When you become a leading man, people will treat you differently. You’ll encounter more opportunities, more fans, and more people expecting something from you. It’s an exciting time, but you have to be smart about how you handle it. In Hollywood, being famous means never having to say you’re sorry. You can’t help but attract attention. People will come up to you in the street, ask for your autograph, and so on. It’s an unwritten rule in Hollywood: you are only as good as your last movie. And that last movie better be good! Otherwise, you’re back to square one. So it’s vital to maintain a high reputation, one that precedes you even before your next movie comes out. If you want to keep up this good image, you need to learn from the masters. In this article, we look at how English actor Robert Pattinson deals with fame, what being a leading man means to him, and how he maintains his high caliber of work in Hollywood.
The Making Of A Star: Robert Pattinson
Robert Pattinson began his acting career in 2006. He played the role of Christian Grey in the movie adaptation of the bestselling novel, Fifty Shades of Grey. Since then, he has appeared in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012) and its upcoming sequel, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2013). The 26-year-old Twilight star has become one of the most popular leading men in Hollywood over the past five years, with a number one box-office hit under his belt (Fifty Shades of Grey). He has won multiple awards for his work, including the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Newcomer, the Silver Sphere for Best Actor at the 2012 Venice International Film Festival, and the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 2013 Marbella Film Festival. In 2014, he was named the sexiest man alive by Esquire magazine.
Pattinson On Becoming A Leading Man:
In an interview with Men’s Health, Pattinson discussed the difference in status between himself and co-star Jamie Dornan. In the past, he said, it would have been “crazy” for Dornan to think he could be a leading man. Now that they’re both established in Hollywood, however, it’s another story. “It’s more like, ‘Fancy meeting you here,’” Pattinson said. “You just have to go with it. There’s no point getting frustrated.”
Pattinson has a keen eye for talent, and knows which of his co-stars will be successful and which won’t. “I always think that if you want to be successful in life, you should never settle for average,” he said. “You should always go for the best, and that’s what I do. I surround myself with the best, and that makes all the difference.”
The Importance Of Reputation In Hollywood:
In a 2014 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Pattinson discussed the reputation he and his co-stars have built in Hollywood. “I think you have to put your name in the hat when you’re in Hollywood,” he said. “You can’t not do that. You can’t say, ‘I don’t want to be famous.’ You want to be known for something great that you do. I don’t think you can please everybody, but I’d like to think that we’ve managed to please a lot of people.”
Pattinson is referring to the stigma attached to not being famous, thanks to social media. Thanks to sites like Twitter and Instagram, people who aren’t famous yet have countless opportunities to become so, with the potential to build a brand for themselves. If you don’t want to be seen as “that guy,” the stigma goes, you simply need to keep working and being seen in good films. The more prominent your name becomes, the less people are going to say it when they see you at the movies. If you want to see your name in lights, you need to keep working hard and be in good films. It’s as simple as that.
How To Maintain A High Reputation In Hollywood:
Since becoming a leading man, Pattinson has been in a unique position to observe how his colleagues handle fame. He told Entertainment Weekly that he sees a lot of “self-destructive behavior” in people who become famous. “It’s a strange world,” he said. “You see people who are meant to be very rich and famous, and then you see them go through difficult periods in their lives. You see a lot of people destroying themselves. A lot of drinking, a lot of drug abuse.”
This behavior isn’t exclusive to Hollywood. Back in 2010, at the peak of his Twilight fame, Robert Pattinson famously spent a lot of time partying and being irresponsible. While people expected this behavior from the star of Twilight—a franchise that made him a household name—they were taken aback when it extended to the rest of his life as well. He was famously arrested for assault in July 2010, and later pled guilty to causing actual bodily harm. He was sentenced to serve six months in a London prison. He served three months in Wandsworth Prison, before moving to HMP Pentonville, where he is now serving the rest of his sentence.
How does Pattinson maintain his high reputation? Aside from staying out of trouble, he tries to be more professional. He told Entertainment Weekly that the fame hasn’t changed how he sees himself as an actor. “I still approach it the same way,” he said. “You do your work, and you hope people like it.” He also told the magazine that he doesn’t like to let his guard down and be “too accessible” because this could “ultimately backfire.”