“Why am I the one that keeps being asked to explain this?” Robert Pattinson laughs with mock exasperation. At a Sydney press conference, he’s just been asked to respond to co-star Reese Witherspoon’s comments that their love scenes were “snotty” due to Pattinson having the flu at the time they were filmed. “I actually thought they were amazing. I was really upset when I heard all these rumours. It was one of the most erotic moments of my life,” he jokes.

When asked whether Pattinson had anything to spill on Witherspoon, the good-natured actor remains tight-lipped. “I can’t say anything bad – she’s a lady,” he smiles.

Having just touched down in Sydney the night before, the pair, along with director Francis Lawrence, are currently in the country to promote the romantic period drama Water For Elephants. Considering the hype that surrounds the duo, particularly Pattinson (thanks to a little franchise called Twilight), the press conference at Sydney’s Luna Park this morning was a surprisingly low-key event, with only a handful of tourists and wandering locals lucky enough to spot the two stars. It’s almost guaranteed, however, to be an entirely different story when the red carpet rolls out tonight for the film’s premiere…

The screen adaptation of Sara Gruen’s bestselling novel, Water For Elephants, stars Pattinson as Jacob, a would-be veterinarian who stumbles into a job aboard a travelling circus after a family tragedy. He soon falls for the stunning star attraction – Melina (Witherspoon), the wife of the nasty ringmaster, August (Christoph Waltz). When August acquires an elephant named Rosie as an attempt to boost ticket sales, Jacob and Melina begin to bond over their affection for the animal…

Casting the two central characters in the romance wasn’t too tough for Lawrence – who realised pretty quickly that Witherspoon and Pattinson were perfect fits for the roles of Marlena and Jacob. “Reese was the first person that I ever pitched for the role of Marlena,” the director recalls. “I knew that I wanted a very American actress. But she’s also a fantastic actress – she’s smart, funny and sexy but she’s also pretty tough under the smile and the jokes. With Rob, I knew I wanted to cast him when I sat down with him because he is a lot like the character of Jacob – there’s a purity and warmth to his heart. I think sometimes he pretends to be a little cynical but he’s not. I knew that if we got some of that on screen, we’d be in good shape.”

While many may be unaware, it wasn’t the first time the stars had acted together. Somewhat ironically, Pattinson had made his film debut with Witherspoon in Vanity Fair playing her son – a scene that was later cut. “My girlfriend called me and it was right when the Twilight films were doing really well,” Witherspoon recalls, “and she said, ‘It’s so great that you worked with that guy’. I said, ‘What are you talking about? I didn’t work with that guy.’ She said, ‘Yes you did, you played his mother in Vanity Fair.’ I was horrified,” the actress laughs. “But in this movie, I’m 30 and Jacob’s about 24. No one makes any big deal about Christoph and I, and we have a 25-year-age gap.”

While Witherspoon says that she didn’t really think twice about the age difference, it was something of curiosity to Lawrence. “One of the things that really interested me about the dynamic of the love triangle was the age difference,” the director mused. “I think it’s interesting that August played by Christoph is older than Reese and she’s older than Rob. I think had they just seemed perfect from the beginning, it would have been really obvious and a little too clean and easy. I liked that it felt a little more real this way.”

Witherspoon was attracted to the story’s message and themes. “I think the thing I came away from when I read the book and saw the film is that it’s a very hopeful story,” she says. “There’s so many times in our lives where we feel limited, whether it’s due to a relationship or life experience, but this story showed that second chances in life are possible and it’s so important to take risks. It’s so important to live a full life.”

For both actors, working with the animals, especially the starring elephant named Tai, was an invaluable part of the experience. “That was incredible,” Witherspoon grinned. “I got to train with Tai for three months. I got to go to circus school and learn how to do trapeze and acrobatics. Every day I was training with the elephant, I kept thinking, ‘I cannot believe this is my job. I’m so happy right now.’ It was also daunting and scary and I had to take it slowly and the choreography was very elaborate.” Witherspoon was keen to stress though that all the circus stunts, except one, was her own work. “I kept hoping Francis would please put a ticker-tape underneath to say, ‘This really is Reese,’” she laughs.

For Pattinson, his time with Tai didn’t involve any theatrics but the actor became just as enamoured with his four-legged co-star. “Luckily I didn’t have to do anything difficult with her. I just got to hang out with her all the time which made my job the easiest thing I’ve ever done. Most of the time you’re doing movies with long hours, everyone looks so grumpy but with an elephant there, everyone’s saying, ‘Good morning’ and everyone’s in a good mood. I loved every minute of it. I think she’s kind of special and quite different to uh, the other elephants I’ve met,” he adds with a laugh.

For audiences, this film may appear to be a considerable step forward for Pattinson who remains best known for his role as a sensitive vampire but the actor has personally felt as though his whole career has evolved in a steady way. “I can see my career being kind of a gradual progression in a way. It’s just that no one else saw my other movies before Twilight,” he laughs. “But definitely one of the main reasons I wanted to do this was to work with Reese and Christolph who are not only Oscar winners – but recent Oscar winners. It makes you feel different about your status and it does feel like a big deal.”

In person, Pattinson seems down-to-earth and slightly goofy – a vastly different persona than the suave sex symbol he’s continually sold as by the press. One reporter asks whether modern trends like Twitter have exacerbated his celebrity status. “It’s a weird thing,” the actor says, “I’ve never understood why it’s so popular for the average person. I’ve never used Twitter or found anything interesting on it. I don’t even know how it works really but whenever you go into a restaurant and there’s one other person there, you see them on their phone “tweeting” and you literally want to go over and shove it down their throat.”

Adds Witherspoon on the subject: “We’re losing a part of our consciousness where we actually care about human interaction. Wouldn’t it be much cooler to come up to Rob and say, ‘I’m a great big fan of yours’ and then to be able to go home and tell your friends.”

Pattinson agrees with his co-star. “Generally, I don’t mind people coming up at all,” he says. “I just don’t like people being sneaky. With Twitter and taking photographs, I feel like it’s stealing but people coming up and saying nice things, that’s why we’re doing it in the first place. You want people to like your stuff.”

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