You might know that actor Robert Pattinson has gone from being best known for being a vampire in the Twilight franchise to becoming one of Hollywood’s most eligible bachelors. Today, we’ll reveal exactly how Robert Pattinson became a “boy next door.”
He Redefined What It Means to Have a Luxurious Lifestyle
In an interview with Esquire, Pattinson described how he transitioned from being a movie star to living his life as a “playboy.” He told the magazine,
“I didn’t really know what a playboy was. I just knew it was something to do with men paying for women’s company. I didn’t really feel like I fitted into that category. In the beginning, I just did it for the sake of doing it. I didn’t really have a clear idea of what I was doing. Then, as I got more experience, it became more clear to me that it was something I needed to be doing. It felt good, you know? I never felt like I’ve been close to anyone except my family. And I felt like being a playboy was the way to close that gap. It’s one of those things that felt good, you know? It felt right.”
He Made An Impression On Hollywood
Pattinson’s transition from being an A-list movie star to becoming a playboy wasn’t completely smooth. He told Esquire that, at first, it was difficult to make an impression on Hollywood because “being a nobody isn’t very flattering.” He added,
“You’re just one of many and you don’t stand out. People are going to talk about other things when you walk into a room. It’s not going to be ‘How are you?’ It’s going to be ‘Oh, look at the person next to me.’”
However, since his newfound fame, Robert Pattinson has created quite the social media presence and has used his platform to help others in similar situations. He frequently posts about his love for dogs and shares funny stories about his friends and family.
He Has An Excellent Sense Of Humor
One of the reasons why Robert Pattinson has been able to transition so smoothly from being a heartthrob to being a “boy next door” is because he has an excellent sense of humor. He told Vanity Fair,
“I think that if I can make people laugh, it normally helps me connect with them. If I can make people interested in other things, it usually means I’ve managed to have a small effect on them. It takes a little bit of magic, you know? I suppose it’s like when you meet somebody and you have this instant connection. I can’t really explain it. That’s the way I feel when I meet someone and we start talking. I feel like I know them already. It’s like we’ve been friends for years and, all of a sudden, I’m meeting them for the first time.”
Pattinson’s sense of humor has definitely stood out amongst his acting contemporaries. One of the most famous cases of him using comedy to deflect from an awkward situation occurs in the new trailer for the Twilight sequel, Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2. In the scene, we see Pattinson as a pretentious man who thinks he’s funny. While trying to be the life of the party, he makes a fool of himself by saying the most ridiculous things. For example, he says,
“I love cats. But only the little furry kind that look like children’s drawings of animals. Not the big, mean, angry ones. Those are awful.”
The irony of these instances is that the character Pattinson plays in Breaking Dawn – Part 2 is a pretentious guy with an excellent sense of humor. As he puts it, “Being a vampire isn’t funny. Being a vampire who is also a comedian is very funny.”
He Is The Master Of Self-Deprecation
Speaking of vampires who also happen to be comedians, let’s not forget about the great Louis CK. Interestingly, Louis CK told Esquire that, in his comedy, he frequently covers topics like “sex, drugs, and death” because those are the things that “make people laugh.” But, if you’re not laughing, he’ll make sure you’re not offended by joking about them either. He told the magazine,
“I like to keep people guessing. If you think about it, it’s actually quite an insult putting down your best friend for the sake of humor…I guess it’s kind of like dating somebody and then breaking up with them. You’re saying, ‘You’re not good enough for me.’ It’s like that. You’re insulting the person you’ve just met, but you’re doing it for humor. So it kind of works both ways. You’re funny. I’m funny. We’re both falling down and we both want to see how the other one lands.”
He Has A Talented Family
While many celebrity families can trace their lineage back many generations, the Pattinson family is something else. Robert Pattinson is the son of David Pattinson, a successful artist who died in 1984. His brothers, Jamie and Tim, are also artists and, in 2016, the three of them founded the David Pattinson Art Foundation. In 2014, the art foundation opened a New York City branch with an exhibition of their work. The works on display were mostly impressionistic landscapes that were painted by their father.
The fact that the foundation is named after their father is quite the testament to the kind of man he was. He was known for mentoring and supporting his children as much as possible. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Tim said,
“There is definitely a sense of responsibility because you are carrying on your name, but it was really Dad who looked after us. He was definitely the strong shoulder for us to cry on.”
In addition to being a talented father, David was also a talented grandfather. He had a large impact on Robert’s life and, not surprisingly, he had an even larger impact on the future of the Pattinson family. As Robert told Vanity Fair,
“He always stressed the importance of family. He would say, ‘You are the representation of humanity, no matter what. You must be proud of yourself and of the family you were born into.’ That was the driving force behind everything. It was just to make us proud to be who we were.”
Pattinson also credited his father for helping him understand the importance of being unique and maintaining individualism. He told Rolling Stone,
“My dad always said, ‘Be proud of what makes you different.’ He really hammered that message into us. He said, ‘If you lose your uniqueness, you lose your identity.’ We were always very proud of being different. That’s something that comes from both my parents. Being different is a good thing. It just means you’re not like everybody else. You can’t really explain it, but that’s the type of person I became. I still am.”
He Fulfilled Their Hopes And Dreams
Even though their father died when they were young, the brothers had plenty of support to grow up and become the men they are today. In 1991, their mother, the renowned photographer Serena Scott-Thomas, remarried the artist Guy David Wolff. The two men worked together to provide a stable home for the Pattinson children. In the years that followed, Guy and Serena helped guide the boys through a rough patch in their adolescence. The former fashion director Giambattista Valli said,
“When Tim and Jamie were growing up they were both exceptionally talented and also very lonely. They definitely needed guidance, as a lot of kids do at that age. Their uncle Guy was the perfect audience for their wit and charm. He was also a really good rugby player, so they had lots of fun imitating him on the pitch.”
While their father is best known for being an artist, it was Guy who really encouraged his sons to pursue a career in art. Indeed, it was he who first introduced them to the work of David Lynch, the renowned director of Mulholland Drive and The Big Lebowski. The two iconic films are filled with incredible landscapes that were painted by their father. He also exposed the boys to the work of Vincent van Gogh and helped them understand the importance of the Sun in Dutch and French painting.