Video Analysis of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson: Robsten Confirmed?

The Backstory

I'm not a celebrity gossip follower, but my friend, Jennifer, is. Knowing that I read the Twilight book series and had seen the movie, she's been trying to suck me into the dark showbiz underbelly of rumors and speculation while making the case for Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart being a couple.

I don't particularly care what the Twilight stars are up to in their personal lives, but because Jen seemed so interested, I've been playing devil's advocate in arguing that they're just friends.  I'll admit, it's been fun to see how exasperated she gets over something so trivial and inconsequential. 

Ever since taking up the opposition, Jen has been sending me "proof" in the form of photos with the two of them looking very couple-like and video clips of interviews to try to convince me.  Despite my reminding her that they're actors who are paid to not only depict characters in films, but to smile pretty for the cameras (and get cozy with each other if that's what the photographer asks them to do), she continued to insist that more was going on than met the eye.

The other day she sent me the below clip of an interview with Entertainment Weekly from this past July's ComicCon 2009, commenting that they seemed pretty nervous and giddy together, very much like a new couple. After viewing it, I had to come clean and tell her I thought she was probably right; that they were most likely a couple at this point, or if not, were well on their way to being one. As much as I wanted to keep up the argument for the sake of driving her nuts, I really couldn't continue it without feeling like it was glaringly obvious I was just being obstinate for the sake of annoying her.

Jen was surprised that I finally conceded the point after months of not giving in and asked what changed my mind. As my husband was working and my son was in bed for the night when her email arrived, I found myself with several hours of empty time stretched out before me (I'm not big on watching TV), so I went ahead and wrote out the below analysis both for her entertainment and for my own distraction.

For the record, while I did enjoy the books and am looking forward to seeing the movies, I'm not what you'd call a "Twihard". I do, however, enjoy the challenge of dissecting books, films, etc. (the entire purpose of this blog) and this seemed like it was right up my alley given the strong sense of deja vu I felt while watching the ComicCon interview... but I'll get to that in a minute.

Shortly after writing up the below analysis and firing it off to Jen, I remembered that I had started this blog several months ago and had since been too busy to revisit it with new posts (new job, death in the family, travel). It seemed the email I'd sent her made a good candidate for the next long overdue entry, so here I am.

The Story

Ever since starring together in the first movie adaptation of Stephanie Meyers's hugely popular Twilight book series, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart's on-screen chemistry as conflicted vampire Edward Cullen and lovestruck human Bella Swan has fueled rumors that there may be something beyond friendship going on between the two actors off-screen as well.

In addition to the obvious tendency for the predominantly teenaged fanbase to superimpose the Edward and Bella love story onto the actors who portrayed them, there were also a string of interviews giving clues that at the very least, Pattinson and Stewart shared an affection for each other that could easily set them up for being more than just friends... should that be a road they chose to take. At first speculation that an off-screen romance was brewing was easily dismissed as Kristen Stewart had been dating boyfriend Michael Angarano for several years.

Following Twilight's release and overwhelming success, the media circus that sprang up around Pattinson and Stewart has captured a wealth of photo shoots and interviews, both with the actors individually as well as together. With increasing snippets of evidence pointing to off-screen chemistry being displayed with every new piece of coverage, the rumor mill continued chugging along regardless of Kristen's unavailable status.

Although both Stewart and Pattinson are going to great lengths to keep their personal lives private, the current consensus among fans and tabloids is that Stewart broke up with Michael Angarano at some point in late spring/early summer of 2009 and is now romantically involved with Pattinson. All of this is speculation with no more confirmation than what can be gleaned from gossip peddler reports with anonymous and therefore highly questionable sources.

It was this lack of verifiable information that kept me able to make the argument to Jen that I saw nothing to indicate Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson were anything more than very good friends. I was able to easily blow off all the interview clips and googley-eyed photos Jen sent me because at that point, all of it could be dismissed as PR coaching to drum up drama for the soon-to-be-released New Moon (the 2nd installment in the Twilight series due out this November). While it did appear there was something between the two from what I had seen, it had been relatively easy to maintain my position in opposition to hers with very little effort... until I saw that ComicCon video.

Looking Closer

Before I jump in to this, I should explain where my interpretations are coming from: I once had a co-worker/friend who had been in a relationship with another co-worker that had to be kept on the DL due to company policy. Spotting these universal non-verbal cues in the video that follows wasn't difficult -- I've seen them before and, as a friend to the scandalous couple in question, have even exhibited some of them myself.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a relationship expert, behavioral psychologist or any other professional with any kind of authoritative knowledge on non-verbal cues. I suspect if you could get someone like Dr. Paul Ekman (the real-life inspiration for the Fox drama, "Lie to Me") to look at this video, he would be able to give you a much more definitive analysis. In absence of that, I thought I'd take a stab at it with my limited knowledge as an observer of human nature and nothing more.

On we go...



It might be easier to follow along if you open this video in a new window and layer it with this one to make it easier to read and view/pause the video as you go, but that's your call.

I'm starting the analysis at the 3:22 mark, right after the "Bonus Robert Pattinson" flashes on the screen since that's where the bulk of the "evidence" is.

NOTE: The earlier exchange around the 1:44 mark is fairly self-explanatory... Rob was about to talk about being in love. Kristen distracted him with pointing out a video monitor to Ashley and was immediately regretful that she had, going on to vehemently insist that he continue with what he was going to say.

When the image of the cast comes on the screen around the 3:22 mark, you're going to be compelled to look at Robert; it's human nature to pay attention to whomever is speaking (more on that later). For the purposes of this analysis, you'll need to direct your focus to the other cast members for their reactions to what he's saying. 

Look at Taylor when Rob finishes the sentance "when you're in love with someone... or something"; he purses his lips at the 3:27 mark (pursed lips = don't speak/communicate) and Kristen gives Rob quick look of intense interest that's difficult to misinterpret: "You're going to talk about love? This should be interesting...":

Pause at the 3:28 mark and look at Ashley. She looks up and away, which could be either an indicator that she feels as though she's witnessing an intimate exchange she should divert her eyes from (embarrassment), or else she's curious to get a look at the video monitor Kristen pointed out earlier on.  I'm not making a definitive call on this, but it's worth pointing out either way.

Rewind to the start again and now watch Rob. When the video opens he has a relatively serious look on his face, but the second he feels Kristen looking at him his expression completely changes; it explodes into a huge (guilty? nervous?) grin. He lets out a quick burst of nervous laughter and for a moment, stumbles on what he was going to say.

Kristen quickly realizes that her looking at him was what elicited this telling lapse in self-control. In an instant she assesses the situation and sees she has a choice to make: keep looking at him, or look away.

This was truly a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation. She chose to look away in an effort to relieve the scrutinizing pressure on Rob, but then going out of her way to not look at him makes it all the more obvious that that's what she's trying to do, which of course raises the question: why?

Watch Ashley's reaction when Kristen looks at her... she plays with her fingers (nervous), she and Kristen make eye contact briefly and then at almost the same instant, both involuntarily purse their lips at the 3:31 mark:

Ashley then does a super fast glance down and then back up at Kristen just before she splays her fingers to show off her ring.

These are all non-verbal cues: there's something having to do with love that can't be talked about (the pursed lips on both of them) and it's got something to do with Rob (who's talking... about love) and Kristen (Ashley's furtive glance at her).

As most girls would, Ashley instinctively understands that Kristen's looking at her is a plea for help to distract her from Rob.  Having been in Ashley's exact position several times before myself, I wasn't at all surprised to see this wordless interchange take place. Ashley obliges in displaying her fingers to show Kristen the ring she's wearing, pretty much the only thing she could do given the setting.

Grateful for a topic of distraction, Kristen siezes upon the opportunity to compliment her on it, not in any way anticipating that this is going to distract Rob just as much as, or perhaps even worse than her looking at him had.

Kristen doesn't realize that no matter what she does, if there's movement or speech involved, it will keep Rob from being able to concentrate on answering the question because he's so focused on her. Frustrating though it may be, it's not something he can control... all couples go through this at the start of a new relationship (see also: hyper-vigilance in the Conclusion section below).

There's a saying: a man often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it... that's what's going on here. Rob had an involuntarily emotional reaction to Kristen turning to look at him while he's talking about being in love. She reacts to his reaction to her, thereby calling attention to the awkwardness of the situation. The more they try to ignore it, the more obvious it becomes that there's a tension there; a reason for them to be uneasy. If nothing were going on with Rob and Kristen, there'd be no need for any of this awkwardness and distraction.

Look at how the other three react when Taylor is giving his answers around the 2:50 mark... they sit quietly, all listening politely to him with no issues whatsoever:

Compare that with Rob talking about being in love:

BIG difference.

Only because there are emotional ties to the topic being discussed do Rob and Kristen feel as though they need to fight against acknowledging it. It's customary and completely normal to look at the person who's speaking, just as all three of them looked on as Taylor gave his answers and just as you would look at Rob when this segment of the video came on because it's his voice you heard.  But Kristen is unable to look at him without making him nervous enough for it to be a distraction. It's a double-edged sword because Rob is also unable to keep from being distracted by whatever she does when she tries to keep herself from looking at him (again, see the Conclusion section below for more on hyper-vigilance).

But wait... there's more!

Right at the 3:37 mark, Rob gets distracted for the 2nd time in this video (3 times in all) and says "Shut up!" Kristen's reaction speaks volumes. She hides her face and then says very quietly, but still audible on the mic: "I'm doing it again". She then proceeds to put her hand over her mouth and keeps it there -- another non-verbal cue that she needs to stop communicating (verbally and non):

Looking at this image, it appears as though both Taylor and Ashley are looking up at the video monitor.  If I had to guess, they're both curious to see Kristen's and Rob's reaction to this obviously difficult situation... it's kind of like driving by a car wreck, everyone rubbernecks at it out of curiosity.

Rewind to 3:40 and watch Ashley. She unconsciously puts her hand up to her mouth (stop communicating) at 3:41, looks down (embarrassment) and then purses her lips (stop talking) at 3:44 as Rob tries to find his way back to what he was saying. She too stifles a giggle at 3:45 and then turns toward Taylor to put her head on his shoulder, hiding her face with her hair. She's obviously embarrassed, again, as though she were witnessing something she shouldn't.

When Rob tries to get back on track, stuttering, stumbling and then admits he can't concentrate anymore, Taylor physically loses it; the tension breaks free in a quick bodily outburst.

Ashley keeps her face hidden by her hair, so I can't say anything about her reaction, but Kristen's is priceless... HUGE grin, obviously genuine and natural. No doubt she's loving that she has this effect on Rob -- what girl doesn't love to see a guy get repeatedly distracted and tongue-tied because of her?

If you freeze the frame at exactly 3:49, this is truly a "picture speaks a thousand words" moment.  Taylor's lost it, Ashley is hiding her face, Kristen's and Rob's smiles... well, you get the idea:

There's a cut at 3:50 and it comes back with Rob talking about how there's a tendency to elevate the other person in a relationship and not feeling good enough. Kristen suddenly cuts him off to point out that neither of them think they're worthy; clarifying that he (Edward or Robert?) isn't the only one doing the elevating. They're both clasping and unclasping their hands in awkward nervousness, almost as though they were talking about real personal feelings rather than those of their characters.

Watch Kristen's face when Rob says Bella can handle everything and Edward is just an idiot -- the look she gives him is unmistakable: brows furrowed together with an incredulous, toothless, tight-lipped smile? I've given my own husband that same exact "wtf are you talking about?" look whenever he says something that makes no sense to me, especially when he's saying something unflattering about himself:

Kristen knows as well as Robert does that Bella is the more level-headed and steady of the ficticious pair; Rob's summation of Bella and Edward's relationship dynamic was fairly accurate here... but Kristen's reaction makes it seem as though she's reading more into that comment than just the characters in the book, and indeed, there may be something more there.

In another interview Rob did with EW, right around the 1:09 mark he talks about being initially intimidated by Kristen and gave a sense of being in awe of her for not feeling as though she always has to speak (this is one of the clips Jen had sent me previously):



He didn't say the exact words, but I don't think anyone could argue with the summation that people who fit the description he gives of Kristen would certainly exude a quiet confidence -- in other words, a sense of "being able to handle things" -- whereas he's always talking for the sake of talking (like an idiot?) and how it's embarrassing. Putting these two interviews together, it certainly would seem that there's more going on than meets the eye in the ComicCon clip. Couple these two videos with this article from The Improper and I think you'd be hard pressed to make an argument that they're not an off-screen couple.

But I digress.

Again, Kristen caught herself staring and looks to Ashley for something to distract her, apparently forgetting how well that worked out last time ;-). She whispers something inaudilble, which distracts Robert to the point where he can't continue what he was going to say... again. It's impossible for him to ignore Kristen, every move she makes catches his attention and makes it impossible for him to concentrate, even mid-answer.

The Conclusion

The hyper-vigilance both Rob and Kristen are displaying in the ComicCon 2009 interview is characteristic of new couples' behavior. Ironically enough, it's exactly what Rob is referring to at the 3:33 mark when he says "...you start to see too much of yourself, you become to aware of yourself". I doubt he even realizes that he's talking about exactly the behavior he and Kristen are engaged in throughout this video. It's this being "too aware of yourself" that's the cause of all the distraction on both of their parts. Not only are newly-in-love people extremely aware of their own actions and reactions when they're around each other (fear of doing/saying something stupid... why he loses track whenever she looks at him), they're also extremely aware of the other person at all times.

Anyone who's felt the intense (and super scary) vulnerableness of handing their heart over to someone else understands what it means to constantly be on guard for signals that doing so may have been a mistake. No one wants to get hurt, so until a new relationship has had time to strengthen, mature and build up enough trust so that we feel confident in letting our guards down without worry, every move the object of our affection makes becomes fodder for intense scrutiny. We become hyper-vigilant not only of ourselves in fear of making a misstep that would send our love running for the hills, but of them because we don't want to miss any red flags that might save us heart break later on down the road -- it's a simple matter of emotional self-preservation.

This hyper-vigilance is exactly what makes this interview snippet so convincing: it's literally impossible for either one to pay no attention to the other. Interview or no interview... the more they try, the more obvious it becomes that that's what they're doing, which again, raises the question: why?

There's only one answer that I can see.

Behavior like this simply can't be coached or learned, it's as instinctual as breathing, which is why I finally gave in to Jen and admitted that she was right. There's no doubt in my mind that Rob and Kristen are a couple (or were getting there back in July); non-couples don't act like this.  That's not to say it's impossible for them to behave this way and not be together, it's possible... but if that's the case, then that's an ungodly amount of repressed sexual tension they're fighting against.

Commentary

It's been said before, but it's worth repeating that Rob and Kristen would probably find the intense media scrutiny would ease up a bit if they just came out and admitted they were dating.  Because the proverbial carrot continues to be dangled in front of the papparazzi, they're going to keep trying to catch it -- which could very well be a PR strategy... one that I hope the couple is aware of if that's the case (see Billy Crystal's character in America's Sweethearts with John Cusack and Catherine Zeta-Jones). 

I think they'd do well to look at how veteran stars have handled their relationships -- hell, Tom Cruise jumped on Oprah's couch! Even for a non-gossip follower like me, that one was hard to miss. If there's speculation about a possible relationship that hasn't been confirmed yet, suddenly it's a challenge to capture the proof. That's why Rob and Kristen are being mobbed by the papparazzi as much as they are; provide the proof/verbally confirm it and the incentive to be harrassed is removed (or at least greatly lessened).

Hopefully there's some truth to one of the rumors Jen told me; that Summit Entertainment has put a gag order on them until the New Moon promo period is over for PR purposes. If that's the case, then at least there's a light at the end of the tunnel. If not and this is all self-inflicted in an attempt at keeping their personal lives private, then I hope they cross paths with Brangelina at some point and get some pointers on how to cope.