Robert Pattinson Reveals He’s Inspired by the “Charles Bukowski Method”

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Robert Pattinson, by Gage Skidmore (CC license 2.0)

We can now add Robert Pattinson to the list of known celebrities who are fans of Charles Bukowski, alongside the likes of Amber Tamblyn, Drew Barrymore, Steven Wright, and countless others.

The actor can currently be seen on the big screen in Robert Eggers’ masterpiece The Lighthouse, and is set to appear in Christopher Nolan’s action-thriller Tenet next year, followed by Matt Reeves’ The Batman, set for a 2021 release.

Pattinson recently gave an interview to the Los Angeles Times, where he discussed his career anxieties prior to landing those big roles, among other topics. He gives some insight into where he draws his inspiration, and how the real purpose behind creation should be for self-fulfillment, which is where Bukowski makes an appearance.

He told the publication:

“And I never want to do something for an audience … ever,” Pattinson says. “I think it’s literally disgusting.” He bursts out laughing at the force of his disdain.

“It’s just so disrespectful of people. ‘I made this for you,’ he continues, on a roll. “You don’t know me. How can you know what I want? And it also indoctrinates the audience into thinking that they somehow are special because someone said, ‘I made it for you.’ They didn’t make it for you. They made it for your money.

“Everybody should be making [things] for themselves. If no one likes it, you just have to do it more. And put it out more places. And eventually someone will like it. It has to work eventually. I call it the [Charles] Bukowski method.”

Bukowski toiled away in obscurity for years, sending his poems and short stories to the little magazines before his career gained any traction, initially playing to a small audience before being discovered.

He was also not driven by satisfying an audience. After all, he famously once said, “Wherever the crowd goes, run in the other direction. They’re always wrong.”

When he was asked of his alter-ego Henry Chinaski’s character in the one and only screenplay he wrote, for the Barbet Schroeder directed Barfly, why people would want to watch a movie about a guy who does nothing but get drunk all day, he replied that if he worried about what the audience wanted he would never write anything.

Sometimes the greatest path to success is simply listening to your inner voice and ignoring the masses. It worked for Bukowski, and it seems to be working for Pattinson. Give it a try for yourself next time you’re tempted to listen to the crowd. You just might find it works for you too.