Pattinson’s Shocking Transformation with Zendaya in Interview

It's Robert Pattinson, but not as fans know him. 

Wearing a blonde wig and clumsily applied red lipstick, the British actor has reunited with Zendaya for a gender-blurring photoshoot as they prepare for the release of three eagerly anticipated new films. 

The co-stars will play a soon-to-be-married couple whose big day is potentially undermined by a dark secret in forthcoming comedy The Drama, scheduled for release in April. 

It will be the first in a trilogy of collaborations, with Pattinson also featuring alongside the American actress in upcoming science fiction film Dune: Part Three, and The Odyssey, director Christopher Nolan's adaptation of Homer's timeless Greek epic.

But promotional commitments have taken a temporary backseat as the two stars collaborate on a provocative new shoot for the March edition of Interview magazine. 

Tastefully shot by Nadia Lee Cohen, the actor, 39, looks vastly different in a matted blonde wig and smeared makeup while modelling a silk bodysuit from French fashion house Chloé.

Robert Pattinson and Zendaya have reunited in a gender-blurring photoshoot for the March edition of Interview magazine 

Tastefully shot by Nadia Lee Cohen, the actor looks vastly different in a matted blonde wig and smeared makeup

Elsewhere, Pattinson is slumped against a bare wall in a desolate room, two oxygen canisters facing him as he models an androgynous Valentino blouse and slacks. 

In a third image, the actor's poorly applied wig looks matted and dirty as he smokes a cigarette while gazes intently into Cohen's camera lens. 

Joining her co-star, Zendaya, 29, models unbuttoned Levi's shorts and laddered tights above an Isabel Marant crop-top as she stands, slump shouldered, in front of the same nondescript backdrop. 

The pair opt for similar floral looks in another shot, with Zendaya modelling a sweeping blue outfit from Chloé, while Pattinson - whose face is artfully scratched out of the published picture - wears a dress from Palace Costume.

Alongside Kristen Stewart, Pattinson became a household name after playing vampire Edward Cullen in the hugely successful Twilight film franchise. 

But the delirious fandom that came with his meteoric rise, coupled with the enormous global popularity of Twilight, meant the lines between fiction and reality were often blurred. 

'I really enjoyed making the movies, but then there was such a huge marketing push behind it as well,' he recalled. 

'I didn’t want to get my personal identity caught up in that, so I tried to push forward my individuality a little, and that kind of stuck with me. 

Pattinson and Zendaya model elegant Dior outfits in another image from the new shoot 

A dishevelled looking Pattinson smokes a cigarette as he gazes directly into Cohen's camera lens, while Zendaya wears unbuttoned denim hotpants and laddered tights as she strikes a similar pose

Garish makeup draws further attention to Zendaya's instantly recognisable features in another image from the new shoot 

'It was also interesting getting famous off of playing a part - people thought I was that character in the beginning.' 

He added: ' It was quite strange, but it also allowed me to push against it. Also, I wasn’t precious about that identity because it wasn’t my identity to begin with.' 

Now an established star with a string of blockbusters under his belt, the British actor recently praised Zendaya and her appearances in all three of their forthcoming films during an interview with GQ.

'She’s great. I really, really like her,' he said. 'And yeah, she’s incredible in The Drama as well and in all of them.

'Well, I haven’t seen what she did in The Odyssey, I just saw her pictures and we saw each other in passing.'

Gender is blurred as photographer Cohen juxtaposes separate images of Pattinson and Zendaya to create a single shot 

Pattinson goes hell for leather in a tank top and trousers from Acne Studios, while Zendaya wears a leather jacket and skintight trousers from Tom Ford, matching hood by Atsuko Kudo and shoes by Le Silla

Elsewhere, Zendaya's laddered tights are on display as she covers her face with a mask 

The pair opt for similar floral looks in another shot, with Zendaya modelling a sweeping blue outfit from Chloé, while Pattinson wears a dress from Palace Costume

Pattinson will play Scytale, a shapeshifting Tleilaxu Face Dancer, in Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Three, while Zendaya will reprise her role as Fremen warrior Chani.

Filming took place in Hungary and Abu Dhabi, and Pattinson admits his fondest memory was driving into the desert with Zendaya while filming on location at Liwa Oasis, close to the Persian Gulf.

He recalled: 'You’ll never experience these things in any other profession. I mean, literally, I was experiencing things which hardly anybody in history has or will ever experience and it’s just absolutely incredible.

'Being out in the desert shooting Dune, it’s weird. I remember shooting a scene with Zendaya, the first scene we shot together out in the desert, I’m like, “Oh! We’re, like, in Dune!” And she’s like, “Yeah…we’re doing a Dune movie.”

'But it really was like, “It really like you’re in a Dune movie.” It was really, really fun. And I think it’s going to be...I hope people really like it.

'I think it’s quite fun. I hope people find it funny.'

The March edition of Interview magazine is out now.