Robert Pattinson Plays 'Jacob' In 'Water For Elephants'

From what he laughingly dubbed "the middle of nowhere Canada," Robert Pattinson called in to Ryan Seacrest's radio show on Thursday morning (March 3) to chat about working with vampire babies in "Breaking Dawn" and animals in "Water for Elephants," an upcoming drama in which — taking an inadvertent cue from Taylor Lautner's "Twilight" character — he plays a man named Jacob.

"It is quite funny. After I read it, that was actually one of my main concerns — my only concern," Pattinson said of taking on the role. "The fact that he's Polish — Jacob Jankowski — kind of takes away from it. It's very different from 'Twilight.' "

The British actor described "Water for Elephants" as a "big, beautiful, old-fashioned love story" set in a 1930s circus and starring himself and Reese Witherspoon as "lovers." We got our first look at footage from the new movie, which hits theaters April 22, late last year, and more official video footage is slated to pop up online on Thursday. Of working with elephants, Pattinson said, "They're the most sophisticated, gentle creatures you could possibly hope to work with."

He was less forthcoming about working with those much-discussed vampire babies in "Breaking Dawn." "It's all secret. I'm going to get beaten if I say anything," he laughed.

When Seacrest pointed out that he read about the young vampires in the current issue of Vanity Fair, in an interview with RPattz himself, the actor responded, "Oh really? That's why I got beaten last night!"

Pattinson said he's got two more months of shooting in Canada on "Breaking Dawn" before heading straight into the press tour for "Water for Elephants." There will be no post-"Twilight" vacation for the guy, but he doesn't seem to mind.

"I'm just about catching up to where it took off," he said of adjusting to his fame. "I'm pretty happy about the way things have gone."

Check out everything we've got on "Water for Elephants."

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