After a rough patch that saw him hooked on drugs and in and out of rehab, Hollywood’s golden boy Robert Pattinson is back and looking better than ever. The 28-year-old actor recently dated model and musician Edie Blackberry for a few months before breaking up in August 2019. Now, he’s found a new girlfriend and started a family with her.
The “Twilight” actor has two kids, Jaxon, nine, and Evelyn, seven, with his ex-fiancee Emily Hastings. The children’s mother died of cancer when they were very young and the kids’ guardians are their paternal grandparents, Paul and Linda Pattinson. So, the Hollywood hunk’s kids are now living with him and his new girlfriend Grace Poole. According to eyewitnesses, the couple seem to be enjoying each other’s company and are constantly on their phones, checking accounts and social media to see who’s following whom. The sweethearts have even started a Twitter account, “@Grace_Poole,” where they’ll share details about their daily lives.
Family Feud
However, despite the fact that Robert has found love again, the journey hasn’t been easy. The success of the “Twilight” films in adapting L.A.’s alternative lifestyle for teenage girls was nothing short of phenomenal. The first film in the franchise, 2006’s “Saving Mr. Banks,” earned $72 million domestically and $130 million internationally, while its sequel, 2012’s “New Moon,” grossed $55 million and $82 million, respectively. It went on to become the second-highest grossing film of all time behind only Toy Story 3, with $1.06 billion at the box office.
The films’ huge popularity propelled Pattinson’s acting career into overdrive. He quickly became one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars and played a range of charismatic and complex characters. In 2018, Forbes listed him as the fourth-highest-paid actor in Hollywood, commanding a salary of $16.5 million. Additionally, Forbes pointed out that in 2019, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his supporting role in the movie “Cosmos,” a role that also earned him an Academy nomination.
“It kind of shocked me how much interest this project had brought,” Pattinson told Variety in 2019 regarding “Cosmos.” “I had been acting for 12 years and had never experienced such a wide range of characters and situations. There were so many opportunities for growth as an actor, and it was an honor to play a part in expanding the consciousness of the world beyond literature.”
While some of the characters that Pattinson played may have been complex and multi-dimensional, he himself remained a somewhat polarizing figure. In 2018, the British media company GQ named its annual Sexiest Man awards after the actor, dubbing him the “Robert Pattinson.” Despite his good looks and magnetic personality, many fans and journalists were divided into two camps: those who loved him and those who hated him. Even among members of his own camp, there were some who considered him an enigma and some who saw him as a role model. Some went so far as to say that he saved their lives. Still, there was no denying that he was one of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood.
New Attitude
The success of the “Twilight” films and ensuing celebrity undoubtedly helped to change Robert’s relationship with the world. In 2020, he made a highly publicized appearance at the premiere of Tim Ryan’s documentary “Rage,” promoting diversity and inclusivity in Hollywood. In the film, he discusses his struggles with drugs and alcohol, as well as the loss of his mother when he was young and his grandmother, who raised him and his siblings, when they were young. The movie is a powerful watch for anyone interested in the transformative power of film, reminding them that even the biggest stars weren’t always fortunate enough to have a fairy godmother wave an umbrella over them.
Although much of the focus was on Robert’s struggle with addiction and his quest to find love and happiness, it’s clear that the documentary also featured a more nuanced and sympathetic view of the star. In the film, he calls himself a “product” of his upbringing, admitting that he was initially reluctant to pursue an acting career and that he found sobriety through self-determination and a strong work ethic, eventually finding the confidence to embrace his true north and live his life to the fullest. It’s interesting to see how much has changed in just a few years.
Why Grace?
If there was one topic that dominated the “Cosmos” press tour it was Grace Poole. The 23-year-old model and hairdresser from Sussex became a trending topic on social media and some publications even named her the “Queen of Cosmos” due to her stunning looks and charm. While the film wasn’t rated, it was obviously a major step up from the Twilight franchise, especially for fans of the young adult romance genre. The actress Sienna Miller, who plays Pattinson’s character’s mother in the movie, was also heavily featured in the press around the time that the film came out. It seemed that every publication had an article on Miller and her on-screen son, with one even dubbing him “the father of the future King George,” due to the Duchess of Cambridge’s recent royal birth. But it wasn’t just the media that was interested in Grace; several talent agencies jumped on the chance to represent the aspiring model, who worked part-time for a PR firm to help launch her modeling career.
Ultimately, it wasn’t the fame or fortune that attracted Grace to the actor; it was his charm and personality. One of her favorite anecdotes involves the time that they met in Ibiza and he spontaneously decided to treat her to dinner. The following day, Grace had lunch with an old friend who happened to work for English fashion brand Burberry. After learning that the brand’s founder, William Burberry, had died a few days earlier, Grace decided to send the designer’s son, Ted, a handwritten letter, expressing her condolences and admiring the brand’s work. She included a link to an online article about Burberry and asked whether the company had any current promotions or happenings that she could feature on her Instagram account. To her surprise, Ted called her a few days later and invited her to a private dinner at his home, along with English film director Richard Laxton and his wife, model Georgia Salpa. It was a glamorous evening and Grace looked stunning in a daring red dress that she wore to the premiere of “Cosmos” a few months later. While it’s no secret that social media plays a role in our everyday lives, it’s still rare to see an actor acknowledge the power that platforms such as Twitter and Instagram have to transform lives. But in the case of Robert Pattinson, maybe it’s not such a shocking revelation. After all, it was the twilight of his drug addiction that gave him the confidence to rebuild his life and live his truth. Perhaps his best friend and collaborator, Dustin Hoffman, put it best when he told the New York Times in 2019, “When you’re at the top, the rules don’t apply.”
“I think it would be fair to say that over the last couple of years, Rob has become a lot more comfortable in his own skin,” said Joe Berlinger, the director of the documentary “Rage,” in a press release. “He’s learned a lot about himself and found a lot of strength in relating to others, which has benefited his work and his life.”
Since the premiere of “Cosmos,” much has been made of Robert’s transformation. He still struggles with addiction (he checked into rehab in January 2020), but now, he’s also a born-again Christian and a committed environmentalist. However, despite his newfound activism, the actor remains somewhat of an enigma. Although his fame and fortune have made him an international star and landed him on the Forbes list of the world’s richest actors, it’s still not certain what drives the English hunk or where his priorities lie. At the same time, some of his past behaviour and the controversies that surrounded him have made him an unconventional figure. In many ways, he remains a rebel who continues to inspire and shock fans and critics with his choice of attire (he often wears vintage clothing) and his outspoken and at times controversial opinions (he’s critical of the fashion industry and traditional ideas of attractiveness).