From NWZ Online:

“Imitation of James Dean

Robert Pattinson is present at this year´s Berlinale with not one, but two movies. In one of them he plays the photographer of James Dean. In our interview the former vampire-star tells how he used to perceive the Hollywood legend.

Berlin. At the luxurious Hotel de Rome in the heart of Berlin, hidden away in a parlor behind the lobby, Robert Pattinson gives interviews for his Berlinale-movie “Life” on Monday. Full beard, tousled hair, on the table in front of him a bottle of Coke. Before we get started on the first question, the 28 year-old quickly pops a stick of gum into his mouth.

In Anton Corbijn`s “Life” Pattinson plays the young photographer Dennis Stock, who discovered James Dean before he had his big break-through in Hollywood. Stock snapped the famous picture of James Dean walking down rainy Times Square in New York with a cigarette between his lips and a popped-up collar. In this interview with German press agency dpa Pattinson talks about his own James Dean-phase and his heartthrob-image.

Q: James Dean is one oft the big icons of our time. What is your image of him?
RP: I think every actor at some point goes through a James Dean-obsession. When I was 16, 17 years old you were practically always imitating James Dean, no matter what the role was… I think James Dean liked people looking at him. But there are other actors who don´t exactly know why they became actors (laughs). I think I´m rather one of those.

Q: What did you do when you imitated Dean?
RP: It´s mostly about body language. For example, something like this (he props his elbow on his thigh and briefly rests his head on his hand). Whoever saw me pretending to be James Dean probably wondered what I was doing!

Q: Since the end of the Twilight Saga you´ve worked with directors like David Cronenberg, Werner Herzog and now Anton Corbijn. Do you think of Twilight as a door-opener for new projects or is it more like a curse because it gave you the image of a heartthrob?
RP: It really only ever brought good things for me. Everybody has to deal with something. There´s something positive about people accusing you of being type-cast; it helps you to try and be casted for different things. It energizes you, in a way. It´s fun to refute such an image.”

Translation thanks to @enamoramiento1