Nabbing the very first television interview with Robert Pattinson since Us Weekly broke news of his girlfriend' Kristen Stewarts fling with Rupert Sanders, Jon Stewart knew just how to address the big elephant in the room: With Ben and Jerry's ice cream!
Jittery but game, the British star, 26, was immediately disarmed when he arrived onstage to a cheering audience — and Stewart's desk, with a waiting pint of ice cream in which to indulge.
"Obviously, what have you been up to?" Stewart asked.
"I had a joke. I was all set up and ready to go. Goddamn it!" Pattinson cracked, breaking the tension.
Said Stewart as they dove in to the ice cream: "We're just a couple of gals . . . tell me everything!"
Pattinson deftly dodged a direct reply, quipping, "This is a program where I can feel awkward in every situation . . . I'm trying to avoid eating!"
Stewart asked the obvious: "Are you alright?"
Retorted Pattinson, "I don't know how to approach this. This is the weird thing about these interviews. I'm going to sound like an idiot," he said, admitting to Stewart that the ice cream was a "great idea."
Pattinson, typically reticent and guarded in interviews, admitted that he was less-than-prepped for the big moment, quipping, "normally actors get scripted with an anecdote — I'm going to hire a publicist!"
Adding that his personal woes have nothing to do with "the real issues of Americans," the hunk said, "tonight is really a Twilight show tonight."
As the duo chatted about he promotional duty at hand — Pattinson's new film Cosmopolis — Stewart offered: "Here's my wish for you. I know you're going through some weird business. Get a handle on your business in private. I wish you all the best. You're a nice guy!"
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