Claire Denis talks working with Robert Pattinson on High Life
The Independent recently spoke with Claire Denis and this is what she had to say about working with Rob:
The director’s technique with her actors is always the same – and it is always (quite literally) hands-on. “For me, it is impossible to work with someone I am not in love with. Any actress or any actor becomes mine. I remember when I started working with Robert (Pattinson, on High Life), I told him, ‘look, I am not going to work exactly like you are used to. Me, I will touch you.’†She would then “touch his hair, touch his skin†and try to come as close to him as she could.
That extreme level of intimacy between filmmaker and star could easily seem oppressive in a different context (for example, if it was a male director) but it is also clear that actors relish working with Denis and feel valued and liberated on her sets.
“There’s a controlled eccentricity and wildness to the way Claire works, where you never really know what’s happening,†Pattinson told IndieWire of his experiences on High Life. “You just turn up and treat each day in and of itself. It was quite fun.†The actor spoke to Little White Lies magazine about the “very sensual way†Denis shoots. “When she looks through a camera there’s this feeling of wanting to touch but being afraid to, and so she uses the camera as her hand.â€
Click on link to read full interview. As mentioned in previous post – Claire will be giving a master class on 17 April 2020. It will be livestreamed for those who would like to watch. Information can be found here