Robert Pattinson has revealed that he felt like he was ‘possessed’ in 2011 when he told a strange lie on TV.
The Twilight star has revealed the truth behind a memorable anecdote he told 13 years ago.
At the time, the actor claimed to have witnessed a clown tragically die in a car explosion at a circus during his childhood.
However, while promoting his latest project, Mickey 17, Pattinson admitted the story was entirely fabricated – and he has no idea why he made it up.
In a profile with The New York Times, Pattinson tried to explain why he made the story up.
He told the story while promoting the film Water for Elephants, which is set in a circus.
Matt Lauer asked him during an interview on Today whether he ever considered running away to join the circus as a child, to which Rob responded that he hadn’t because he’d had a traumatic experience there as a young child.
‘His little car exploded,’ he said. ‘The joke car exploded on him.’
When Matt asked him if he was serious, Rob said: ‘Seriously. Yeah. My parents had to — everybody ran out. It was terrifying. It was the only time I’ve ever been to the circus.’
In 2024, reflecting on the bizarre lie, Rob told The New York Times: There was absolutely no hesitation at all [in my voice], I’m like, “What on earth? Are you possessed?”‘
He went on to say that he probably told the lie because: ‘The only thing people would ever ask me about was being famous. You go into, like, a fugue state.’
He reflected that his habit of concocting outlandish stories stemmed from discomfort with constant questions about fame.
Early in his post-Twilight career, Pattinson found himself overwhelmed by the scrutiny directed at his personal life and sought a creative way to deflect attention from personal topics.
At the time of the original fabrication, Pattinson was promoting Water for Elephants and later noted that the story arose from having ‘nothing interesting to say’ when asked about his experiences with the circus.
The absurdity of the tale grew legs, coming back to haunt him during subsequent interviews and even leading to playful confrontations with co-stars like Zoë Kravitz. ‘I couldn’t tell fact from fiction,’ he joked.
Over the years, Pattinson’s tendency to catch interviewers off-guard with unexpected answers became a hallmark of his public persona.
Now balancing mainstream hits like The Batman with indie masterpieces such as The Lighthouse, Rob seems more comfortable with the niche he’s carved out for himself as an actor.
With Mickey 17, directed by Bong Joon-ho, set to explore existential questions of identity, Pattinson’s recent revelations about truth and fiction feel particularly fitting for a career defined by wearing different masks in the public eye.
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