The Writer’s Guild Italy spoke with Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold during Venice Film Festival.  The extracts about Rob are below.  Note there may be SPOILERS after the cut so don’t read if you want to remain *spoiler free* about The Childhood of a Leader.

“And with an actor as Robert Pattinson? I know he really looks forward films that are auteur movies, that offer something else out of the mainstream.

BC: Yes for sure, he is a real cinephile. There are so many actors that could use their celebrity in a really amazing way, like Will Smith or Tom Cruise – Tom Cruise Well … he does sometimes. There’s a lot of people who really do not take advantage … Like I can get somebody’s films made and they are gonna challenge me and we are gonna grow together.

Did he help in financing?

BC: Of course. Because the thing is funny at the time … he was cast several years ago, we had no idea how significant it would end up being. We had a lot of other fancy cast members at one point, but at a certain point he was the only way to get the film made, after many years was to have Rob involved. And we originally hired Rob because of the fact we wanted somebody really charismatic and really recognizable.

MF: We wanted to feel the right way character that this is very important.

BC: The great thing about Robert is that the less he does .. you can not take your eyes of the guy! Because he is genuinely beautiful to look at, it’s really like he draws you in, in a classic cold way. He is compelling.

Even with the shaved head …

BC: Yeah!

Do you think some of the Twilight crowd will go to see the movie just because he is in it?

BC: I do not know … They go see Cosmopolis?

MF: I think it would be good for them.

BC: It’s a movie that was made by a group of adults for adults. And everyone knew that. Everyone knew that it was going to be for people looking for a unique experience and care at least a little bit about world history. It requires a little bit of interest, a little bit of curiosity and a little bit of knowledge about it. We thought it would be so tedious to catch everyone up. Most Europeans know a thing or two about the Treaty of Versailles, a lot of Americans do not. It’s not because Americans are not educated, but they are not educated about that.”

Click on the link above to read the full interview.

Thanks @Sallyvg