BERLIN - "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson says the highlight of his role in the movie "Water for Elephants" was co-starring with Tai the elephant, but if he could be a circus animal it would be a bear, like the cinnamon roll-fed, vegetarian bear on set.

Pattinson told reporters on Wednesday that "I like the idea of sitting around all day, being a bear and then eating pastries."

The 24-year-old actor joined Academy Award-winner Christoph Waltz and director Francis Lawrence in Berlin to present his latest movie, based on a 2006 bestseller about a travelling circus in the 1930s. The film opened last week the U.S.

Pattinson plays veterinary student Jacob Jankowski. He said he hadn't read the book before accepting the part, but that he is fascinated by the Great Depression era.