While we’ve known and loved Robert Pattinson for years as the sweet guy who plays the dashing, brooding, yet somehow kindhearted vampire in the Twilight films, it turns out the British actor is a complete mystery man when it comes to his personal life. We don’t know what he does outside of acting, his relationships with women, or where he lives. Since he’s been in Hollywood for so long, we figured it was about time we found out more about this talented and mysterious man.
Now, thanks to a new interview with The Sun, we know a bit more about what’s going on behind the scenes with Pattinson and his crew. According to the report, the actor is currently working on his next film project, titled Bait, with a budget of $3 million. The movie will focus on a teenage girl (Storm Reid) who falls for the wrong kind of guy (Pattinson), causing her life to fall apart. He reportedly wants to tackle mental health issues and become “a bit of a therapist” in the process. We’re pretty sure Storm’s parents will be pretty happy to hear that!
Pattinson has also revealed that he’s always had a thing for comedies, so the team behind Bait has gone all-out to make sure the movie is as funny as possible. The actor had this to say about the tone of the upcoming movie: “I feel like there are scenes in there that are really funny and then there are scenes that are a bit more dramatic. I really like the way the movie is. It’s a bit of a mix between drama and comedy, which I think is really interesting for an audience to go on a journey with.”
That journey will include Pattinson’s character giving Reid advice on everything from how to dress to what men her age should be doing to avoid getting hit on by strange men (hint: it involves staying indoors a lot). The actor didn’t reveal any other details about Bait, including its release date, but he did confirm that it will focus on a “completely different subject matter” from Twilight and its vampire-themed sequels. He also added that the movie will tackle “some dark subjects,” which sound promising.
As for what’s next for Pattinson, he’s said to be in talks with Warner Bros. about taking on the role of the tragic King George in the upcoming film adaptation of the Joe Orton play Look Back Love. The play follows a young man who plots to kill his parents and blame it on the king, as a way of escaping his family’s estate. If the deal goes through, Look Back Love will be the first film role for Pattinson since Bait. Shooting is expected to begin in 2020.
A Life Behind The Scenes
Before we dive into the mystery man himself, it’s important to remember that behind every great actor lies a great story. It seems like Pattinson was simply born to play Edward Cullen, the brooding and handsome lead in the Twilight films (and the entire success of which he deserves all the credit). So let’s take a quick trip down memory lane and revisit some of Pattinson’s best comedic performances from the past.
Dazed & Confused
In 1998, Pattinson starred in the movie Dazed & Confused alongside Matthew McConaughey, who plays the father of the titular character (Pattinson). The plot twists and turns as we follow the confused prom-goers as they stumble around the city searching for a ride home, with the help of two hot girls (Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Laura Thompson). The film was a critical and box office success, making $26.5 million on a $3 million budget.
Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Laura Thompson would go on to feature heavily in many of the actor’s early supporting roles, including the romcom The Most Wanted (2000), in which he played a bartender who has to choose between two women (Witherspoon and Thompson) seeking his affections. The film was a box office hit and introduced us to the world of Robert Pattinson and his charmingly droll nature. It also earned him his first Golden Globe nomination.
Pattinson would later say that he “made [his] name” with Dazed & Confused and that it gave him “a reputation as a comedian.” This was a reputation he would enjoy for the next several years, with roles in the movies Palindromes (2015), The Favourite (2018), and A Dog’s Witze (2019) cementing his status as one of Britain’s most respected and versatile actors. He clearly hasn’t lost his comedic touch, as these three movies demonstrate, but we can also see him grow as an actor as the years go by.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Pattinson’s performance as Alfredo in the movie The Grand Budapest Hotel was one of the highlights of 2018. Taking on the dual roles of the dashing hotel manager and his crusty uncle, Alfredo is at once hilarious and heartbreaking as he pleads with Zero Zero to save his hotel from being taken over by American bankers. The film also gives us a glimpse at how international travel was during the early days of the 20th century, which is a unique and interesting dynamic to the story.
After The Grand Budapest Hotel, it’s clear that Pattinson has moved beyond comedy to become a leading man and a credible dramatic actor. We can also see that the Twilight films have given him the ability to play a variety of characters, from the snarky yet romantic Ed to the tragic and haunted Jacob to the downright mean and cunning wolves (sorry, that’s all we’re allowed to reveal about them for now). While we’d like to think that perhaps he already has all the parts he needs to play, we can’t help but wonder what will become of the “comedy guy” we know and love, now that he has a chance to tackle real issues.
High Maintenance
In the final season of the TV show Mindhunter, we are introduced to the dark and brooding persona that is the real-life Robert Pattinson. The actor stars as Aidan Shaw, a former soldier who becomes a monster hunter, tracking and capturing dangerous criminals who have evaded the law. While still a bit of a mystery man himself, Shaw is a natural at playing a psychologically damaged character who spends most of his time brooding and analyzing the cases he has worked on. It is clear that Mindhunter has influenced Pattinson’s own work, particularly in the way he plays Shaw. While on the surface it might seem like a comedic turn, behind the scenes we know that Shaw is a much more complicated character and it is clear that Pattinson is giving an impassioned performance.
If there is one thing we’ve learned about Pattinson, it’s that he’s not afraid to tackle difficult issues and take on controversial subjects. While none of his films will ever be considered mainstream or safe choices, it is clear that he has no problem speaking his mind, which is perhaps a reflection of his own complicated character. Maybe in a decade or two we’ll see a more mature and less naïve Pattinson emerge from all this youthful flamboyance.
For now, we can continue to bask in the fact that we have Twilight, which will go down as one of the greatest movie trilogies of all time. While the films might not be for everyone, it’s clear that Robert Pattinson is one of the shining lights shining brightly behind the scenes of this wonderful phenomenon.