Reese Witherspoon is certainly no stranger to dealing with the mass hysteria that Robert Pattinson -- with his devoted "Twilight"

fanbase -- brings with him. While [article id="1653614"]filming "Water for Elephants"[/article] in Tennessee last year, the Oscar-winning actress recalled to MTV News, "The women lining up outside the set -- it was just unbelievable -- till 5 o'clock in the morning waiting to just glimpse him."

So it must have felt a bit like déjà vu for Witherspoon at Sunday (April 17) night's [article id="1662130"]world premiere of "Water for Elephants"[/article] in New York. Witherspoon and her sought-after co-star (as well as fellow castmembers like Christoph Waltz and Hal Holbrook and director Francis Lawrence) arrived at the famous Ziegfeld Theatre in Manhattan to throngs of eager, screaming RPattz fans. Before hitting the red carpet, both stars crossed the street to greet fans who had braved a major storm over the weekend just to get a peek at them.

After Witherspoon -- who arrived without husband Jim Toth -- met with fans, she and Pattinson stopped by for a quick [article id="1661907"]chat with MTV News[/article] on the red carpet. "I was just signing autographs," said the actress, who wore an elegant white dress to the event.

Rather than begrudge the Pattinson faithful (whom Witherspoon has compared to Leonardo DiCaprio's fans during his "Titanic" heyday), the 35-year-old actress was impressed by those who have been showing their support for "Water for Elephants." "[It's] incredible. Their dedication to the movie, the book," she said, adding, "[and] Rob!"

Witherspoon, who joked that the excited fans "like me OK," realized that Pattinson was, by far, the main attraction at the "Water for Elephants" premiere. "I'm like a consolation prize," Witherspoon kidded about the fans -- who, according to Pattinson, were "very nice"

-- that met her on the red carpet.

Witherspoon has the luxury of not doing as many premieres and public events as her handsome co-star. "I do it once a year," the actress estimated, but added that "it's nice" to interact with fans face-to-face because filming is "so isolated."

"Water for Elephants" opens in theaters on Friday, April 22.

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