Robert Pattinson Botched His Transformers 2 Audition By Trotting Out A Fake American Accent
It is not at all strange (in fact, it is downright delightful) when Robert Pattinson shares bonkers anecdotes about his acting experiences, including his views on certain roles, such as Batman, whom he recently called a "freak." In an extensive, eye-opening interview with GQ, the star of "The Batman" recalled his audition for Michael Bay's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," and how he botched it by faking an American accent. This is especially hilarious as Pattinson was fresh off his fame for "Twilight," meaning that the casting folks were already aware that he had a British accent and thought that he was doing a "boring" improv.
Pattinson saw a career breakthrough via his roles in the "Harry Potter" and "Twilight" franchises, both of which command global fanbases. While he has since been cast in a fair share of big-budget productions, he deliberately sought out an interesting arthouse career, giving unforgettable performances in films such as "Cosmopolis," "Good Time," and "High Life." Perhaps the pinnacle of Pattinson's acting caliber has been explored with great depth and complexity in Robert Eggers' "The Lighthouse," as it is no small feat to share a screen with Willem Dafoe and still emerge as an equally intricate, poignant character.
But back to "Transformers."
"Hi, I'm From Michigan"
Pattinson has previously shared details about his anxiety at the prospect of giving auditions and the uncertainty that surrounds the entire process. The GQ interview delves deeper into Pattinson's method (there definitely is a method to his madness) during his auditions, in which he would often cover up his natural British accent with an American one. The reason he did this was that auditioners would often express concern when he would be auditioning for an American role, prompting him to come back later, pretending to be an American. This strategy backfired during his "Transformers" audition, as the individuals involved were already aware of his natural accent:
"They'd always question it: 'We're worried about the accent...' So I used to always come in as a different person, an American. I'd say, 'Hi, I'm from Michigan.' But then I was doing an audition for Transformers 2, right after Twilight had come out and I went in as some guy from Denver. And they called my agent and were like, 'What's wrong with him? Why was he doing an improv? A really boring improv?'"
The actor continued his audition anecdotes by noting how he "wouldn't have a career at all" if he had not gotten "really lucky," as he claims that he is "so bad at it." This served as the perfect segue for him to compliment his co-stars Andrew Garfield and Eddie Redmayne, who he praised as being "so f***ing good" at auditioning:
"Eddie Redmayne and Andrew Garfield were so f***ing good at auditioning, it's just unbelievable. You'd see them, and then if you were waiting outside, you would literally hear casting directors inside going, Oh, my God! Oh, my God! And you'd be like, F***ing hell, who's inside? And Eddie would come out and be like Hey, mate. I'd be doing something thinking it was a comedy, and suddenly hear these heaving sobs. I'm thinking, Who has managed to get a sob out of this?! And then f***ing Eddie comes out, goddamnit."
Pattinson, of course, did not get a role in "Transformers 2," but went on to bag a wide variety of projects that have eventually led to Matt Reeves' "The Batman," which will be out in theaters on March 4, 2022.