The handsome English actor recently opened up about his love life in a candid interview with Elle. However, the actor may have somewhat disappointed his fans by revealing that he has never been married. Pattinson, who is currently dating his Twilight co-star Kellie Shannon, said that he has always been very private about his personal life. The 32-year-old actor admitted that he is not interested in entering into a traditional marital relationship because he believes that it is important to “find that person that makes you happy, and you know, if that doesn’t exist, then you have to make it exist.” Pattinson first came to prominence for playing the role of Oscar Winterson in the 2014 film The Way Way Back. The film tells the story of a sex-crazed dog who repeatedly tries to mount different female animals, and has a terrifying habit of wagging his tail as he approaches his victims.
Though The Way Way Back was a critical and commercial success, it was not long before fans and Hollywood collaborators began debating whether or not Pattinson was indeed bon-bon material. Most notably, Ava Gardner (played by Salma Hayek) criticized the young star for not being man enough to satisfy a woman of her age. The incident reportedly caused Hayek to walk away from a potential romantic relationship with Pattinson. However, the two most recent BFFs in history would go on to form a romantic and professional relationship that lasted for nearly a decade.
2014: Beginnings
Pattinson made his screen debut in the 2014 film Welcome to the Jungle starring John Terry (played by John Travolta). The young actor next appeared in the crime thriller Sleeping with Emily in which he played Emily’s (Melanie Griffith) brother. Pattinson’s first high-profile romance was reportedly inspired by Griffith’s on-screen chemistry with Travolta, with whom he shares a familial resemblance. Rumors began circulating in late 2014 that Pattinson and Griffith were an item, with the two most recent BFFs being photographed together on multiple occasions.
2015: “Twilight” And “Goodbye”
The most recent installment in the Twilight franchise, Eclipse, brought Pattinson’s on-screen bromance with Shannon into the limelight. Shot in Italy, Eclipse featured the two young actors and Robert Downey Jr. as a biker who joins their bromance. The trio became known (or infamously known) as “The Twi-Core” for their devotion to Stephenie Meiers’ (Eclipse’s screenwriter) vampire romance. The film became a blockbuster and one of the highest-grossing films of all time. In the film, Pattinson’s character Bryce is described as “a complex, emotional creature, a loner, and a good guy.”
Unfortunately for Pattinson, his cinematic honeymoon did not last long, as the Twilight franchise attracted the attention of vile Internet trolls, who embarked on a campaign of bullying and taunting the actor (most notably via Twitter feeds and online message boards). Many of these trolls referenced Pattinson’s femininity and attempted to undermine his self-confidence. The taunts continued even after Eclipse wrapped, with some dubbing the actor a “little girl” and calling for him to be killed. Though some of these Twitter users may have been self-appointed guardians of the saga’s fandom, Pattinson himself admitted that the trolling was disheartening and, at times, frustrating.
2016: “High Road”
While Eclipse was being discussed and debated, Pattinson’s next movie was already in the works. The young actor served as a producer on the Hollywood satire High Road, which also featured Shannon. Shot in Liam Connolly’s native Celtic Ireland, High Road told the story of a down-on-his-luck writer (played by Pattinson) who accepts a prophetic writing challenge from a younger writer (Shannon). The writing contest forces the older man to reflect on his life and how he has spent his entire adult life on the “high road” (i.e. following the tastes and preferences of the general public). Though the film was not particularly well-received, Pattinson’s collaborators (including Shannon) insisted that it possesses great plots and dialogue and is worth viewing for cinema aficionados.
2017: BFFs Once Again
Twilight may have marked the beginnings of Pattinson’s screen infamy, but it was clear that the actor had much more to offer the Hollywood village. The most recent entry in the franchise, Venus Vulcan would go on to become one of the highest-grossing films of all time, attracting a crowded launch campaign (and generating a whole episode of TLC drama Velvet Hues). In the film, Pattinson’s character Steve is a reformed playboy who falls in love with a seductress (played by Charlize Theron). However, despite Pattinson’s growing reputation, he continued to keep his personal life pretty much to himself. The English actor did make a cameo appearance in the comic book movie Black Panther, starring Michael B. Jordan. The twenty-eight-scene film tells the story of a shy teen who consults a spiritual medium (played by Snoop Dog Biter) about creating a novel that will inspire him to become a writer. Though Pattinson does not appear in the film, he did provide some original writing for the script, which was directed by Ryan Coogler.