By Fred Topel

New Moon is here and the Twi-Hards have yet another opportunity to ogle Robert Pattinson. The sequel to Twilight is actually his least present role. Edward Cullen breaks up with Bella, trying to protect her. Of course she needs him too badly, but by the time he returns, Team Jacob has gained traction. Here are a few thoughts from Pattinson’s press conference.

Q: What sort of adjustment did you have to make to Chris Weitz as the new director of New Moon? We heard he gave you a full syllabus of information.

Robert Pattinson: Insomuch as when he gave that out, I mean, I’ve never had that, from any director. It was 40 or 50 pages long, and this is in addition to a bunch of letters and emails and everything, trying to show that he was on the same page as us and was completely with us, in making the film. And, he didn’t falter from that attitude, throughout the whole movie. It probably sounds ridiculous how much praise this guy gets. I was just with him and his wife in Japan, and she was even kind of sick of it. But, he is like a saint. He’s one of the best people I’ve ever met, let alone directors. I think in a lot of ways, it shows in the movie. It’s got a lot of heart, especially for a sequel in a franchise. He’s just a great person to work with.

Q: If there was a fight between Edward and Jacob, who would win?

Robert Pattinson: I don’t know. I think it’s actually a fact that Edward would win, I think, if I read the books correctly. So, I guess I can hold onto that, for my ego.

Q: What about in a fight between you and Taylor Lautner?

Robert Pattinson: I did hear, the other day, that Taylor had agreed to an interview where the interviewer was going to fight him. I don’t think I’d ever agree to that. And, after looking at Taylor’s martial arts videos from when he was like nine, I wouldn’t really want to do anything. Maybe if I had some kind of weapon.

Q: What was it like watching Taylor transform physically?

Robert Pattinson: I didn’t see Taylor until just a little bit before we started shooting, so when he came back, I had the same reaction as everybody else. I was like, “Now I have to go to the gym.”

Q: Appearing in most of the movie as only a series of visions, did you feel disjointed from your cast mates at all?

Robert Pattinson: Those scenes were the hardest scenes. They weren’t really at the time, but when I saw the first cut of the movie, we changed them quite a bit in the edit and ADR. As for being alone, I’ve always felt a little bit aloof as the character, throughout the whole series. I think that’s how he is, so I didn’t really feel any particularly different.

Q: Did you ever want to be in the movie more?

Robert Pattinson: There was talk, at the beginning, of showing his backstory in South America, going around moping or something. That would have been terrifying for me, and I think it would have been catastrophic for the film as well. I fought as far as I could to keep it as limited as possible, mainly because it just doesn’t happen in the book. But then, at the same time, it’s scary just to do a voice-over because it could well end up being very cheesy. I guess there was a medium.

Q: Who is your favorite movie vampire of all time, and why?

Robert Pattinson: I don’t really know. I always think of the wrong people. I always think, “Ethan Hawke in Interview with a Vampire,” and someone will say, “He’s not the vampire. He’s the interviewer. [Note: Still wrong. You’re thinking of Christian Slater.]” There’s a bunch. I actually really like Wesley Snipes. I think Wesley Snipes is great.