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 In "Life", Pattinson plays Dennis Stock, the man behind some
of the most famous photos of legendary actor James Dean.
The film explores the friendship between the two men as Dean was
starting out in Hollywood in the 50s and Stock saw a star in the
making, eventually getting him a cover spread in "Life"
magazine.
For Pattinson, 28, whose boyish looks and huge following among
teenage girls after his performances in the Twilight films have
frequently made him a target of paparazzi, the film forced him
to acknowledge that the job of celebrity photographer isn't
always easy.
"I did feel like being a paparazzi for a second. I do empathize
with their plight," Pattinson told a press conference at the
Berlin International Film Festival where "Life", directed by
Dutch photographer-turned-filmmaker Anton Corbijn, was screened
this week.
"At the end of the day I feel they go home and beat themselves.
That's what I was doing to get into character," he added,
laughing.
Pattinson said that, like many other actors, he had looked up to
Dean, star of "East of Eden", "Giant" and "Rebel Without a
Cause", who was killed in a car crash aged 24.
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"I remember when I first started acting, sort of 16 or 17, I think a
lot of actors have their James Dean phase where every audition, no
matter what the part is, they come in and do a James Dean
impression. I definitely had one of those," he said.
Variety magazine said Pattinson is a "sly turn" as Stock in "Life",
and "brings intriguing layers of childish dysfunction" to the
character.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of Dean's death, yet his appeal
endures, something American actor Dane DeHaan, who plays Dean in the
film, tried to explain.
"I guess he was such an open, emotional vessel that I think he
tapped into human nature," DeHaan told the press conference in
Berlin.
"So it just left people wondering what would have happened. I think
James Dean would be 83 today. He could be here, what would he be
doing?"
(Editing by Michael Roddy and Liisa Tuhkanen)
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