Robert Pattinson Motivated By 'Chance Of Failure'

Robert Pattinson delivered so many delicious goods during his recent visit to MTV News that we're still reveling in all the information gleaned about his upcoming projects, important thoughts on kittens vs. puppies and why he's been hanging out at the gun range.

Despite the many digressions in the half-hour conversation intended to be pegged to his new movie "Cosmopolis," one segue that proved somewhat fruitful was a discussion about what Pattinson's limits might be in totally embodying quirky characters or challenging material, à la Shia LaBeouf's recent admission that he's ready to do "whatever it takes" for Lars von Trier's next film, "Nymphomaniac."

"[Shia would] do anything," Pattinson said when LaBeouf and Von Trier's collaboration was brought up in conversation. "Oh he's doing it? [For me] it's like, who knows?" he admitted of not yet knowing what he's willing to do for future film roles. "I love Lars. I think he's great. It's bold, it's brave. Shia did that [fully nude Sigur Rós] video already, he's already popped his cherry, but it's great," he said of their unique approach, before adding, slightly under his breath, that he might be too much of a wuss to take on a movie of that nature.

Speaking to the acting muscles he stretched for "Cosmopolis" and director David Cronenberg, Pattinson was just as self-deprecating.

"It was total luck. It was like a gift to get the job," he said. "I sort of fell into acting. It's not like I've been striving since I was a kid to get this. But I like movies more than acting, I think. I like the idea of being in movies that I like, contributing something."

But that luck hasn't translated into feeling total comfort in his abilities as an actor.

"I think as soon as you feel validated, you're a bad actor," Pattinson said. "You have to constantly feel that there's a 99 percent chance of failure. Total failure. Devastating failure. You should feel like every single job is the potential where you're never going to get another job again. Not in a bad way — you should feel good about it, because then you're in it. It's all about living in the present."

Check out everything we've got on "Cosmopolis."

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