like to snog on camera?
To put it bluntly! It’s always risky when you mention someone. I don’t know any modern actresses at all. Although I’ve always liked Patricia Arquette. I liked her in True Romance which was about 15 years ago I know. But I haven’t seen her recently.

What makes you laugh about showbusiness?
My old agent used to promote me as the male Keira Knightley. (Laughs) I thought: ‘Well, what does that say about me exactly?’ Do I pout a lot or something?

Tell us a secret about yourself that we don’t know.
I always wanted to be a pianist. I’ve played the piano since I was five and I’ve always fancied the idea of playing in bars in the south of France. I think that would be the coolest job.

How are you coping with all your enthusiastic female fans?
I don’t know why but it still shocks me. I mean, when I was promoting Twilight I would visit different cities around the world where girls just screamed at me. Every single time, I would get so nervous, and I would kind of break out in cold sweats. Then one time, I started crying. It was in Italy and it was completely involuntarily.

You’ve been pictured holding hands with Kristen Stewart recently. Did you feel chemistry with her from the beginning?
Yeah, I definitely felt like there was some kind of, I don’t know, connection or something. I definitely had a reaction to her, which I really wasn’t expecting.

What makes Kristen a good co-star?
She doesn’t back down to people. And it was quite good working with her, because I don’t like backing down to people either. Like when you’re fighting with producers and when you want to do things a certain way, it’s good to have two leads that just – well, will back each other up.

When you landed the role in Twilight, did you automatically sign on for the next three movies?
Yeah, I’d signed on for all three. I’d read the books, and I knew my character wasn’t in it that much in the second one, and not in it as much for the third. I also knew I’d have to be 17 for the whole time, so I knew it couldn’t go on until I was, like, 30. That would look a little odd!

Source: Mirror UK

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