ELLE India Exclusive! Robert Pattinson: 'Mickey 17' Is One Of The Craziest Scripts I’d Ever Read

A Bong Joon Ho sci-fi movie starring not one, but multiple Robert Pattinsons? Looks like someone’s (mine) wishlist popped off. For those who keep with cinema know that Bong, the Oscar winner genius behind Parasite and Snowpiercer, has a way of turning every story into something unexpected, something bigger than itself. And then there’s the ultimate Good Looking (IYKYK) Pattinson—the man who went from brooding vampire to The Batman, proving time and again that he can shapeshift into just about anything.

Now, in Mickey 17, we’re we’re getting multiple versions of him. Cloning, existential dread, dark humour, and Bong’s signature storytelling? It’s like this movie was made for people who grew up obsessing over Twilight and then fell in love with next new genre they saw the actor in. Buckle up, because this one’s going to be a trip.
In an exclusive conversation with ELLE India, the actor is joined by the director and co-star Mark Ruffalo, sharing what life was like on set and more.

A Sci-Fi Set That Feels Like Another World

Pattinson describes stepping onto the set of Mickey 17, saying, “I’ve never felt so small.” At Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in Hertfordshire, England, a vast soundstage has been transformed into the interior of a colossal spacecraft. Surrounded by an immense collage of practical sets, he finds himself enveloped in a mechanical world that feels worlds away from home.

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“The only thing about this place that feels semi-familiar is the dozens of people buzzing about, each working to refine the set’s design in some small way,” he adds. “The attention to detail is remarkable; every crew member and craftsperson is meticulously dedicated to bringing the visionary director’s story of the ‘expendable’ named Mickey Barnes to life.”

Bong Joon Ho’s Unique Approach to Filmmaking

Every director has a signature way of keeping this on set and Bong has what Pattinson calls “a very powerful aura.” The Batman star says, “He never struck me as the kind of filmmaker who takes himself too seriously, and his demeanour on today’s set only confirms that notion. Dressed in sneakers and a simple black T-shirt, he moves from department to department with a translator by his side and a smile on his face."

He adds, "Many directors openly bemoan the production process as anxiety-ridden and strenuous. Bong would not appear to fall in with this crowd. He seems strangely at ease here in the heart of production on his latest dazzler, happily conversing with collaborators and crew.”

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Adding to Pattinson’s POV, Bong chips in “The writing process is very lonely and very painful, sometimes I don’t want to do it at all, but I always know it’s going to be over in six or eight months, so I face it head-on with that in mind. I try to make myself as lonely as possible. I tend to write better when I’m isolated.” 

A Sci-Fi Story That’s Not Really Sci-Fi

It was from one of these painful periods of isolation that the writer-director emerged with his newest script, Mickey 17, an adaptation of Edward Ashton’s 2022 novel, Mickey7. “The novel’s basic sci-fi concept was very interesting, but I was struck by the story’s human touch,” informs Bong.

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He shares, “It touches upon the human heart and the instincts we carry. From there, I felt certain I could draw out a lot of dark comedy, humour, and all sorts of interesting emotions. I knew that although this is a sci-fi story, it wouldn’t feel like sci-fi. It would be about the everyday human condition.”

Director Bong Joon Ho with Naomi Ackie

“It’s also very funny,” interjects Bong. “It’s not a big space epic where people shoot laser beams. It’s about these silly losers. The story is packed with people who are endearingly silly.”

Oh (Robert) Mickey, You're So Fine!

The director eagerly sought out Pattinson to portray the film’s titular character after a long time spent observing his rise as a leading man. “We’ve all known him since Harry Potter,” says Bong, “but I started seeing him under another light as an actor through Good Time with the Safdie brothers and his riveting performance in The Lighthouse with Willem Dafoe. He became an actor on another level with those two works. Same goes for The Batman. I thought Mickey 17 would ignite the ambitions he has as an actor, and that we would be able to have fun and inspire each other.”

Still from Mickey 17

Dressed in full costume with an unfortunate bowl haircut, Pattinson shares his equal admiration for Bong as I approach him during a lull between setups. “I think nowadays there are very few directors in the world who are on Bong’s level,” says Pattinson. “He’s living in very rarified air. I’ve just been such a huge fan of his. And it just came out of nowhere—'There’s a Bong project.’ Then the script came in, and it is one of the craziest things I’d ever read. It felt risky, but in a really nice way, and it is wonderful to do it with someone by whom you feel supported as well.”

A Complex Protagonist

Pattinson found in Bong’s script a protagonist of unexpected complexity. “Mickey is a deceptively complicated character,” he explains.

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 “At first glance, he seems like a simpleton, but he’s not. He has quite specific desires. He’s innocent and naïve in lots of ways. He comes from a place of extreme hurt and he’s trying to deal with a lot of trauma, but it manifests itself looking quite silly to other people. But it’s not silly to him.”

Mark Ruffalo’s Unexpected Role

In the film, Mark Ruffalo portrays Kenneth Marshall—a committed former politician hell-bent on delivering his followers to a pristine new world, Niflheim, filled with Utopian promise.

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“When I first read the script, it was both exciting and totally intimidating,” admits Ruffalo. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure I was the right fit—I had never played a character like this before. When I met director Bong, I said, ‘I don’t know if I’m the right person for this…’ And he replied, ‘What are you talking about? I wrote it with your voice in my head.’ I was shocked—and so honoured.”

Also, read: ELLE India Exclusive: Naomi Ackie Talks ‘Mickey 17,’ Bong Joon-Ho And Crushing On Multiple Robert Pattinsons