Robert Pattinson (Reuters file photo)

LOS ANGELES -- For a vampire, until death do you part isn't much of a commitment.

But then, as Robert Pattinson points out, the groom is only "a prop" anyway.

"It does seem like a bit of a hassle," he says, reflecting on the lavish nuptials that occur in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1 between his character, undead Edward Swan, and Kristen Stewart's all-too-human Bella Swan.

"Playing the part, you kind of realize it's such a clear indication of whose day it is when you're staring at one end of the aisle and the entire congregation turns and you're in the same suit as every other guy and she's coming down in a princess dress."

Nor is this the first time Pattinson, 25, has observed this. Having done so in front of Stewart, who he's dating in real life, she "got annoyed with me," he admits.

Of course, for Bella and Edward, the wedding proves the least of their concerns. In the sequel, their honeymoon is interrupted when she realizes she's pregnant with a creature that's growing awfully fast -- and hungrily -- inside her.

Reflecting on his alter-ego, he says, "I think in the broadest terms, with Edward's journey, I ignored the fact that he's a vampire and basically ignored the fact he's 108, except for metaphorical purposes. You're left with a troubled teenager. It's a really simple story of him getting content with himself. And he gets content by finding a woman and having a child, which is how a lot of troubled guys kind of balance themselves out. At least that's the hope anyway."

In fact, during one sequence early on that unfolds in the past, director Bill Condon wanted to make it clear that Edward has loathed himself -- and his nature -- for decades.

"I always thought that would be the key ingredient," Pattinson says. "He's been stuck in adolescence. When you're an adolescent you think everything's unfair and he's been living like it for 100 years. You'd eventually get to the point of desperation ... It's funny but Bill was the first person to say 'I want to put this at the forefront' because Breaking Dawn is probably the happiest Edward's been in the series."

Pattinson's own journey hasn't been as long or tumultuous.

Still, he acknowledges sudden fame "presented a whole variety of obstacles in terms of how you want to grow and who you want to be. It's like having a very complicated maze to go through. And you're also being propelled by some kind of jet as well, and trying to figure out how to go through the maze at the same time. It hasn't slowed down. I'm still trying to figure out where I'm at ... I didn't even know if I was going to continue acting before this happened, and now I have more of a drive and passion for it than I ever did before."

And his appetite was further whetted when he recently collaborated with director David Cronenberg on the forthcoming film Cosmopolis.

"Smaller movies are great because you don't have to argue with so many people all the time. But really I like arguing so there's a balance either way. With independent movies it's nice to see someone directing who's so pleased with it. I just worked with David Cronenberg and he's left alone by everyone because obviously he's proved himself time and time again. But it's strange. I've never worked with someone who's felt absolutely no pressure. It's kind of nice to know that the pressure isn't caused by compromises."

Pattinson scared of music critics

You'd think three years of starring in critically maligned Twilight films would thicken anyone's skin.

Yet Robert Pattinson, who contributed music to the original Twilight soundtrack as well as for the 2008 film How To Be, says he has yet to release any music he's made out of fear of criticism.

"I record stuff a lot, but there's something about making movies. I can handle the criticism because you can always blame it on someone else. There's hundreds of people to blame it on," he says, laughing.

Blame it on someone else? Makes sense to us.

"But with music," he adds, "as soon as you put something out there, you're basically only putting it out there for people to judge it. And I don't necessarily want people to judge it or care what they say. But I know if I put an album out, the day it comes out, I will be on the Internet and will probably want to shoot myself. So I don't know if it's worth shooting myself over."

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