Robert Pattinson knows he needs to stop talking about masturbation.
Case in point: At a Q&A last weekend for “The Lighthouse,” the loopy, claustrophobic chamber piece that pairs him with Willem Dafoe, Pattinson couldn’t even bring himself to say the word when asked about a scene in which his character engages in self-abuse so furiously that the euphemism “self-abuse” actually applies.

And yet, shortly afterward, sitting across from Dafoe in the sleek Pacific Design Center office space of indie film distributor A24, Pattinson admits that he’s been purposefully leaning into the subject while doing interviews for “The Lighthouse.” A friend just sent him a screenshot of headlines featuring his name and masturbation, asking in a follow-up text, “So … um … how exactly are you promoting this movie?”

“I do find it quite entertaining,” Patttinson says, chuckling. “It definitely gets people talking about the film.” He pauses, considering. “I don’t know if it gets people to actually see the film.” He bursts out laughing at the thought. “The other day, I was saying to A24, ‘I’m not sure how successful I am at doing this promotional stuff.’”

UHQ and HQ thanks to Ani.

Updated: Photos via Glenn Whipp

Robert Pattinson had me laughing non-stop in this interview. The quote in the headline belongs to him, of course. https://t.co/8XsL3zy9ZZ

— Glenn Whipp (@GlennWhipp) October 24, 2019