Robert Pattinson talks 'Water for Elephants'

Robert Pattinson has run away to join the circus -- at least, his character in "Water for Elephants," has. A student of veterinary science at Cornell, Jacob Jankowski discovers his parents have died and left him penniless, so he runs off before final exams and jumps a train -- which turns out to be carrying a traveling circus, the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show. His talents meet their needs (even if he lies and says he's completed his degree, which he hasn't). And as he gets to know their crew, he starts falling for their star act, Marlena (played by Reese Witherspoon), who is married to their owner/operator, August (played by Christoph Waltz). Pattinson talks about his own love affair, his underwear, and what he sticks all over his body.

Q: Jacob lies to get the job -- have you ever lied to get a part?

A: Sure! In England, we have this spotlight form, what talents do you have, what accents can you do, and I just ticked off the boxes saying I was capable of everything. Every skill, every accent, I can do it. I can do a Lithuanian accent fluently! [Laughs]

Q: Was that to get cast as Cedric Diggory in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"?

A: I guess I did that when I was leaving school, when I was just starting to realize I wanted to be an actor, even though I had finished three movies.

Q: One of which, "Vanity Fair," had you playing Reese's son, and here you're her lover. Which was your bigger love affair, Marlena, or Rosie the elephant?

A: [Laughs] I felt like I had some of connection with Tai [who plays Rosie], but maybe that was because I was feeding her jelly beans all the time. People thought she was flirting with me. I think our relationship was based purely on candy. I'd stick mints on my body, like on my arms, or my chest, so she was constantly sniffing me, and I'd go, "I don't know, she just likes me! It's crazy!" [Laughs] I pretty much decided to do the movie when I met Tai. I hadn't even read the script. I don't think I'd ever seen an elephant up close in the flesh before. I walked around the corner where she lives with five other elephants and the trainer, and he told them to sit, the same way you'd tell a dog, and I saw the whole pack just sit down, like they're puppies -- but they're like mountains! I think that was the only time I was scared around her! Most of the time, she just generates an aura of calm. It was one of the most incredible experiences. So if nothing else, I got to work with Tai for three months...

Q: And so it was easy to understand Jacob's feelings...

A: For him, if he's around an elephant, nothing else matters. And when he sees Marlena, it's like she's the same way. She's this one girl who looks impossibly glamourous in this impossibly filthy environment, with piles of manure everywhere. Me, I don't mind the manure. I wasn't grossed out at all. I just accept it as part of the world. But Jacob, he's a romantic, and his imagination runs away with him, and the more he gets to know Marlena, the more it reinforces his opinion. So not only is she beautiful, but he feels connected to her, because she shares his bond with the animals. And that never ends, throughout his entire life, which is the sweet thing about it.

Q: How did you get yourself to feel like you were in a different time period?

A: All the trailers were on one side of the railroad tracks, and the set on another, so once you walked over the tracks, the only thing from modern times was the camera. There was nothing else around, except an orchard. And on set, the production designer was using authentic ropes, everything. And the underpants from that time period helped, too! [Laughs] I wore them every day.