Robert Pattinson recently shared how Zendaya helped him work through a moment of overanalysis while preparing for their upcoming film, The Drama. The film, directed by Kristoffer Borgli and produced by Ari Aster, follows a couple whose relationship takes an unexpected turn before their wedding. Mamoudou Athie and Alana Haim also star in the A24 project, which has yet to receive a release date.
Speaking with Premiere, Pattinson admitted that he became fixated on deciphering a scene, believing it contained hidden meaning. “We had a scene together that was driving me crazy. I was desperately looking for its meaning, writing pages and pages of textual analysis,” he said. “I ended up calling Zendaya the night before shooting the scene. I shared my doubts with her, I spoke for two hours, and after a while, very calmly, she made me understand that the line just said what it meant to say, that there was no hidden meaning.”
Pattinson added that he had been obsessing over the scene for three days before Zendaya’s reassurance helped him move forward. “I tend to bang my head against walls. Sometimes for no reason,” he said. “I tend to stumble over the meaning of things, to the point of overdoing it, trying to solve mysteries that aren’t really mysteries.”
Borgli, known for films such as Dream Scenario and Sick of Myself, has built a reputation for surreal and darkly humorous storytelling. With Aster attached as producer, The Drama is expected to bring a distinctive and unsettling approach to the romantic drama genre.
Beyond The Drama, Pattinson has a full slate of upcoming projects, including Die, My Love, directed by Lynne Ramsay and co-starring Jennifer Lawrence. He described his experience on that film as equally intense, revealing that an unscripted dance scene nearly led to a breakdown. “I was sweating so much, the insides of my trousers, with sweat, were wet,” he recalled. “They’re like, ‘Just dance, it’s just music playing, just dance.’ I was like, ‘I’m going to have a mental breakdown when this happens. We need to either choreograph it or cut it.’”
Pattinson is also set to star in Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17 and Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey, reuniting him with Zendaya, who will also appear alongside Tom Holland, Matt Damon, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, and Anne Hathaway.
