It’s no secret that Robert Pattinson, 24, struggles with his Twilight mega-fame. So now that the franchise is more than half over — after the release of Eclipse this month, only Breaking Dawn Parts 1 and 2 remain — how is the world’s hottest vampire dealing? A New York Times profile that came out over the weekend gives some insight into Pattinson’s new life in the limelight. Here’s what the man with Edward Cullen’s eyes sees as the best coping strategies to survive his teen-idol phase:

1. Hiding behind things.

When Pattinson shows up to his interview, he’s wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, and insists on sitting at a table surrounded by hedges. “Kris (Kristen Stewart) is better about dealing with photographers than I am,” he admits.

2. Ignoring the tabloids… sort of.

“I’ve learned to let go a bit, but I’m still really bothered by it,” Pattinson says of all the gossip. “It’s like the tabloids don’t know what to write anymore beacuse they’ve used up all their scandals.”

3. Copying Leonardo DiCaprio.

Like the Titanic star, Pattinson is hoping to move beyond his signature heartthrob role by playing complicated characters in quirky films. Since his last two non-Twilight films, Remember Me and Little Ashes, both failed to bring in any significant box-office bucks, Pattinson is hoping that the upcoming Water for Elephants (based on the bestselling novel) will blaze a new career path for him.

4. Staying humble. ”

Rob comes out of every scene thinking, ‘Oh God, that was a disaster,’ Twilight producer Wyck Godfrey tells the Times. In a new interview with the U.K.’s Daily Mail, costar Ashley Greene says the same thing about Pattinson: “As a person, he’s not like anyone I’ve ever met in Hollywood… He has no ego.”