How did Robert Pattinson deal with fiery scenes in Little Ashes? (Photo Credit – Facebook)
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Now, let’s talk about that scene. Playing Dalí required Pattinson to strip down emotionally, and literally. While filming a particularly intense scene, Pattinson decided to, well, “rub one out” for real instead of faking it.
In a 2013 interview with Interview magazine, he reflected on that wild moment: “Try it. I can tell you right now, no chance. It just doesn’t work.” Apparently, the idea of miming an o*****m was simply unconvincing, so he went for authenticity. “So I rubbed one out in front of the camera,” he confessed.
But at the time, this decision felt risky. Fresh-faced and far from the A-list, Robert Pattinson worried it might spell the end of his budding career. “After the end of the shooting, I thought for a couple of days that this would be the end of my—at the time really short—acting career,” he admitted.
Spoiler: it didn’t. A phone call not long after confirmed he had landed the role that would change everything, Edward Cullen in Twilight.
Little Ashes, though less mainstream than Twilight, had its moments of glory. The film earned a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film−Limited Release at the 21st GLAAD Media Awards. It even gained a cult following for its portrayal of Dalí’s emotional complexities and his connection with Lorca.
However, critics weren’t entirely on board. Little Ashes scored a 6.4 on IMDb, but its Rotten Tomatoes rating limped in at 24%. According to critics, the movie “suffered from an uneven tone and a surplus of unintentionally silly moments.” Still, it made an impression, and let’s not forget Pattinson’s commitment to his craft.
Pattinson didn’t shy away from the long-term implications of his bold choice. “If you Google something long enough, you will soon know everything there is to know about me,” he joked. “What I eat, what my poop looks like, with whom I’m sleeping, what my d**k looks like, even what I look like when I masturbate.”
Today, Pattinson is celebrated for tackling unconventional roles, from Good Time to The Batman. But throwbacks like Little Ashes remind us that before he was donning the cape or sparking vampire obsessions, he was taking daring risks on set, risks that paid off big time.
