Robert Pattinson seems like a pretty fun guy to be around — especially now that he’s away from the spotlight of the Twilight films a bit — but this seems to have gotten the better of his during his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live this past Thursday. On the show, Pattinson was asked to tell a story about a scene with a dog from on the set of his new film Good Time and how his character was essentially pleasuring the dog in a scene. It makes more sense in the context of the film, but the part that caused issues is Pattinson’s additional details around being to asked to actually pleasure the dog, prompting some to toss around words like bestiality.
At the time, Pattinson and host Jimmy Kimmel laughed at the situation and treated it like any late night story you’d hear, but as Pattinson said in a statement, things “spiraled out of control.” PETA somehow became involved, praising Pattinson for refusing to take part in the act and saying it was “like child molestation” and would constitute mistreatment according to TMZ. They also compared it to the controversy surrounding the film A Dog’s Purpose, later found out to be misleading after an investigation that determined no animals were harmed on the set.
The response to the story has prompted Pattinson to release a statement on the situation and clear up confusion about the deleted scene and what actually happened on set:
The story I told on Jimmy Kimmel last night seems to have spiraled out of control. What didn’t come across is that this was supposed to be a joke. No one at all expected or assumed that anything like that would happen on the “Good Time” set. We are all huge animal lovers and would obviously never do anything to harm an animal. Everyone involved in “Good Time” are amazing professionals and have come together to make a movie that I’m extremely proud of. I feel embarrassed that in the moment, I was trying to make Jimmy laugh, only to create confusion and a false impression.
So has outrage created another controversy out of nothing? You’d have to hope so considering what the situation would be otherwise. There’s also the outcomes that plagued A Dog’s Purpose ahead of its release, essentially derailing it and forcing the cancellation of its premiere. Good Time is the latest film from Josh and Benny Safdie and received a lot of praise, including an extended ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.
While Pattinson certainly wasted no time getting out in front of the brewing controversy over the deleted scene, those connected to the film likely hope that it won’t end up affecting its performance or critical reaction. It’s a good reason to never talk about things you think might be illegal in public, especially since they very well could be illegal and not everybody knows you’re trying to joke around.
(Via Indiewire / Jimmy Kimmel Live)