One of today’s biggest tabloid stories centers not around a feud or hack scandal, but around a question that’s been haunting us for a while now: Is Robert Pattinson actually that hot or is it all an act?
Thanks to a little bird named Bella (we’ll get to her in a bit), we’ve been gifted with yet another installment in the ongoing saga that is Robert Pattinson and his hotness.
The saga began in January 2014, when Bella published the first of what would be a series of intimate interviews with the 26-year-old actor. In those interviews, Pattinson—who at the time had just completed shooting Twilight—revealed a number of secrets about his personal life, including his romantic pursuits and lifestyle (he admitted to enjoying high-end fashion and expensive restaurants, among other things).
That same month, Pattinson released his debut album, 25, which featured a handful of songs about Bella, her character in the Twilight saga and their friendship. (The album also included a track called “Blackbird,” which is about a different character from Twilight.)
The album was a commercial and critical flop, and on November 17, 2014, just three days after the release of his second album, Reality, and two weeks after 25, Pattinson announced he was taking a break from music to focus on acting. He has since been spotted out and about in Los Angeles with his band, The Robert Pattinson Group, which he formed with his Twilight co-star and best friend, Taylor Lautner. The group performs nostalgic 1980s classics at concerts and also released a live album in January 2017.
While we’ve been lucky enough to see Pattinson on the big screen, with major roles in the Twilight and Rebel Witch sagas as well as an upcoming adaptation of the classic Jane Eyre, our question remains: Is he as good in real life as he seems on the big screen? Is it all an act? Or is he just that damn hot?
To find out, we turned to one of the most trusted sources of celebrity news and entertainment, Kelly Mcdonald, host of the Kelly McDonald Podcast and founder of Kellyisawesome.com.
Here’s what she had to say about Robert Pattinson:
On Robert Pattinson’s Celebrity Hacks
“It’s funny, because when I first heard about Robert Pattinson, I thought, ‘There’s no way he could pull this off,’ ” she said. “I didn’t understand how he could be so handsome and so charming, and I definitely didn’t understand how he could be so successful as an actor.”
“But then I started to see behind the scenes of his interviews, behind his smile, and I started to realize what an amazing actor he is. I think the reason he’s so successful is because he’s chosen his roles very carefully. He doesn’t just go for any old part; he always has a theory about why he should play a certain role and usually ends up choosing a character that suits his personal characteristics.”
She added:
“He’s really good at researching the characters he plays. He’ll come up with ideas for parts and then write character sketches to show how he sees the person he’s playing. For example, in one of his early roles, he based [Edward] Cullen’s character on Keith Richards.”
“He’s like this genius mind coming up with these ideas. I’ve never met anyone like him.”
On If Robert Pattinson’s Hotness Is All An Act
“I think that his hotness is partly an act, but I think there’s more to it than that, ” said Mcdonald. “I think that he really is that good-looking, and I truly believe that he can pull of that fake chipper guy thing.”
“It’s like he has this magic wand, and he waves it, and everything in front of him turns to gold. I think he has something that draws people in, and I think that’s what makes him so successful. He knows how to play this game. He knows how to make people believe in his lies.”
“Even in the worst-case scenario, where he’s not as good-looking as I think he is, I still believe that he can pull off this charm. I think it’s something he learned at an early age. It’s like a magical quality. He’s like this prince that people want to believe in.”
On Whether or Not Robert Pattinson’s Hotness Is Real
“I have a feeling that his hotness might be more real than we think, ” said Mcdonald. “I don’t think that he’s ever really let anyone inside his soul. Even with all the lies that he’s told over the years, I still believe there’s a good side to him.”
“I think that there’s a part of him that feels like he doesn’t deserve all this success. He’s had so many difficult moments in his life, and most people wouldn’t want to go through what he’s had to deal with. And so, I think that he might be hiding parts of himself from the world, and those parts are just as interesting as the parts he shows the world.”
“I think that if we wanted to know the real Robert Pattinson, we might not like what we found.”