Robert Pattinson Talks Mickey 17, and His Unique Sci-Fi Role
Acclaimed English actor Robert Pattinson stars as Mickey Barnes in the sci-fi comedy film Mickey 17, helmed by Academy Award-winning writer/director Bong Joon Ho (Parasite). The film is based on the book "Mickey7" by Edward Ashton and centers around a man (Pattinson) known as an expendable on a mission to colonize a distant planet. He stars alongside Naomi Ackie (Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker), Steven Yeun (Minari, Beef), Toni Collette (Hereditary), and Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things).
Pattinson said he was drawn to the project by the South Korean filmmaker's exceptional passion and talent. At the film’s press conference in Seoul in January, Pattinson described Bong as “a filmmaker every actor dreams of working with.”
Beyond that, the film’s story is one for the books. “It’s one of those scripts where I haven’t read anything like it in a long time, and I don’t think I’ll ever read anything like it again. Then to know that it’s someone with his level of pedigree coming to this script which, in some ways, is also like a sci-fi farce,” says the 38-year-old actor.
Pattinson shares more about his experience making the film in this interview.
Tell me a little about Mickey Barnes and where we find him when the story begins.
Robert Pattinson: I always like describing Mickey Barnes as a failed pastry chef. He has tried to start a macaron store on Earth, which has gone under. He’s taken out a loan with some pretty disreputable people but he can’t pay it back, so he tries to flee the planet. But he doesn’t read the fine print in his space colonization contract, and he’s essentially signed up for a life of living hell. But because his life was so awful beforehand, it kind of is like the best thing that’s ever happened to him. He’s a fairly ridiculous character, but he has a big heart.
What was your first meeting with Director Bong Joon-ho like? Did you go in with any expectations?
Pattinson: I was extremely nervous. I didn’t know anything about the project, and he’s just a legendary figure—I had no idea what to expect. Our meeting was really funny, because he wanted to dance around what the movie was about and not say anything about it, and all this was being translated. It was an entertaining meeting, and I really liked him the first time I met him. I also really liked the performances that he gets from those actors in his movies, and I knew whatever he was going to do, it was going to be something very unusual… and that’s generally what I’m attracted to.
With Mickey 17 and Mickey 18, what were the biggest challenges for you playing two distinct versions of the same character and almost always playing against yourself?
Pattinson: The biggest difficulty was that we were on a spaceship with a limited crew, so the characters couldn’t be too distinctly different from each other within the story, but they had to be highly distinct to the audience. To find out how to achieve that, we went through a bunch of aesthetic stuff. In the beginning, this whole thing with prosthetic ears and these crazy different experimental things. I think there was one moment when I had really chubby cheeks at 17, wearing these big things inside my cheeks. I’m really glad that didn’t happen. When you distill it down, you realize you have to do very little aesthetically to show to an audience that, “Oh, these are different guys,” and it’s maybe just a look in your eye more than anything else. But it’s crazy how it works. You can see who’s who almost immediately.
Describe what it’s like working with Director Bong and being on a set with him at the helm.
Pattinson: I think it’s funny, because we didn’t talk that much about the character or anything like that. We did somewhat during the buildup, but not that much. We just had a bunch of dinners and then we talked about football most of the time [Laughs]. But getting on a set like this where it’s enormous—a gigantic spaceship, a different planet, a huge cast and crew, with loads of people in the background—you think you’d be more nervous than you actually are. There’s something about Bong’s attitude. He’s very unruffled all the time and has this benignly amused mode when he’s directing… it just seems like nothing’s going to go wrong when you are working with him. I think everyone trusted him and it was a really enjoyable set.
ALSO READ
Captain America: Brave New World Is the Movie America Needs But Not the One it Deserves
What do you think is it about his films that appeal to moviegoers around the globe?
Pattinson: I think he’s one of those people with a very unique perspective on the world. It’s funny. You think that the person who’d be able to connect to the biggest audience is the most relatable person, but Bong is, I think, an unusual guy. Just seeing things from his vantage point. I guess it’s what any brilliant artist has—a singularity of vision—and it just makes you see things differently. But you see in every single one of his movies, no one else could have directed them. They’re incredibly unique.
The cast of Mickey 17 with director Bong Joon Ho (middle) at the film's London premiere
You have a lot of scenes with Naomi Ackie, and the relationship between Mickey and Nasha is a wonderful thing to watch. What does she bring to the character of Nasha and how is it working with her?
Pattinson: Naomi’s so funny, quite unusual, and wild, too. I just could never really predict what she was going to do. But she also has warmth. Because the relationship between Nasha and Mickey is quite strange, Mickey is an unusual person to say, “Oh, this is the guy I want to be with.” He’s not even really human, and she doesn’t seem to mind at all. She looks past faults to a pretty extreme extent. She definitely sees past skin deep; she doesn’t judge a book by its cover. Or maybe she does, maybe extremely… Maybe she really likes the cover and doesn’t care what the contents are [Laughs].
Mickey 17 opens in Philippine cinemas on March 5.
