Robert Pattinson may be able to take on the Joker and survive the dark corners of the DC Universe, but put him on a dance floor with Jennifer Lawrence, and he’s ready to tap out.
The Twilight alum is opening up about a hilarious—and incredibly sweaty—behind-the-scenes struggle on the set of his upcoming dark comedy, Die, My Love. Despite his reputation for fearless performances, Pattinson admitted that one specific request from director Lynne Ramsay left him on the verge of a “mental breakdown.”
The film, which stars Pattinson alongside Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, follows a woman’s intense journey through postpartum depression and a crumbling marriage in the French countryside. But while the subject matter is heavy, the drama behind the scenes was all about the rhythm—or lack thereof.
In a new interview with GQ, Pattinson revealed that he was absolutely terrified of an improvisational dance sequence required for the movie. In fact, he was so nervous that he begged for the scene to be scrapped or, at the very least, professionally choreographed.
“I did this movie with Lynne Ramsay, and she’s a really good dancer. And Jennifer Lawrence is a really good dancer,” Pattinson shared, noting that his colleagues seemed to find the task effortless. “They’re like, ‘Just dance, it’s just music playing, just dance.’”
Pattinson, however, wasn’t feeling the groove. “I was like, ‘I’m going to have a mental breakdown when this happens. We need to either choreograph it or cut it,’” he recalled.
How did Lawrence and Ramsay respond to the leading man’s plea? With a little bit of tough love, of course. According to Pattinson, the duo told him to simply “stop being a lil’ freak.”
The “tough love” worked, but it wasn’t pretty. When the cameras finally rolled, the actor gave it his all—resulting in a very physical reaction to his anxiety.
“It came to the day, and I was sweating so much, the insides of my trousers, with sweat, were wet,” he admitted.
Fans of the actor know that dancing has long been his “Achilles’ heel.” While he performed a manic, unhinged jig alongside Willem Dafoe in The Lighthouse, it was more about psychological chaos than grace. And who could forget the viral, slightly stiff two-step Edward Cullen performed at Bella Swan’s prom in Twilight?
Despite his protests, first-look images of Die, My Love show Pattinson and Lawrence dancing synchronously in a farmhouse, suggesting the actor managed to find his footing after all.
The star-studded film also features LaKeith Stanfield, Sissy Spacek, and Nick Nolte. While Pattinson might not be joining Dancing with the Stars anytime soon, his commitment to getting “sweaty” for the craft proves once again there’s nothing he won’t do for a role—even if he complains the whole time!
