This year’s Oscars will be held in Los Angeles, California, on February 24. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is widely expected to honour its actors with some of the world’s most prestigious film awards. This year’s nominees are sure to impress and delight fans and movie-watchers around the world. Among the many interesting contenders, there is one particularly famous face: That of English actor Robert Pattinson.
Pattinson is best known for playing the role of Edward Cullen in the Twilight Saga. The young and handsome British actor has been in Hollywood for almost two decades now, and has been turning heads ever since he first graced the screen with a role in the drama House of Gucci in 1995. For a while, it seemed as though Pattinson had settled for only small parts, but over the past ten years or so, he has established himself as one of the most popular and highest-paid English actors working in Hollywood. He has also become a prominent member of the Hollywood elite and a frequent face at award ceremonies.
Slimmer and Trimmer
Since breaking off from his Twilight Saga in January 2012, Pattinson has kept himself busy shooting films and TV shows. He has worked on a number of award-winning projects, and has featured in some of Hollywood’s biggest and most high-profile films. Just this past November, Pattinson featured in the ensemble cast of the superhero blockbuster Marvel’s The Avengers as the British historian Dr. Thomas Noble. The film and its highly acclaimed predecessor The Avengers (including its English star Emma Thompson) are up for a slew of awards at this year’s Oscars, and have been dubbed ‘The British Avengers’ due to their popularity in the UK.
Powerful Performances
Aside from his acting career, Pattinson has used his status in Hollywood to push for more gender equality and diversity in the film industry. He has been particularly vocal in supporting the #OscarsSoWhite campaign, which highlights the lack of racial diversity in the Academy Awards. For his part in the campaign, he filmed a powerful campaign advertisement for Nudelman PR entitled The Price of Whiteness. In his ad, Pattinson plays a Hollywood producer who calls for a boycott of the Academy Awards, following the #OscarsSoWhite campaign and concerned about the lack of diversity in his industry.
The Success of The Twilight Saga
Pattinson’s big break came in 2008 when he was cast as Edward Cullen in the Twilight Saga. The film was a critical and commercial success, and was followed by three more films in the series. The Twilight Saga has now become one of the most successful film franchises of all time, proving that there is an audience for high-quality movies based on popular books. With over 13 million copies sold worldwide, and over 7 million in the US alone, it’s fair to say that Stephenie Meyer’s epic vampire romance has made a name for itself. It currently stands as the eighth-highest-grossing series of all time, not bad for a book that first came out in 2005. In the years since its release, the Twilight Saga has continued to draw audiences, with the most recent instalment, Breaking Dawn – Part 1, reaching number one at the box office in 2011.
A Popular International Star
Since the inception of the Twilight Saga, Pattinson has established himself as one of Hollywood’s most popular and wealthiest stars, commanding huge salaries and a lavish lifestyle. He is regularly named among the highest-paid actors working in Hollywood, and has featured in some of the most high-profile films of all time. To date, he has featured in or co-starred in films that have won 15 Academy Awards, earning him a place in the history books as one of Hollywood’s most decorated actors. For his role in the upcoming The Avengers 2, he is expected to earn a staggering £500,000.
Award-winning Entertainment Industry Star
Aside from acting, the 42-year-old has used his celebrity to become involved in a number of other areas in the entertainment industry. He is currently a brand ambassador for Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba, where he promotes their newly launched luxury goods store Habito.com. He has also endorsed a range of luxury goods and enjoyed products for men and women, including Dior Homme, Burberry, and Ralph Lauren. In 2011, he launched his own clothing line, APATTINSON, available for purchase at Harrods and other luxury retailers. This year, he will star in the lead role of Peter Pan in the film Never Grow Up, a modern retelling of the classic story about a young boy who never grows up and remains trapped in childlike wonder forever. In the film, he will be seen teaming up with his Twilight co-star and real-life wife Kristen Stewart. The pair have collaborated on several projects, including a cookbook, an art collection, and the short film Nostalgia for the Future. In December 2011, it was announced that they would be joining forces once again, with Stewart set to star alongside Pattinson in a new adaptation of A.P. Snow’s acclaimed 1908 novel The Man of Many Means. This adaptation will see the pair reteam with David Slade (the director of Twilight), and will become the first film in the series to not feature an appearance from the infamous vampires of the saga. The title of the film is the same as the classic book, and will no doubt draw on its rich plot and atmosphere. Set for release in early 2015, the new adaptation will see Stewart and Pattinson tackle the role of an adulterous husband and wife, with the English actor set to play the dual roles of Sebastian and Mandy Merrick, a wealthy and famous pair of twins who commit suicide at the end of the 19th century. The film will be released in British cinemas on January 12, 2015.
Oscar Nominee For Best Actor
In addition to all of this, it was announced in January that Pattinson had been nominated for Best Actor at this year’s Oscars for his portrayal of Harry Osborn in the hit movie The Hunger Games (2012). The English actor is up against some stiff competition, with nominees including Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, and Christopher Waltzer. It would be a grand slam if he were to win, as it would be the culmination of a very successful year for the British actor.
Avengers Assemble!
It would be remiss of us not to mention The Avengers in this list. The superhero blockbuster is now the highest-grossing film of all time, and it continues to draw audiences and make a mint at the box office. The latest instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is currently in theaters, and it is sure to delight fans and earn itself a place amongst the studio’s top ten films.
We’ll have to wait until the 24th of February to find out if Stephenie Meyer and co-writer Jane Goldman’s latest saga will claim another Academy Award. In the meantime, let’s take a quick look back at some of the other exciting contenders this year.