David Cronenberg’s Reaction to MTV Movie Brawl

January 25, 2012 Maria 27 comments

I thought you might all be interested to read David’s reaction to the win because not only does he say what we’ve been saying all along “if you’re a Rob fan, then you’ve got to be interested in “Cosmopolis,” because you will see him as you have not seen him before, for sure.“, but he sings praises again for Rob and also gives us a little insight into how the industry works.Â I cannot wait to see the promo tour for this film.Â Please if there is aÂ God bring David, Sarah and Rob to Sydney *getsdownonknees*.Â Anyway, enough babbling from me, here’s what David had to say to MTV:

“Eric Packer is about to embark upon the worst car ride of his life. Thankfully, Robert Pattinson â€” the actor who plays Packer in “Cosmopolis” â€” doesn’t share his character’s fate.

Pattinson fans came out in full force to elect “Cosmopolis” the winner of the MTV Movie Brawl 2012, a weeks-long tournament that pitted several of 2012’s biggest releases against one another to determine which film is the must-see cinematic event of the year. After tense battles against titans like “Bel Ami,” “The Twilight Saga – Breaking Dawn: Part 2,” “The Dark Knight Rises” and “The Hunger Games,” it’s Pattinson’s upcoming indie thriller that took home the grand prize.

It’s a surprising result for many onlookers, given that “Cosmopolis” has yet to release a trailer and only has a tentative release date of 2012. But Rob’s fans rallied behind their man, opting to support his future in “Cosmopolis” over his past in “Twilight” â€” a commanding decision from a massive fanbase that demands attention, to say the least. In fact, the movement was so strong that it even caught “Cosmopolis” director David Cronenberg’s eye even before the film won the brawl for it all. Shortly after the victory was announced, Cronenberg got on the phone with MTV News to talk about what “Cosmopolis” winning the MTV Movie Brawl means for the film, Pattinson’s performance, when fans can expect to see a trailer and much more.

MTV: David, thanks for talking with us! Have you been filled in on what’s happened with “Cosmopolis” over here?

David Cronenberg: You know, I’ve been following it! I’m shocked! I’m shocked and amazed and really tickled. It proves that movie fans are unpredictable and really interesting and really passionate. It’s fantastic. I would have never, ever imagined that this would happen.

MTV: How did the tournament first get on your radar?

Cronenberg: Somebody sent me something and said, “Hey, we seem to be doing OK in this Movie Brawl thing that MTV’s got going on.” I didn’t know about it. At that point, we were struggling with “The Dark Knight,” I think. I thought, “Wow, that’s pretty impressive!” Because “Cosmopolis,” while I think in terms of what it is as cinema is pretty hefty, but in terms of budget and promotion, it’s an underdog compared to something like “The Dark Knight” franchise. I really didn’t think we would have much of a chance. That really got my attention.

MTV: What’s kind of incredible, too, is that right before that battle with Batman, “Cosmopolis” was up against “Twilight.” It was Rob versus Rob! In what we saw, it seemed that fans were putting their votes towards Rob’s future instead of his past.

Cronenberg: Well, and I think that’s one of the things that I meant when I said it was interesting. Because that’s not the kind of thing you would predict. But it was really terrific, and in that sense, they’re right. As I’ve said many times, if you’re a “Twilight” fan, then you might not be interested in “Cosmopolis” because Rob is not Mr. Cullen. But if you’re a Rob fan, then you’ve got to be interested in “Cosmopolis,” because you will see him as you have not seen him before, for sure.

MTV: Clearly, there is a lot of interest in this movie, seeing that it came out ahead over movies like “Dark Knight,” “Twilight” and “Hunger Games.” There is a lot of attention on Rob, of course. Can you talk about your experience working with Rob, and the kind of actor you found him to be over the course of shooting “Cosmopolis”?

Cronenberg: He’s terrific. He deserves the affection that the fans have for him. He’s incredibly sweet, he’s very funny, he’s very bright and he’s also very knowledgeable about cinema. Not just movies but the history of cinema. He knows a lot about it. He’s just a sweetheart. And he’s totally professional. He’s always right there. We had a lot of fun shooting [the movie] because, as I say, he has a great sense of humor. We just played a lot. I think that’s a really great tone that’s set for everybody on the set. The lead actor has a really big influence on the tone of the shoot. If you’ve got a guy who’s very difficult and neurotic or whatever, they can’t help but affect everybody’s day. But Rob is not like that. He’s just a ray of sunshine. In fact, he’s in absolutely every scene of the movie, so obviously his temperament would have a huge influence on how the shoot went … and it was a dream. It was a beautiful shoot.

MTV: I think one of the reasons why some are surprised with how this tournament played out is that most of the films that were competing have trailers. This one doesn’t â€” at least not yet! When can fans expect to see a trailer?

Cronenberg: We feel probably that this won’t be released until next fall. It’s not exactly a summer movie and it won’t be ready for a while. The movie is finished, but something that fans maybe don’t know is how long it takes a movie to get released. You want to do a couple of film festivals, the studios in each country have to get their materials ready. The photographs, the trailers, everything … it takes a lot of time, you know? The other thing is, we kind of want to keep things a little bit of a secret until we unleash it on the world. We’re pretty excited about it and we don’t really want to let too much out about what it is and how it plays.

MTV: In terms of when this is coming out, you said perhaps fall of this year. So there’s no firm release date just yet?

Cronenberg: No, not at all. It’s been sold to a lot of countries and distributors around the world, but for example, it does not yet have U.S. distribution. That’s fine, because we didn’t want to look for it until we had the finished film. But frankly, the Movie Brawl results might well help us get some good U.S. distribution! [He laughs.] I just thought of that, but you know, it’s possible! It’s interesting to hear that indication of interest before you even release a trailer â€” that’s pretty darn good. But you can’t release a trailer until you have a distributor, and a distributor has to really have all the material, so it takes a while.

MTV: Well, something close to 6 million votes were cast in this tournament, and almost 4 million were cast in this final poll alone. The numbers do not lie.

Cronenberg: That’s fantastic. That’s just great. That’s just great.

MTV: In the spirit of this tournament, what’s the movie you’re most excited to see in 2012? What’s the film you can’t wait to get your eyes on?

Cronenberg: You know, I’m so focused on what I’ve been doing that I actually don’t know what’s around! It’s strange. I haven’t even caught up with last year’s films. I have a movie out now called “A Dangerous Method” with Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender and Viggo Mortensen. I’ve been touring the world promoting that, been to a ton of film festivals, but I haven’t had a chance to see any of the movies, because I’m constantly having to do interviews and stuff for that. Now, that’s calmed down now that the movie has finally been released in the U.S., but the result is that I’m way behind on everything.

MTV: So you’ve got to catch up on 2011 before moving onto 2012.

Cronenberg: That’s right! Let me catch up first, and then I’ll start thinking about 2012.

MTV: Finally, any last messages to the “Cosmopolis” fans who pushed this movie to the top?

Cronenberg: They won’t be disappointed in Rob. He is fantastic.

Thanks David – yeah in our eyes he’s always fantastic.Â I hope this means he will cast him again in another of his films *stillpraying*

27 comments on “David Cronenberg’s Reaction to MTV Movie Brawl”

Jules

January 25, 2012 at 8:07 am

OMG *worships Mr Cronenberg* I thought I loved him before but holy moly I loved this little interview. Best line?? I agree Maria – “But if youâ€™re a Rob fan, then youâ€™ve got to be interested in â€œCosmopolis,â€ because you will see him as you have not seen him before, for sure.”

I know you quoted it but quite frankly I don’t think we can see it enough….I may needlepoint it on a cushion. And about him being a ray of sunshine….just has me grinning like an idiot. Rob always makes an impression for all the RIGHT reasons. Thanks Maria – loved this so much. Maybe they could give us a few HQ stills while we’re waiting???? *bats eyelids*

ephie

January 25, 2012 at 8:15 am

Wow! I was hoping to see a reaction from DC and i am so happy right now. He is really amazed by this because lets face it it is astounding that a movie with no trailer or any form of publicity won this brawl against such big franchises. And DC nailed it in just 7 words. “he’s just a ray of sunshine”. And I don’t think I’m speaking just for myself when I say that this what Rob is to us, a ray of sunshine in our lives. He makes everything better and brighter without even trying just by being himself. And this is precisely why he has our undying support and adoration. Yeah this is another happy day.

Michelle

January 25, 2012 at 8:28 am

I’ve just been sitting here reading this wonderful interview grinning from ear to ear. LOVE it SO much & that quote *nods* ABSOLUTELY! I cannot say enough how wonderful it is & how blissfully happy it makes me to see Rob receiving the praise he so deserves as both an actor & a person. David I always knew you were a smart man – now I know it for SURE. “He’s just a ray of sunshine” – has me grinning like an idiot too Jules – that whole answer. We know David, we know 😀

I am so excited for this film, just cannot wait. *joins you down on knees Maria* Please please PLEASE bring Rob, David & Sarah to Sydney *smiles sweetly* The promo for this film is going to be EPIC. Just imagine! Have I mentioned how excited I am?!

Did I hear the mention of HQ stills *smiles sweetly*

Sue

January 25, 2012 at 8:32 am

Prayed for a comment from DC regarding all this …. and WOW, what a comment! I so hope Rob is aware of all this ~ he must be by now, I’m guessing. Hopefully we’ve managed to put a smile on his face too, what a wonderful thought! Thanks for posting, Maria ~ awesome start to the day!

ps. Watched Little Ashes last night …… he SO deserves all this affection!

liz

January 25, 2012 at 8:59 am

You know ladies, this is awesome! but I also feel the need to give you guys another pat on the back.
I voted too but obviously to the same level as you guys, and although I was more than happy to do it, I didn’t really “get” the point of it. I mean, its just an MTV poll, right? How important could it really be in the grand scheme of things?

But you ladies, and your passion and your thoughtfulness made us all aware of a great opportunity to show our support for Rob – and it has actually created something useful and productive for him and his movie.

Really, I’m sitting here in awe of you ladies and what you’ve helped achieve after reading that wonderful interview.

*round of applause for the RPAU girls*

xxxxx

liz

January 25, 2012 at 9:01 am

sorry typo –
“I voted NOT to the same level as you guys” –

thats why again, you’re commitment needs to be acknowledged

Maria

January 25, 2012 at 9:20 am

@liz I totally agree with you about these polls – they really mean nothing – just like those sexiest man polls, best actor polls. At the end of the day they are just a bit of fun for fans, but for some reason, this MTV poll, the vitriol that was spewed forth about Rob – even from Twilight fans, well that just there spurred us on just to make a point. People claiming we were only voting because we were 12 year old Twihards, or were superficial because Rob is considered hot – I mean I take these insults with a grain of salt, but something just triggered us all off – just to prove that Rob’s fans are none of the things they claim. Oh God I’m rambling. Anyway – my point is – a lot of people were shocked that Rob’s little indie film could beat the giants of the franchise world and the comments from both Giamatti and Cronenberg just make it all the more of a sweet victory.

The film doesn’t have a trailer yet we have enough faith and loyalty to him to know what to expect. Like I said yesterday, this film isn’t about making $100s of millions at the box office – this film is pure art – no cgi enhancement needed – just raw talent. Let’s just hope people are smart enough to leave their prejudices at the door and view this film with an open mind. They didn’t for Remember Me and it was their loss.

Cindy

January 25, 2012 at 9:24 am

🙂 🙂 🙂

Maria

January 25, 2012 at 9:26 am

@Jules I’m surprised Josh “fangirly” didn’t try and get Rob’s reaction to this – although maybe that’s in the pipeline. I guess if he’s about to launch into promo for BA we will undoubtedly “see” his reaction. There is no way Josh won’t tell him about this at some point.

Vicky

January 25, 2012 at 10:04 am

Just WOW!!! No way I can say it any better than what you ladies already have. So, happy and so proud to be a Rob fan. We did have a point to prove and I think we most certainly did that and then some!!!! I think people are so quick to judge. iIcannot believe it is so difficult for others to believe that mature, intelligent women can see beyond looks and heaven forbid Twilight but then maybe thats just their shallowness that is showing not ours!!!

Liz

January 25, 2012 at 10:13 am

Oh @maria, I hope you didn’t think that I meant the poll win was unimportant though!
I just meant that I didn’t think it was anything that would have any impact and I’m grateful that you guys brought it to my attention & and that it has had some positive effect and that I was glad that (thanks to you ladies) I got to be slightly involved.
I guess there will always be the haters out there after twilight, but the great news was that we had our little win, and it reflects well on rob. (and isnt the hunger games meant to be the next big franchise – so they’ll all be hating that one soon enough?!)
Still definitely a win to me, even with all those douches out there in haterland

Maria

January 25, 2012 at 10:29 am

LOL @Liz no I thought you probably had the same opinions about polls that I do – that they are pretty much just a bit of fun and nothing to take seriously. Looks like we are wrong though – although I’ve never seen the reaction to a poll win quite like this – I think everyone is pretty much surprised at the power of Rob fans since they had written us all off as Twihards. Welcome to the real world people.