The “criminally underseen” performance Robert Pattinson adores
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When it comes to the world of arthouse cinema, Robert Pattinson is a seasoned veteran, with the former Twilight star going on to ditch his commercial roots and aim for the weird and wonderful.
Whether it be his portrayal of a horny lighthouse keeper alongside Willem Dafoe or his recent iteration of Batman, once again channelling his moody essence for the dark and brooding superhero, the actor has continually showcased his talents as one of the most versatile performers of his time, only going from strength to strength through his bold choices.
His recent career path has led him to collaborate with some of the most esteemed auteurs of all time, recently crossing paths with the likes of Lynne Ramsay, Robert Eggers, Bong Joon-ho and the Safdie brothers, cultivating a filmography that is almost as eccentric as he is. But perhaps the actor first got a taste of this creative philosophy by observing the work of another performer and finding himself deeply inspired by the towering talents of one Tilda Swinton.
If there has ever been a true queen of arthouse cinema, it is Swinton, with the actor charting all corners of global cinema through working with everyone from Luca Guadagnino to Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Her approach to filmmaking is fearless, with no obstacles too high to climb after early roles that marked her as a star from day one.
But while some might know her as the White Queen in Narnia or as a tormented mother in We Need to Talk About Kevin, Pattinson knows her best from a film he describes as “criminally underseen”, falling in love with her screen presence through her performance in the 2008 movie, Julia.
Julia follows an alcoholic woman whose life spirals out of control after losing her job, finding herself meeting a woman called Elena who asks Julia for her help with a staged kidnapping of her son. It’s the exact kind of bonkers film that you can imagine Swinton being perfect for, capturing the frayed essence of a character who is deeply troubled yet incredibly hypnotic.
When asked about his favourite film, Pattinson said, “Julia, the Tilda Swinton movie. Also, I think [the director’s] name is Erick Zonca. I think that’s one of the great performances, and it’s kind of criminally underseen. Is underseen even a word?”
Within the rest of her body of work, Pattinson is correct in saying that it is less well-known than other films, with the actor having such a prolific filmography that it can be easy for some things to be missed or go underappreciated.
However, for those who are fans of Swinton, there will always be a new hidden gem to discover, with decades of projects that span from her early beginnings in films like Orlando to recent risks like The Room Next Door and The End. While it is natural that not everything will be everybody’s cup of tea, perhaps Julia is one that can be revisited by audiences today and redirect her fan base to a new story with a stamp of approval from Pattinson.
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