Robert Pattinson is entertained by talks of his masturbation scene in 'The Lighthouse'

Robert Pattinson admitted that he is aware of all the talks about his masturbation scene in "The Lighthouse" and he does not mind them at all. The fact is, he finds them entertaining.

The 33-year-old English actor thinks that the discussions help with promotions since it "definitely gets people talking about the film." He told the Los Angeles Times that he finds all the talks "quite entertaining."

However, he also shared his hopes that viewers will come out from watching "The Lighthouse" learning something about it too. He wants people to see the essence of the film and talk about something else other than his "self-abuse" of a masturbation scene.

In a separate interview, Pattinson said he shot that part of the movie on the first day of filming. He recalled that he "went really massive on the first take," so much so, that it shocked director Robert Eggers. He wanted to make a good impression for his opening shot so he ended up doing a "ferocious" masturbation scene.

"It was a 180 from everything we'd done in rehearsal, and I could see Robert a little in shock afterward. But I was like, 'O.K., cool, I didn't get told to stop, so I'll keep going in that direction.' As soon as I'd done that, it was like the road started getting paved," Pattinson told the New York Times.

"The Lighthouse" is not Pattinson's first foray into masturbation scenes. He previously opened up about how he tends to do these scenes in his movies with Variety. He realized this was his fourth, naming three previous films, including "High Life," "Damsel" and "The Devil All The Time." In the Egger's-directed movie, Pattinson's character pleasures himself while thinking about a figurine of a mermaid that he found.

"The Lighthouse" is a psychological film set in the 1890s. It also stars Willem Dafoe as Thomas Wake opposite Pattinson's Ephraim Winslow. The story revolves around their characters, who are lighthouse keepers in a remote and mysterious island in New England. It is a dark drama shot in black and white and tells how the two men try to maintain their sanity while away from civilization.