The Academy-Award nominated director Darren Aronofsky and actor–writer Robert Pattinson have been friends for a while. While they’ve worked together—most recently on the dark comedy The House of Gucci—they’re also both married to other people. What’s their relationship like these days?
Many people will argue that Pattinson and Aronofsky are among the most talented and respected directors working today, and it’s easy to see why. Aronofsky has a knack for putting big stories through small lenses while also having a unique visual style. He’s best known for his collaborations with William Blake and Ari Handel, but he’s also directed episodes of House of Cards, True Detective, and The Handmaid’s Tale. On the other side of the camera, Pattinson possesses a versatile range of performances, from the relatable and fun to the complex and engrossing. With their distinctive styles, powerful scripts, and engaging personas, it’s no wonder why they’re often cast in similar roles.
While they’re both prolific and successful, Aronofsky and Pattinson aren’t interested in following the same path. The latter initially went into acting because he was passionate about theater, and after taking a break from acting, he focused on directing. Aronofsky, who began his career as an actor, followed suit and eventually transitioned into directing full time. While they both continue to act from time to time, their focus is firmly on the big and small screens.
Here’s a brief look at the director’s and actor’s past and present relationships, including what led to their pairing up on The House of Gucci and what projects they’re currently working on. (The information has been edited for brevity and clarity.)
Aronofsky And Pattinson’s Early Relationship
The director and actor were first introduced to each other while filming an episode of Borgia on PBS in 2010. After the cameras stopped rolling, however, they didn’t get a chance to chat for long. Pattinson, who was playing a character named Claudio, had to rush off to his next set appointment, and Aronofsky was left talking to a ghost. (Aronofsky later mentioned that he felt like he was meeting Thomas Cromwell for the first time.)
Pattinson would later go on to play Aronofsky’s other great historical collaborator, William Blake, in the eponymous film released in 2014. In the director’s mind, that was the end of their connection, but it was far from it. Two years later, they found themselves in the same room—this time working together—when Pattinson’s friend and frequent collaborator Ari Handel came in to pitch an idea for a show. Impressed with Aronofsky’s take on a story he adapted from John Le Carre’s 1971 novella, The Little Drummer Girl, Handel asked the filmmaker if he wanted to direct an adaptation of the book. Aronofsky was on the fence about whether or not he wanted to commit to a television project, but he eventually gave in and said yes.
The House of Gucci, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2016 and was released in theaters the following month, is the result of that partnership. While Aronofsky is responsible for the screenplay, which was based on a true story, Handel adapted the book into a script, which Aronofsky then turned into a detailed storyboard. In the film, Pattinson plays an entrepreneur who takes a job as a retail manager at a Gucci store in New York City, where he meets a group of eccentrics, including Nicole Kidman and Elle MacLeman (played by Kidman and MacLeman, respectively). As the title character Gucci plays a small role as a priest. Ultimately, the film is less about Gucci and more about the eccentricities of the people who work there. Aronofsky hasn’t directed a feature film since then, but he and Handel are already working on the sequel.
Pattinson And Aronofsky’s Present Day Relationship
The last time we saw Aronofsky and Pattinson was on the big screen together was in the 2012 drama, The Walk. In a film that was both critical and commercial flops, the director and actor played a married couple whose relationship is put to the test when the woman (Pattinson) is tasked with protecting a child from harm. Aronofsky said at the time that he thought the film did well in terms of creating an atmosphere, but that he personally felt the story was weak and the dialogue was poor. Nevertheless, he didn’t rule out a return to the screen.
In fact, the team is more excited about another project that doesn’t involve children. The two are currently in post-production on a film they are calling Angels. Aronofsky, who has a history of creating mood boards for directors, is currently working on an R-rated horror film with a $20 million budget. While the project isn’t necessarily about vampires, the mood board for the film prominently features them. It also features imagery and touches from the director’s earlier work, including his 2006 psychological thriller, The Wrestler.
Pattinson, meanwhile, is developing a contemporary take on the Arthurian legend with Warner Bros. As with many of the projects he is involved with, it will be a period piece and will see the actor play a dual role.
Pattinson And Aronofsky’s Past Collaborations
Pattinson is currently appearing in the Netflix drama, Victoria, which is set in the early 1860s and follows a young queen who must lead England into the modern era. He plays Walter Hartright, a nobleman and aspiring author who is also the husband of one of the queen’s ladies-in-waiting.
The project, which was partly funded by Ingenious Media and distributed by Netflix, is set to premiere in the UK on November 4 and will then be available to watch on the service in the U.S. on November 11. It marks the actor’s first foray into playing a protagonist rather than a supporting role, and he is looking forwards to the change of pace. “I’ve always kind of done my own thing, or gone abroad and explored other countries and cultures, or gone up in scale and worked with great directors,” he said in an interview with BBC. “So I’ve always led a charmed life as an actor, really. And so this is quite a new experience for me.”
Aside from Victoria, Pattinson has a number of film projects lined up for release in the near future. The Twilight Saga veteran is set to appear in the upcoming Maze Runner sequel, The Death Cure, and is also attached to star in the action-adventure film, Sultan. A leading man with a female twist, the actor is looking to play a character who is “strong, dynamic, and funny,” and who is “totally in control” in the film. If that’s not a description you’d give yourself when you’re talking to yourself in the mirror, you might want to rethink your approach to self-care. (Aronofsky has also expressed an interest in working with Pattinson again, but only on a non-musical project.)
Roles Alongside Other Celebrities
Aside from acting, which is undoubtedly his forte, Pattinson is also well-known for his collaborations with other celebrities. He appeared in the 2011 comedy, Sex Tape, alongside one of his idols, Will Ferrell. The pair play competing brothers who make a series of increasingly embarrassing videos, which they then trade with each other. The film, which was produced by Tim and Eric’s Awesome Inc. and directed by Richard Linklater, is one of the actor’s most popular projects, and he has since reprised his role in the sequels, which were released in 2012 and 2014. (Ferrell also starred in the 2012 thriller, The Counselor, which was directed by Aronofsky. Although they didn’t work together, Aronofsky has stated that he’s a big fan and would love to collaborate with Ferrell again).
Another of Pattinson’s popular collaborations is with his friend and frequent collaborator, Kate Winslet. The two have acted together in a number of films, including the 2010 World War II drama, The Reader, and the 2008 legal comedy, The Duchess. They have also done a number of public works projects, including a 2016 campaign to help save the tiger and an art installation at the Serpentine Galleries in London.
It’s clear that, in addition to being two of the most talented and recognizable creators in Hollywood, Aronofsky and Pattinson are also two of the most collaborative as well. Their past films stand as testament to that, and the early stages of their most recent project, The House of Gucci, were marked by intensive storyboarding and design work.