Robert Thomas Pattinson (born May 13, 1986) is the British actor who plays Edward Cullen in the film adaptations of Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. Prior to his lead role in the Twilight Saga films, he was known for his role as Cedric Diggory in the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Twilight
Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen
Summit Entertainment announced on December 11, 2007 that they had cast Pattinson in the role of Edward Cullen. On her website, Stephenie Meyer endorsed the choice, saying, "I am ecstatic with Summit's choice for Edward. There are very few actors who can look both dangerous and beautiful at the same time, and even fewer who I can picture in my head as Edward. Robert Pattinson is going to be amazing."[1]
As Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
According to Pattinson, he had little knowledge of the books when he auditioned. He says, "I went into it thinking it was a vampire film directed by Catherine Hardwicke, who does like gritty sort of realistic indie films. If you're doing a vampire fantasy shot like Thirteen, then that would be interesting. That's why I went into it really, and it ended up being something totally and utterly different."[2] He says that he came to hate the "perfect" character of Edward, and so he decided to play him as a manic-depressive who hates himself. He also claims he felt voyeuristic while reading the novels, as if he were peeping in on the author's fantasies. He notes, "I was just convinced that this woman is mad, she's completely mad, and she's in love with her own fictional creation."[3]Pattinson plays the piano during one scene in the movie. During the original takes, the actor played his own improvisations; the scene was later re-shot with him playing the "Bella's Lullaby" composed by soundtrack writer Carter Burwell for the film.[4] Two of his original songs, written before Twilight was made, appear on the soundtrack album.[5][6]
The actor admits that he is not athletic, and did not enjoy filming the baseball game. He also had difficulty putting in contact lenses to change the color of his eyes.[6]
Personal life
Robert Pattinson on Jay Leno (2011).
Robert Pattinson was born on May 13, 1986 (Taurus) in London, England. Besides acting, his interests include reading, playing guitar and keyboard.[7] He composes his own music and enjoys live performances. He has said that he misses being able to perform live at open mic nights now that he is readily recognized as "Edward", but he did not like having videos of his performances appear on YouTube.[6]
He has stated in multiple interviews that he is currently single. In school he wanted to be a political speechwriter, before deciding to try acting instead.[7] He denies using any hair products to get his hair to stand on end, saying that "I'm just always grabbing my hair and stuff."[2]
He received a Hollywood Award at the Hollywood Film Festival Awards on October 29, 2008.[8] Pattinson claims that he never watches himself in movies, "because it makes me feel like I'll never want to do a job again."[2]
Relatives
Pattinson has two sisters; the youngest, Lizzy, is twenty-five years old and had a top ten hit with the punk band Aurora. The other, Victoria, is twenty-seven and works in advertising. His parents, Richard and Clare Pattinson, currently live in Richmond.
"Up until I was twelve my sisters used to dress me up as a girl and introduce me as 'Claudia'. Twelve was the turning point as I moved to a mixed school and then became cool and discovered hair gel." - Robert Pattinson.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Vanity Fair | Older Rawdy Crawley | |
| Ring of the Nibelungs | Gisellher | ||
| 2005 | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | Cedric Diggory | |
| 2006 | The Haunted Airman | Toby Jugg | |
| 2007 | The Bad Mother's Handbook | Daniel Gale | |
| Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Cedric Diggory | flashback only | |
| 2008 | How to Be | Art | |
| The Summer House | Richard | ||
| Twilight | Edward Cullen | ||
| 2009 | Little Ashes | Salvador Dalí | |
| The Twilight Saga: New Moon | Edward Cullen | ||
| 2010 | Remember Me | Tyler Hawkins | |
| The Twilight Saga: Eclipse | Edward Cullen | ||
| Unbound Captives | Phineas | ||
| 2011 | Bel Ami | Georges Duroy | |
| Water for Elephants | Jacob Jankowski | ||
| The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part I | Edward Cullen | ||
| 2012 | The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part II | Edward Cullen | |
| Cosmopolis | Eric Packer | Starts filming in May |
Trivia
Robert's favourite book from The Twilight Saga is New Moon.
He is an excellent musician and plays both the guitar and piano. He began taking piano lessons at age three, and classical guitar at five.
He beat 3,000 people to play Edward Cullen in the movie Twilight.
Salary
Twilight: $2,000,000
New Moon: $12,000,000
Breaking Dawn - Part 1: $12,500,000 + 7.5% of the gross
Breaking Dawn - Part 2: $12,500,000 + 7.5% of the gross
References
- ↑ Twilight Movie at stepheniemeyer.com
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 'Twilight Countdown: Robert Pattinson answers your questions' Denise Martin, Nov. 5, 2008
- ↑ 'Twilight Makes for the Best Fanwank ever'
- ↑ 'Twilight' reshoots: Why is Catherine Hardwicke filming again? Nicole Sperling, The Hollywood Insider, Aug 29, 2008
- ↑ 'Twilight' Countdown: Catherine Hardwicke says original script was more like 'Charlie's Angels' Denise Martin, latimesblog, November 6, 2008
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 'Twilight' Countdown: What you didn't know about Robert Pattinson Denise Martin, latimesblogs, November 9, 2008
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 'Twilight' countdown: Robert Pattinson answers even more of your questions Denise Martin, latimesblogs, November 7, 2008
- ↑ 'Twilight' hunk Robert Pattinson is starting to scare us! Elizabeth Snead, latimesblogs, October 28, 2008