Friday, November 14, 2008

'Twilight' actor open to 'Doctor Who' role






My colleague Rob Elder interviewed "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson yesterday, and there's an interesting tidbit in the piece: Pattinson, who is English, said he would be open to taking over the lead role in "Doctor Who" once David Tennant departs it, as he has said he plans to do in 2010.
There's already a ton of speculation about who the next Doctor will be; the guessing game so far has centered on Paterson Joseph, an actor who has previously worked with Steven Moffat, "Doctor Who's" new head writer. But no decision has been reached yet.
"The Doctor is great," he said. Asked if he'd pick up the mantle, he replied, "Yeah, maybe."
Pattinson, whose movie opens Nov. 21 and whose appearance caused a near-meltdown at Orland Square Mall, said he "did grow up watching it. I loved it when I was a kid. In fact, I met one of them the other day, Sylvester McCoy [the seventh Doctor]. He's one of the few people I've asked for an autograph."
For all you "Twilight" fans (and yes, I've read the first three books, but held back on the fourth because Stephenie Meyer's sci-fi book, "The Host," was so unbelievably frustrating), I thought Elder came up with an interesting question: With almost limitless choices as to what to do with his undead life, why the heck does Edward, Pattinson's vampire character in the film, stay in high school?
"For you personally, wouldn't 80 years of high school be hell?" Elder asked.
Pattinson answered, "Definitely. I would hate it. That was one of the most difficult things to figure out. You think he'd stay in college, or be a street kid. It'd be way cooler. But I think the whole concept of it is: He's like an addict. I think he wants to make his life really, really, really boring."
Interesting trivia note: Pattinson, who's also a musician, has a song on the "Twilight" soundtrack, which just debuted at No. 1. And that CD was put together by none other than Alexandra Patsavas, the music whiz behind many notable TV show soundtracks (she has worked on "Mad Men," "Grey's Anatomy" and "The O.C.," among others).
UPDATE: Here's a longer version of the Q+A section of Elder's piece, the shorter version of which I linked to above.
Q What does Edward, a 108-year-old vampire, see in a 17-year-old girl?
A He’s lived for 108 years, but he still has the same brain as a 17-year-old. He experiences the world as a 17-year-old. He’s kind of mature in some ways. But if you were in the body of a 17-year-old, I don’t think you’d go for a 108-year-old woman. There’s not much point.
Q And not many around. But why is he drawn Bella Swan, his love interest?
A Initially, it’s just the smell of her blood. She has a weird blood type. And he stopped killing people 50, 60 years ago. She breaks down all his discipline, immediately. He thinks, “I’m not going to let 50, 60 years of work get destroyed by this insignificant girl.” So, he starts testing himself. And he starts to fall for her.
Q But why high school? For you personally, wouldn’t 80 years of high school be hell?
A Definitely. I would hate it. That was one of the most difficult things to figure out. You think he’d stay in college, or be a street kid. It’d be way cooler. But I think the whole concept of it is: He’s like an addict. I think he wants to make his life really, really, really boring. He always does all his homework. He just doesn’t want to get into a situation where he’ll kill someone.
Q So high school is his 12-step program?
A [Laughs] Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely.
Q In Bella’s eyes, he’s perfect. How difficult is it to play a perfect character?
A I just kind of ignored it. I just tried to concentrate on his flaws. I can do the flaws and forget about the rest. Q This question is from Jennifer Armour, a fan waiting in line. David Tennant, the current star of “Doctor Who,” is quitting in 2010. Would you consider taking up the mantle?
A That would be quite cool. I didn’t know he was leaving. The Doctor is great…yeah, maybe. I did grow up watching it. I loved it when I was a kid. In fact, I met one of them the other day, Sylvester McCoy [the seventh Doctor]. He’s one of the few people I’ve asked for an autograph.

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