Robert Pattinson is an English actor, musician, and a university dropout. He came into the limelight for portraying the mysterious character of Edward Cullen in the Twilight Saga. Since the Twilight franchise, Pattinson has established himself as one of the most talented English actors in Hollywood. Besides acting, he dabbled in music and released his first solo album, called Just like This, in November 2012. It was a critical and commercial success, peaking at number two on the UK Album Chart. In 2017, his second album, Say Something was released, following the birth of his son, Bronson Junior, with model and actress Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Twilight: The Movie
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 was the last of the Twilight films but was the biggest of them all. It was the first installment in the saga to be released in 2012 and has gone on to become the second highest-grossing film of all time, only behind Avatar. It surpassed the previous film in box office take, with an estimated lifetime US box office of $7.8 billion.
The Twilight films follow the adventures of Bella Swan (Taylor Lautner), a teenage girl whose life is turned upside down when she is bitten by a vampire named Edward Cullen (Pattinson). She subsequently falls in love with Cullen and they elope to Las Vegas to get married. However, they are soon forced to return home when Bella learns that she is pregnant. As the series progresses, Bella gives birth to a son, Jasper, who is later presumed dead until Summerisle, a secluded island, turns up in the finale.
In breaking dawn – part 2, after giving birth, Bella goes on a revenge rampage, killing vampires, including her ex-fiance, Edward Cullen. The finale also sees the birth of Edward’s twin children, Genevieve and Ariana. In total, the Twilight Saga films have made a whopping £12.8 billion worldwide.
Personal Life
Apart from acting, Pattinson has been in a relationship with model Daisy Lowe since 2011. In 2017, the couple bought a $2.8 million (£2.3 million) home in London’s prestigious Holland Park. In January 2018, it was reported that they purchased a $2.9 million (£2.4 million) mansion in Los Angeles’ fashionable Benedict Canyon.
Daisy filed for divorce from her husband, art dealer and property tycoon Ben Elliot, in June 2018, citing ‘irreconcilable differences’. The couple had been married for 10 years. Shortly after the divorce was filed, Pattinson was spotted at Los Angeles International Airport, waiting to board a flight to London. The actor has yet to comment on the divorce or his personal life.
Successful Career
Pattinson started his career in theater, appearing in productions of Macbeth and Julius Caesar in 2013. Later that year, he was cast in his first major film, the indie crime thriller Kill Your Friends, which follows a manhunt for a kidnapped man. In 2015, he appeared in two blockbusters: Disney’s big-budget adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, and Universal Pictures’ Jurassic World, which he co-starred in. In 2017, he appeared in the war drama HMS Trumpshire and the heist film Dummy, starring opposite Matt Damon and Henry Cavil.
More recently, Pattinson has been seen in critically acclaimed films such as Victoria and Abdul (2017), The Laptop (2017), and The King (2018), directed by Yann Demange. The latter film is based on the real-life 1966 trial of drug dealer Tommy Sheridan, who was ultimately acquitted of all charges. In February 2018, it was announced that Pattinson would play the title role in Demange’s next film, The Secret Life of the Gallery.
Pattinson has been nominated for numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his performance in the 2017 film Victoria and Abdul. He has won various accolades at the British Film Awards, including the award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Victoria and Abdul and The King. He was also nominated for a BAFTA in the same category for his performance in The Laptop, and has received a Critics’ Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 2018 film The Dead Don’t Die.
New Album
In addition to acting, music has always been a passion for Pattinson. He took a sabbatical from 2015 to 2017 to focus on his songwriting and had released a solo album, titled Just like This, in November 2012. The album peaked at number two on the UK Album Chart.
In January 2017, Pattinson released the song “Lovecraft”, which is named after the American horror writer, Howard Phillips Lovecraft. The next month, he collaborated with film composer David Julyan on the song “Red Rain”, which was used in the 2017 film Silent House, and followed up with one more song, “A Darkness So Great”, which appears in the film The Guilty.
In November 2017, it was revealed that Pattinson had secretly worked on his second album with hitmaker Greg Kurstin, whom he had collaborated with on his breakout album. Following the birth of his son, the pair worked on the album, which was eventually titled Say Something. In April 2018, it was announced that the album would be released on 16 June.
The pair worked with producers including Pharrell Williams, Shellback, and Joel McNeely, as well as co-writers including Kurstin, Nick Monson, and Anna Waronawsky. In addition to vocal production, Pattinson and Kurstin worked with various artists, including Liam Payne, Dua Lipa, and Ty Dolla $ign. The album marks a departure from the musician’s previous work, as it is entirely based on ballads. The music video for the album’s first single, “Sober”, was released in 2018 and has since accumulated over 20 million views on YouTube.
In an interview with Billboard, Pattinson discussed the album’s lyrical content, saying: “With ‘Sober’, I wanted to write about what it’s like to be an addict and what it’s like to come off that stuff. It’s a really interesting topic, and I think anyone who’s ever been through treatment can relate to it.”
Pattinson’s second album, Say Something, was released in April 2019 and peaked at number seven on the UK Album Chart. The album received generally positive reviews and marks a return to form for the musician. In an interview with The Guardian, he discussed the new album and its theme, saying: “There’s definitely a theme to the album that ties it all together, which is about finding your voice and not being afraid to use it. You can really hear that on this record.”
In February 2019, it was reported that Pattinson had reteamed with his Kill Your Friends director, Yann Demange, for his next movie, Dark Was The Night. The story is based on the Jack the Ripper murders, which occurred in London in 1888. The project is currently in post-production and has yet to be released.
Future Plans
Aside from his acting and music careers, Pattinson revealed in an interview with The Independent that he has plans to direct a film in the near future. He also mentioned that he may write and direct a film about the life of author J.R.R. Tolkien, whom he had recently portrayed in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy. Jackson stated that he would support Pattinson in making such a film and even offered to narrate it for him.
In 2018, it was reported that Pattinson had bought a home in Los Angeles’ fashionable Benedict Canyon neighborhood. It is unclear whether or not this is his permanent residence, as he seems to be a frequent flier between Los Angeles and London.
Pattinson is currently filming the upcoming third and final installment of the Twilight Saga, titled Breaking Dawn – Part 3. It is due for release in 2021.