'The Daily Show': Warm ice cream fails to make Robert Pattinson dish about ex

Robert Pattinson appears on "The Daily Show" and has to fend off Jon Stewart's attempts at getting him to divulge information about his recent much publicized break-up with "Twilight" co-star Kristen Stewart.

You knew it was coming -- and so did he. When actor Robert Pattinson showed up for his interview at "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," he knew there would be a few segues and implications, perhaps some insinuations about the dissolution of his and Kristen Stewart's relationship. Nobody was disappointed in that regard. However, most tuning in would have been if they thought Pattinson and the late night talk show host were going to actually talk about the affair, the break-up, or anything connected to it. Except for that one time...

In Pattinson's first post-break-up interview, the two men tip-toed around the elephant in the room with Stewart tapping his fingers at first, then asking, "What have you… been up to?"

He took Pattinson off guard. He had had a joke prepared but noted it was "meaningless" after his host's question. So he never uttered it. And now we'll never know if Jon Stewart pre-empted a Kristen Stewart burn or slam (in the English understated sort of way). What was Jon Stewart thinking? Always let those involved in scandal lead, then offer support to draw them out further.

Still, it turned out to be an hilarious and tremendous fail that continued when Stewart set Pattinson up for a little male bonding with some Ben & Jerry's ice cream. A nice gesture, only the ice cream had turned to a lukewarm milkshake by the time the two leaned over the tiny tubs.

Laughing at themselves, Stewart tried to make a go of it. "We're just a couple of gals talking," he said, taking a big dollop of runny de-iced cream. "Tell me everything."

After making jokes about the ice cream, Stewart admitted he was a bit worried about the "Twilight" star and asked if he was alright. Pattinson dodged the personal question and laughingly admitted he was "cheap" and said that to avoid future awkward interviews, he was going to hire a publicist. Someone to at least screen his questions.

It is doubtful if Stewart would have gotten any information out of Pattinson anyway, even if "The Daily Show" had been outfitted with a freezer and the tubs of ice cream had retained their proper consistency. Pattinson has always been rather reticent when talking about his personal life. Remember a few years back and how long it took the media to get him -- and Stewart, too, for that matter -- to openly admit they were actually dating?

But you have to hand it to Stewart. As goofy as he made the interview, he pretty much kept the conversation away from that rampaging elephant and allowed Pattinson to enjoy himself. It is quite possible that Pattinson had requested they not actually broach the subject of Stewart's pictures, her tabloid-headlining rendezvous with director Rupert Sanders, and his subsequent act of moving out of the house they shared.

(But what about all those inquiring minds that hung on his every word, especially those Kristen Stewart fans and those fans of the twain that can't conceive of the pair operating as individuals, in real life and in the "Twilight" movies? Why couldn't something, anything have been said to let them know how things stood with the relationship? Jon Stewart, do you realize just how much you failed the gossip websites and the Twi-hards, including those seemingly hundreds that stood outside the studio just to get a glimpse of the actor?)

They did get around to talking about Pattinson's new movie, though. He said it was the most original film he had ever worked on and that no matter how much he tried, he would never be able to explain the plot. Stewart likened movies by David Cronenberg, director of "Cosmopolis," to tripping on LSD.

But Stewart did get around to asking the young actor if there was anything he wanted to say "now that anyone who was interested in what you were going to say turned off the TV ten minutes ago?"

Pattinson did have something to say. He wanted "Twilight" fans to go to theaters and make "Cosmopolis" have a higher opening weekend than "The Dark Knight Rises." He said he knew it would be difficult since the film was only being released in six theaters, but...

So we didn't find out anything about the Kristen Stewart drama from the Pattinson interview on "The Daily Show," but at least we found out about "Cosmopolis." On second thought, that was a complete wash as well -- except that we learned that a Cronenberg film was like cinematic acid. Well… we at least got to see Robert Pattinson.

He looked to be in good spirits and in good health, don't you think?

Watch the totally non-informing but amusing Pattinson interview from "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart":

(photo credit: Eva Rinaldi, Creative Commons)

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