Claire Denis held a masterclass at the International Film Festival Rotterdam last Monday and this is what she had to say about Robert Pattinson according to The Playlist:

Denis has a particular, generous gaze when it comes to bodies. How did the casting of Robert Pattinson come about?

“I wanted a man in his ’40s, because this is someone on death row — it is not an optimistic moment for him. He is tired of my life. I originally thought of Philip Seymour Hoffman, but he was tired of life and died. The agent and casting director asked me to meet Robert Pattinson, who I thought was too young and iconic. But as the project took so long to get funded, Robert would come to me and say, ‘I’m getting older every month!’ I realized that I couldn’t make the film without him.”
“I was surprised by him. I’m a very tactile but not spontaneous director. His interest in filmmaking is great and real. He was ready for everything I proposed. He is the easiest actor I’ve worked with. He is part of the brotherhood — I want to work with him more, as I do with Juliette Binoche. They get involved and are not afraid — they have no fear about a weird project.”