Robert Pattinson should stick to drama.
In an attempt to be funny on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” this week, the actor shared a story about how he was asked to perform a sexual act on a dog as part of his role in the movie “Good Time,” but later clarified that it was meant to be a comedic tale and not a serious scenario.
“The story I told on Jimmy Kimmel last night seems to have spiraled out of control,” he told E! News in a statement. “What didn’t come across is that this was supposed to be a joke. No one at all expected or assumed that anything like that would happen on the ‘Good Time’ set.”
“We are all huge animal lovers and would obviously never do anything to harm an animal,” he continued.
Pattison, 31, described a scene from the film, where he plays a character who thinks he was a dog in a previous life and has a special connection with animals.
“There’s this one scene we shot — there’s a drug dealer who bursts into the room, and I was sleeping with the dog and basically giving the dog a hand job,” he explained.
He told Kimmel he had refused to touch the canine in such a way and instead fake dog genitals were used in the scene.
However, now the “Twilight” star clarified it was just for comedic effect and the cast and crew would have never allowed for the real scenario.
The actor’s remarks quickly garnered attention from PETA, which said they would investigate the incident and the legality surrounding it.
“PETA depends on actors and crew members to come forward when they see mistreatment, whether it involves a dog who is being forced into churning water on the set of A Dog’s Purpose or an A-list actor who is being asked to molest his canine co-star,” Vice President Lisa Lange said in a statement to E! News.
Lange commended Pattinson for refusing the act, which the organization compared to “child molestation.”
Pattinson backtracked on the remarks, noting he now feels “embarrassed.”
“I feel embarrassed that in the moment, I was trying to make Jimmy laugh,” he explained. “Only to create confusion and a false impression.”
The scene will be featured in the DVD version of the film. “Good Time” will be released in the U.S. on Aug. 11.
