England is always my home for ever. There is something that never be replaced, I feel that more than ever since I’ve been away from there. I used to live in Soho (mid-London), when I went there in last Christmas vacation it looked completely different.

But you’re not really allowed to complain about any of this [fame]. You’re just supposed to be grateful. And obviously—I get it. You’re lucky and you should appreciate your luck. But, I mean, it just seems if you even hint that there’s a bad side to any of this people will be like—Liar! I guess it’s because people want to have it as a dream.

It’s funny now, like trying to socialize with people. There’s this cautiousness about people which I just find really weird.

I can’t really understand it even now. It does have an angle which is attached to something quite primal in girls. I guess people want it to define them, like ‘I’m a Twilight fan.’ That’s crazy to me. I think people really just like being part of a crowd. There’s something just tremendously exciting about hyping yourself up to that level.

[Tai] was the best actor I ever worked with in my life. I cried when the elephant was wrapped. I never cried when anyone else was wrapped.

Kristen [Stewart] is very focused on being an actress. I mean, that’s what she is – she’s an actress. Whereas I – I just don’t really know.

I’ve just kind of stopped doing everything. I never change the channel in my trailer. I just watch reruns of ‘House of Payne’ and ‘Two and a Half Men.’ I love ‘Cops’ – I think it’s my favorite TV show. God, I sound like such a loser.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. My brain doesn’t work anymore. I haven’t any memory. I can’t write. All I can do is sign my name.

Recently I stood in the desert, far outside of L. A., and watched the sun set on a circus tent from 1930. Everywhere stood animals: elephants, tigers that should be loaded into a steam train. 300 extras in costumes raced around, the modern world had disappeared totally. Although that was totally fake, it still happened directly before my eyes! That was my perfect day. I would be gladly experience that every day. It happens continually to me: It calls itself work. That is wonderful and more than enough.

Christoph [Waltz] is stunning, an insanely nice guy. He is not only a ridiculously good actor, he is also really funny, helpful, and a good colleague. I like his work ethic. I mean, the guy has won an Oscar—and despite that he is receptive, open-minded, and not the least bit snooty. And Reese Witherspoon is the same. It may be the nicest cast that I have worked with yet—a really great experience.

Every one of us knows the time, before something happens between a couple, when you’re still totally insecure: Does the other person like me or not? That is definitely the riskiest time! This moment can last an eternity. To this sweet uncertainty also comes anxiety, especially if it’s the first time for both people. I believe this worry stirs up desire. And in this case, the period of desire lasts almost four books [The Twilight Saga].

I believe rather, that everyone has sex before marriage (laughs)—then and now. I also don’t believe that girls ‘must respect themselves’ or that boys only want ‘the one’. If you behave like a gentleman, because chastity really suits you—okay. But if you take it for the newest fad in the dating world, then it’s rather off the mark.

It was recently. It happened while I was filming ‘Water for Elephants’ in which my partner is Reese Witherspoon. We had a scene with elephants but there were so many paparazzi around that it was scaring the ani­mals and it was impossible to film. Out of the blue, fans that were waiting for autographs had enough and circled around the paparazzi. Teens made big guys run away. It was unreal! I was pleased.

This comparison seems to decrease as the films go. Fans don’t see me like that anymore. Contrarily to the first movie they can differentiate my character and me. At the start when I did public appearances, for them I was Edward 100%. I could read it in their eyes. Many lacked control which scared me. Everything has changed and now when I do interviews I am as honest and sincere as possible. I’m not Edward and I make sure it shows.

Already from the time that I was 18 they [Rob’s two sisters] explained to me: if you hadn’t started styling your hair with gel, then you still would have always been one of these plain, boring people.

I was obsessed with a writer called Martin Amis when I was a teenager. I read everything. Every single time I went to a bookshop, I’d see if he has other books. I used to buy multiple editions of his books. Martin, Van Morrison and Jimi Hendrix—they were my people when I was growing up. I’d obsessively collect all their stuff.

I think I’ve become more old-fashioned. I feel like I’m already turning middle-aged now. It’s quite nice to be doing a series of films [The Twilight Saga] that a lot of people think uphold positive virtues. Some people actually think the films are a good influence on their kids.

It’s funny because I’m playing a dad in some scenes in ‘Breaking Dawn’ and I’m portraying one in a movie I’m doing now as well. I’m terrified about doing it. I don’t know what I’m going to do when it comes to those scenes. I’ve been complaining so much about having the makeup on and contact lenses. Kristen [Stewart] is like, ‘You’re so pathetic. You have to just get over it. Why can’t you just get used to it?’ [Now, since Kristen has to wear contact lens, too], I can finally be like, ‘You will know what it’s like. You’re going to be in constant aggravation the whole time.’ Which is great.

I’m glad that it’s Bill Condon [who’s directing ‘Breaking Dawn’]. I love his stuff. I haven’t seen the script yet but I am fearful about the series’ end. It’s such a great security blanket. It’s like a net. You can afford to make mistakes when you have another ‘Twilight’ film to make. After that, I guess you’re on your own.

One of the things that really annoys me about the rise of all these celebrity websites is that anyone who becomes famous—people are so desperate to prove that [celebrities] are lower than the average person on the street. Why destroy any hope for anyone else? When I grew up, looking at movies like ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ and stuff, it made me want to do things. And you don’t want to believe that someone you admire… [is an a--hole].

I just kept telling everyone why I needed to take my shirt off in a scene, and everyone else had to think of reasons why I shouldn’t. ‘No, I don’t think so—Edward is much more chaste than that.’ Then I’d say, ‘No, seriously—I would like to wear a really tight tank top and have my belly come out of the bottom. And have some sweat on it, too.’

Every single time we had to do a threatening thing to each other—for one thing, you [Taylor Lautner] always have your shirt off, and so in the tent scene I literally grabbed your breast. And it’s very difficult to remain in the moment. Also, in that tent scene, I can’t really get over the fact that the world ‘thought’ sounds like ‘fart.’

I take way too long to get dressed, like way too long. But only for things like shows or if I have to do public appearances. Like, I’m ridiculous, I’ll keep getting changed and getting changed and then I’ll just put on the same thing I wore the day before.

The more you are exposed, the more people irrationally hate you, I think we reached a point, a peak, with ‘New Moon’ where the stories became so saturated into the culture that it started to feel normal. It’s like the tabloids don’t know what to write anymore because they’ve used up all their scandals.

I don’t know what benefit there would be to talking about it. In logical terms, if you were just walking down the street and every single stranger on the street knew your business, and came up and felt the need to comment on it, you’d just be like, ‘Shut up! Like, I’m gonna kill you!’ And it’s exactly the same mentality. I don’t really want to try and sell it either, maybe if I was selling it I’d talk about it more.

It’s weird, I think I’ve become a little less mal-coordinated in the last couple of years. I’m doing ‘Water for Elephants’ now which there’s quite a few active bits where I’m pulling around horses and stuff. I’m just like when was I suddenly becoming capable, because I definitely wasn’t.

For some reason I felt a lot more comfortable with the action stuff this time. Normally I just felt so silly, like even in New Moon I remember starting the fight with Taylor [Lautner] at the end, I just felt like such a moron. I think it’s the clothes, like you’re always wearing such skinny jeans and like a little blazer and a kind of woolen sweater and trying to act like you’re tough, and you just know it’s not going to happen. Now I have little thermal tops and things, and now I’m wearing charcoal!

I think you’ll see a lot of my crack in it [Bel Ami]. But um, I think there’s quite a lot of me to see. But I haven’t seen anything yet, and it was very- it’s such a strange story. I think it will turn out being pretty interesting. But I have no idea about any of it yet.

I remember seeing that scene thought and thinking like ‘God I don’t remember doing that, that’s a little bit saucy, that’s a little raunchy’ for a Twilight movie.

Something about kneeling down, because I had to kneel down so much in the ‘Twilight’ movies and it always looks really awkward. I’ve actually got quite long thighs and it doesn’t work.