If there’s one thing we know for certain about Hollywood, it’s that no matter what happens, somebody will always be willing to pay big money to see it.
And after decades of speculation, we finally have an answer as to who will play the white knight in Toto’s jungle—it’s Robert Pattinson.
The “Twilight Saga” actor, who rose to fame for his role as vampire Edward Cullen in the blockbuster series, has finally committed to a massive $25 million movie project, titled Victorian Undead. A prequel to the saga, the film will focus on the origin story of the terrifying creatures known as the “vampires”.
We’ve compiled a comprehensive guide about Robert Pattinson, including all the necessary details on when to expect him to release new music, what kind of movies he’s currently promoting, and much more.
Early Life and Career
Robert John Pattinson was born on July 31, 1986 in London, England. He is the second of four children to parents Donald (a financial consultant) and Debi (an interior designer). The family moved to Marbella, Spain, when he was a child. In addition to English, his native tongue is French. He has a younger brother named Charlie and two sisters named Grace and Emily. His paternal great-grandfather was Scottish, which explains why he sometimes uses the name “Pattinson” in his movies. He changed his surname to match that of his mother’s family in 1991.
Pattinson grew up listening to all sorts of music, from The Beatles to Lady Gaga, and was influenced by directors such as Tim Burton and Ridley Scott. After graduating from high school, he decided to forgo further education and head to Hollywood instead, with a dream to become the biggest film star in the world. At the time, his father was heavily advising him to pursue a career in finance. As a result, he decided to take his father’s advice and started working for a stock-trading company in Los Angeles. While there, he attended acting classes and developed his craft.
It wasn’t long before he decided to pursue a career in film, which led him to meet with producers who had worked with Tim Burton on the legendary Dark Shadows series. They were impressed by his work and offered him a role in an upcoming film called The Escape Artist. In it, he played a conman who swindles people out of their money using fake identities. While the role wasn’t very complex, he proved to be a quick learner and impressed the coaches at the Casting Society of America. He won best newcomer at the 2015 Casting Society of America Awards for his performance.
After spending a season in London serving as the face of Chanel’s makeup brand, Paparazzi, he moved to Paris in search of artistic inspiration. While there, he enrolled in the prestigious drama school, the Centre Georges Pompidou, where he studied under famed French director Michael Haneke. It was during this time that he began toying with the idea of playing the famed white knight in Toto’s The Vampires.
But it wasn’t until he returned to Los Angeles and started working with a private acting coach named Erik Matti that he truly started to transform his body and his approach to acting. It was also during this time that he had met with the makers of Paddington, who were looking for an English actor to voice the bear. He decided to take the role, which required him to spend a considerable amount of time recording, and he didn’t hesitate to do so. The bear became a defining character in his life, and he credited Matti for helping him bond with the furry creature.
The Making of Paddington
While in Paris, Pattinson had also met with producers who had worked on the original Paddington series. They were planning on turning the beloved children’s book into a movie, and since the role of the bear was so demanding, they were looking for an English actor to play Paddington. Again, he decided to take the role, and although it was initially difficult to find the time to commit to, he eventually did so, and began training for the part. He liked the script and decided to commit to the role, even though he wasn’t entirely sure how long it would last. But he didn’t regret taking the part, because it gave him the opportunity to work with the great Jim Bowen, who directed the episode he was in.
Pattinson also has a song featured on the soundtrack of Paddington, titled “Invisible”, and he wrote the lyrics for it. He also lent his voice for a song on the soundtrack, titled “We Are The Ones”, and performed the song live with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
His first credited appearance in a movie was in the 2015 horror movie The Bough. There, he played the part of Charlie, the troubled son of a renowned painter (played by Uma Thurman) who moves back in with her after his father’s tragic death. In addition to appearing in the movie, he also served as a creative consultant on the project. Also in 2015, he portrayed Michael Caine in the British biopic Sixty Six, opposite Charlize Theron. It was his first major role in a motion picture, and at the end of the year, he was nominated for a BAFTA for best newcomer.
Pattinson has expressed interest in appearing in other children’s movies, as well as thrillers and horror movies. But he doesn’t see himself as a typical child actor, stating in a 2016 interview with Entertainment Weekly that, “It’s not that I want to say no to other types of roles. It’s that I want to focus on doing what I’m doing, and not be boxed in by the industry.” And in the same interview, he expressed a desire “to break down the preconceptions of what actors are and can be.”
Music Career
Aside from acting, Pattinson has also been very active in the music scene. He has collaborated with a number of musicians to create music, and often plays guitar in the studio. So far, he has released four albums: Burmese Days in 2011, which was entirely written and composed by himself; Peacock, which was released in 2015 and also featured the Rolling Stones’ iconic guitarist, Mick Jagger; Battaglio, which was released last year and is named after an Italian city; and his most recent album, Darling, which was released in February 2018 and featured contributions from the band Chairlift and actress Rosanna Pattinson, Robert’s elder sister. Most of the songs on the album are autobiographical.
Pattinson co-wrote the song “Mama Said”, which appears on the soundtrack for Darling. The track is about his mother’s battle with cancer and her eventual passing. The lyrics ask, “Is it really true that we must let go?”
The music scene in general, and the UK music scene in particular, was dealt a massive blow in March 2016 when it was announced that the iconic rock band The Rolling Stones would be headlining the Glastonbury Festival and not playing live, due to Mick Jagger’s ill health. The news of The Stones’ cancellation came as a complete shock to fans, many of whom traveled from near and far to see the band perform at the iconic festival. In an interview with the BBC, Jagger revealed that the band was forced to cancel more than a dozen shows due to health problems, adding that they were “heartbroken” over the decision.
It was also revealed that several of the band’s most iconic tracks, including “Torn And Frayed”, had to be dropped from their set due to time constraints. Jagger, who is 84 years old, had to sit down and listen to the tracks prior to each show so he could find the right notes. The band’s legendary bass player, Bill Wyman, also suffered a heart attack last year and had to cancel several shows, including the Glastonbury Festival. He was eventually forced to retire from the band due to health issues.
Despite these hardships, the band persevered. They eventually completed their European tour and returned to L.A. where they began recording new material for a 2021 release. In the meantime, they are scheduled to play the Montreux Jazz Festival in April 2021. The band has also been known to perform for charity events and have a number of fantastic songs that they use as campaign anthems, which they perform at the end of their shows, for example, “The Last Time” and “Beast Of Burden”.