Robert Pattinson names the greatest performance in cinema history: “It has infinite value”
It’s not easy for an actor to shake off the role that made them famous when they were young. Just ask Miranda Cosgrove, who probably still gets called ‘iCarly’ every time she goes to the supermarket. One former teen idol who has managed this rare feat is Robert Pattinson. He has officially shaken off the stench of Edward Cullen, establishing himself as a genuine dramatic force who has worked with some of the greatest directors of the modern age on a number of major projects.
David Cronenberg chose him to take up most of the run time in his film Cosmopolis, which mainly consists of him sitting in the back of a car. He joined Christopher Nolan’s inner circle for Tenet, led Mickey 17, Bong Joon-ho’s first project post-Parasite, and is set to appear in Die, My Love, Lynne Ramsay’s first movie in eight years. Considering he used to just be ‘that guy from Twilight with the shiny skin’, he’s not done too badly for himself.
Pattinson has proven he is capable of taking on so many different roles, you have to wonder where he draws his inspiration from. In an interview with Backstage, the most recent inhabitant of the Batsuit (unless you count all the cameos in The Flash) spoke about one of his main influences, the great Marlon Brando. In particular, there was one legendary film that he thought exemplified the star better than anything else, one that he recommends every single actor check out.
“On the Waterfront, probably,” he said, referring to Elia Kazan’s 1954 drama about corruption amongst dock workers in New Jersey. “You can watch it a billion times, and it’s still quite shockingly good. It just has infinite value.” The word ‘shockingly’ is interesting, as that implies it’s something of a hidden gem, but is instead one of the most critically acclaimed movies of all time.
The movie was one of the first to showcase the full extent of Brando’s talents. His character, Terry Malloy, is a former boxer who threw his career away by taking a dive. His former ties to the mafia come back to haunt him when his friend is murdered for threatening to expose their operations. For his efforts, Brando was awarded a ‘Best Actor’ Oscar, the first of two he would receive across his career, and an assured place in the pantheon of Hollywood.
The thing about any Brando movie is that you never know which side of the star you’re going to get. If he’s motivated, you get A Streetcar Named Desire. If he’s not, you get The Island of Dr Moreau. Thankfully, On the Waterfront was early enough in his career that he was still enthused enough to give his all. This is particularly prevalent in the scene where his character’s brother threatens him with a gun, leading to the all-time great ‘I could have been a contender’ speech. Amazingly, Brando actually wanted this scene cut from the film. Thank God he didn’t get his way.
It’s not a particularly innovative favourite, but Pattinson’s appreciation of Brando’s work in the film just proves that he knows a great performance when he sees one. We’re sure that Brando would have loved Breaking Dawn — Part 2 if he’d been around to see it.
