Robert Pattinson Discusses His Confidence & ‘The Most Stupid Thing’ He’s ‘Ever Done’

Robert Pattinson may be best known for his role as the fearsome vampire Edward in “The Twilight Saga” series, but the “Remember Me” actor told the latest issue of Parade magazine that off-screen, he’s not quite so confident.

“When it comes to the opposite sex, I’m not as fully confident as the guy I play,” he said of his new film, in which he stars opposite “Lost’s” Emilie de Ravin. “I don’t even remember the last time I asked someone out on a date, like, just went up to them and that’s the first thing I did. I’m much more self-conscious and not wanting to fail. So I tend to hold back.”

Indeed, the star said he’d love to be more like Tyler, the brash character he plays in the new romantic drama.

“I related to Tyler in that I wish I could have done things like he did when I had the opportunity. There is something quite satisfying about being a little bit more reckless and even fighting,” he told Parade. “It’s quite cathartic to just sort of randomly start hitting someone. It was fun kind of letting all your rage go on the set.”

But in prepping for one big fight sequence, he added that he went a little too far.

“At the end, I was like doing this thing where I was hitting myself in the arm, sort of pumping myself up,” he said. “They cut it out of the movie, but I punched myself so hard that I was in a lot of pain for the rest of the shoot. It was the most stupid thing I’ve ever done.”

While Robert may be enjoying some on-screen fighting now, he explained that during his early acting days, he had a few more serious run-ins.

“I got beaten up by a lot of people when I was younger. I was a bit of an idiot, but I always thought the assaults were unprovoked. It was after I first started acting and I liked to behave like an actor, or how I thought an actor was supposed to be, and that apparently provoked a lot of people into hitting me.”

Now, crowds of adoring fans seek after Robert – and while his rumored relationship with co-star Kristen Stewart has made him a tabloid institution in the wake of “The Twilight Saga’s” success, Robert said he wants to mold his career after another actor who’s managed to rise above the headlines.

“You keep trying to make your name stand for something other than just like meaningless celebrity. It’s a difficult battle, but I think people like Johnny Depp have done that,” he explained. “He’s not judged by his public image, it’s just his acting that counts. To get to that place takes a lot of discipline and a lot of hiding.”