Robert Pattinson
reflects on his thoughts about Hollywood in the post-COVID era, and why he has hope for the future. The former Twilight actor has transformed his career over the last decade. This year, he plays the leading role in Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17, which is set for release on March 7. The movie will focus on Mickey, an “expendable” clone man who is sent on a perilous mission to colonize an ice planet. In addition to Pattinson, Mickey 17 cast features Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo, and Steven Yeun.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Pattinson discusses his feelings about the state of cinema in the post-COVID era. He said that he was “literally almost turned off” of cinema due to the worries that it was a dying art because of COVID and the strikes. However, the actor’s faith has been restored by “this flurry of very ambitious movies.” Check out the full quote from Pattinson below:

It’s strange because the last few years for the film industry, starting with COVID and then the strikes, everyone was constantly saying cinema is dying. And quite convincingly. I was literally almost turned off. It actually started to get a little worrying. Then looking in the last few months, there’s this flurry of very ambitious movies. I feel like the stuff that’s going to get nominated for Oscars this year is going to be really interesting, and it seems like there’s suddenly a new batch of directors who the audience is excited about as well. Hopefully Mickey will come out in a period of enthusiasm for cinema.

When asked which movies made him “excited about movies again,” Pattinson cited The Brutalist, Anora, and Armand. Read his full comment below:

I saw this Norwegian movie Armand, which I thought was amazing. My friend Brady Corbet’s movie The Brutalist. Anora. You can even see in terms of scripts, I mean, every actor for two years was saying, “What is happening? Nothing’s cool.” Not saying that everything that came out wasn’t cool, but actually it was very studio. I don’t know what was going on really, what happened in the Saturn return or whatever it is, but now there’s really cool parts everywhere.

What Pattinson’s Perspective Means About The State Of Cinema

2024 Had Some Great Films

Pattinson is voicing what many people have been thinking in this post-pandemic era. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shutdowns were not the only barriers the film industry has faced in the past five years, as the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes shut down production again in 2023. This meant that Hollywood could not fully recover from the drought of 2021 and 2022 content created by the pandemic, and the industry is still playing catch-up with altered release dates and more.

It seems like 2024 was a game-changing year from Pattinson’s perspective. Both The Brutalist and Anora are getting widespread critical acclaim and are likely to be up for major awards at this year’s Academy Awards. Armand is another interesting shout-out, as the Norwegian film is on the Oscars shortlist and won the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival. If films like these inspire others in the industry, this could mark a turning point towards optimism in Hollywood.

Our Take On Pattinson’s Opinion On The State Of Hollywood

2025 Could Be An Even Better Year For Film

Pattinson makes an astute point in calling out the “flurry of very ambitious movies.” Sean Baker and Robert Eggers were just some of the most notable auteurs, who released acclaimed movies post-pandemic. This trend will only continue in 2025, which Pattinson himself is involved in through his work with Ramsay and Bong. Beloved directors such as Richard Linklater, Wes Anderson, Kogonada, and Ari Aster are also slated for 2025 releases, further elevating this year’s film profile and providing hope for the future of the film industry.

Source: VF