Robert Pattinson has been working on off-beat and independent projects ever since his stint with the blockbuster Twilight franchise ended. The actor has made it a point to explore various genres and upcoming filmmakers who do not confine themselves to mainstream sensibilities. One such experiment was his film The Lighthouse with director Robert Eggers.
Pattinson starred as a light-house keeper stranded along with Willem Dafoe’s Thomas Wake in the horror-esque film. The film had many surreal and weird elements as is the case in all of Eggers’ films. Though Robert Pattinson had done his fair share of ‘weird’ films, Eggers’ ambiguity reportedly irked him to the next level.
Robert Pattinson Was Frustrated With Robert Eggers On The Lighthouse
Robert Eggers is known for his surrealist horror imagery which blurs the lines between what is real and what is not. His debut feature The Witch was lauded upon its release for being a horror film that creates fear through its atmosphere and adding psychological conflict. Eggers’ The Lighthouse too blends multiple genres to give an ambient experience.
While Tenet star Robert Pattinson loved the work of Eggers on The Witch, he mentioned that the lack of definitive answers from Eggers would frustrate him a lot. Since the film was a psychological exploration of the characters while also being a survival drama, Pattinson revealed that he needed many answers to make sure he got the emotion right.
However, Robert Eggers did not provide him with any, and Pattinson was left wondering. He said in an interview with IndieWire,
“I’d want things to be explicit in the beginning and I’d ask Robert all these questions like, ‘Is this in my mind or his?’…I would come up with a bunch of concepts and would blather away at Robert for ages and I would ask, ‘Which one is it?’ and he would say, “Kind of all of them.’”
Pattinson mentioned that he gradually understood what Eggers wanted to say without needing specific answers and then could give an honest performance.
What Is Robert Pattinson’s The Lighthouse About?
Since his time on the young-adult romance film Twilight, Robert Pattinson has been avoiding the blockbuster realm and has worked hard to establish himself as a ‘serious’ actor. The Harry Potter star has worked with acclaimed directors such as the Safdie Brothers, David Cronenberg, and James Gray.
In 2019, Pattinson collaborated with The Witch director Robert Eggers on the film The Lighthouse. Set in the 1890s, Pattinson starred as Ephraim Winslow, a light-house keeper who is stranded on an island for months with the only companion being the weird former sailor Thomas Wake, played by Willem Dafoe.
The film was acclaimed upon release and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. It was noted for its distinct visual style and cinematography, the latter of which got nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar. Pattinson and Dafoe’s performances were particularly praised, especially due to their eccentricity.
When asked how he decided to choose the role in The Lighthouse, Pattinson told GQ,
“I’m constantly doing risk assessments, which drives everybody crazy, trying to predict every single element that could possibly happen. And then, at the end of it, just being like: Ah, f*ck it! I’ll just play a lighthouse keeper who f*cks a mermaid! I think this is the right move!”
However, despite the actor’s penchant for weird and ambiguous films, Robert Pattinson was reportedly frustrated with Robert Eggers’ exceeding commitment to ambiguity.
