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Robert Pattinson’s Extreme Acting Methods: From Throwing Up to Living in a Basement

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Robert Pattinson hasn’t been hesitant about diving deep into unconventional acting techniques as he throws himself wholeheartedly into a wide variety of characters.

The actor who plays Batman, aged 38, has shared insights into the remarkable measures he’s taken to deliver top-notch performances on screen. However, he prefers not to label this approach as ‘method acting’.

In the last few days, I’ve been buzzing about a stunning revelation regarding a specific scene from the upcoming romantic comedy-drama, The Drama, starring none other than my favorite duo – him and Zendaya. This one scene has sent shockwaves through me!

He admitted that he had spent three extended days immersed in writing extensive amounts of textual analysis in an attempt to uncover a hidden depth within just one sentence. Eventually, Zendaya, aged 28, felt compelled to soothe his overexcitement.

‘We had a scene together that was driving me crazy,’ the actor told French publication Premiere. 

Before filming a scene, I found myself talking to Zendaya on the phone. I confided my concerns to her and we chatted for about two hours. Eventually, she helped me see that the script line spoke plainly without any hidden meanings.

‘And there I was going crazy for three days,’ he humorously added.

Furthermore, it’s worth noting that this isn’t the furthest extent he has gone for a role; in fact, he has pushed himself to such extremes as inducing vomiting during filming and dwelling in a cellar as part of his acting method before.

During the filming of The Lighthouse alongside Willem Dafoe in 2019, Robert Pattinson explained that he was mostly unaware while portraying the role of the drunken character, Thomas Howard.

Despite the discomfort, he went so far as to make himself vomit specifically for those scenes, all while his seemingly indifferent co-star Willem, aged 69, threatened to quit the set if Robert were to vomit on him.

In 2019, when he spoke with Esquire, he explained that for the entire duration, he was practically unaware and it was quite extraordinary. He also mentioned that he spent an excessive amount of time inducing vomiting, which was accompanied by involuntary urination.

‘It’s the most revolting thing. I don’t know, maybe it’s really annoying.’

In one scene, he commented, “I felt as if we were utterly disoriented and I was struggling not to retch. However, Robert [Eggers] reprimanded me because Willem was giving him a look that said, ‘If he vomits on me, I’m quitting the set.’ Unbeknownst to me, this entire drama was playing out.

While I was deeply immersed in the character I portrayed, I must confess that I didn’t manage to bring that character back home with me. It proved to be an impossible feat, given the extensive efforts required during filming.

He shared with Variety that we would film utterly energetic sequences, and immediately following a shoot, you’d feel drained.

As a die-hard fan, I can’t help but feel a sense of release, almost therapeutic, when watching your performances. I just can’t fathom the idea of bringing that essence into my own space – it seems unimaginable and downright impossible.

Robert mentioned that although he pushes boundaries with his character portrayals, he personally does not engage in method acting. He added that actors only resort to method acting when they are playing characters who are particularly abrasive or difficult.

He mentioned, “I require assurance about the conclusion. I need to be aware of an impending break, and once I have that, I’ll feel secure. It’s when things seem endless and escape seems impossible that one might lose their sanity.

However, Robert did explore the acting field more deeply when he took it to an extreme level by residing in a basement, forgoing regular sleep and even wearing his clothes continuously during the filming of the 2017 movie “Good Time”, where he played a robber.

He spent two months residing in a basement apartment identical to the one portrayed by the character in Harlem. During his stay, he never bothered to draw back his curtains, left the bedsheets untouched, and preferred to sleep while wearing his clothes.

There resided a neighboring woman above me, often intrigued by my activities as she found me peculiar.

Or,

Living in the apartment above mine was a woman who frequently peeked in, finding my behavior unusual.

Both sentences convey the same meaning and maintain an easy-to-understand tone.

‘I was like this freak living in the bottom of the basement,’ he added.

In simpler terms, the actor from Twilight revealed that for the duration, all he consumed were cans of tuna, hot sauce, and drank Nespresso pods.

Nevertheless, it’s evident that his commitment proved fruitful, as he garnered a standing ovation upon the screening of the movie at the illustrious Cannes Film Festival.

In the same vein as his Batman co-star Zoe Kravitz, he too prepared meticulously for his action sequences in the 2022 film, learning from cat videos much like she did to master her movements as Catwoman.

He shared with Jimmy Kimmel that he researched the way a bat fights and found a video from Planet Earth. In this video, they demonstrated the combat style of a vampire bat against a chicken confined in a cage. The bat would fly around the enclosure for approximately an hour, repeatedly hitting the cage – I assume he meant ‘flap-banging’ – causing such fear in the chicken that it eventually fell asleep.

Robert’s latest performance was in the oddball sci-fi comedy Mickey 17. It remains uncertain whether he employed similar unconventional techniques for his character in this future-set production.

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2025-03-13 15:50

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