After months of rumors, it is now official that Robert Pattinson will be playing the role of King George in Paramount Pictures’ The King’s Speech. The British actor, who rose to fame as the dashing and rebellious “Kardashian prince,” will be taking on a new persona as the monarch who has to learn to speak openly due to an accumulation of health problems.
Pattinson, who previously turned down the offer to play the part, has accepted the role after months of on-set battles with director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech). While on the surface the role may not seem like a big deal, it is safe to say that this part will be bigger than anything Pattinson has ever done before!
Why Robert Pattinson?
When it comes to casting The King’s Speech, there were a few top of mind considerations for Paramount Pictures. First and foremost, the studio wanted to secure a leading man to play the part of king George VI, who had ruled Great Britain from 1936 to 1952 and was known for his shyness and dislike of public speaking. Additionally, George’s final health battle was made into a tragicomic play by Sir Peter Hall that was performed in London in the 1950s and is now considered a classic: The Mousetrap.
Though it is not yet known how Hall’s play will factor into the final film version of The King’s Speech, it is safe to assume that it will have some sort of influence on the story. Considering the play’s historical significance, Paramount Pictures could not overlook it when choosing their Mr. Pattinson replacement.
Additionally, in order to play the part of the awkward British monarch who had to learn to speak publicly, Pattinson would have to undergo an intensive speech training program. This would be an exact repeat of the method acting course he took in 2010 to portray the younger brother of Twilight’s Edward Cullen in the vampire epic New Moon.
While Pattinson has extensive training in both theater and film, he does not have any previous acting experience with which to play the role of King George VI. After learning that the part required extensive training in public speaking and negotiation, he decided that it was best to take on the role and get the education rather than play it and have the experience fade into obscurity.
Another Actor to Watch
Though it seems that everyone in Hollywood is talking about Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech, there are a number of other notable actors who should not be overlooked. First off, the entire cast of The Tourist should get an award for their performances; the film is not only visually stunning, but also boasts an incredible ensemble cast. The ensemble is headed up by one of our favorite leading men, Bill Murray, who plays the role of an alcoholic writer who befriends a troubled musician (Mel Gibson) while traveling Europe in search of the perfect story. One of the great things about Murray’s performance is his ability to make even the most clichéd line seem fresh and natural.
The supporting cast includes the great Tom Holland, who plays Gibson’s guitar-playing son, as well as Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts, who plays the brother of the musician. While Cotillard plays the role of the famous French singer Edith Piaf, her performance is among the best of the year. It is evident that she has put in a lot of training with this one!
Another great performance comes from Inglourious Basterds director Quentin Tarantulinu who portrays the unyielding and tyrannical German industrialist Hugo Stretter, whose quest for economic and political power in the early 20th century helped set the stage for World War II. Though the role may seem like an obvious choice for Tarantulas, this is actually his first foray into features and it shows!
Tarantulinu brings a unique cinematic vision to the role, drawing on his experience from his previous directorial debut, the acclaimed music video Bitches Brew, which serves as a semi-documentary about the making of Led Zeppelin’s Led Zeppelin IV album.
Though it might seem like Tarantulinu is just the guy to bring cinematic flair to the role of a bookish and rather dry academic who hated to speak in public, he turns out to be quite the opposite; as the story goes, Tarantulinu actually had to take the role in a much more neutral and subtle way than he would have chosen for himself.
There is also Charlie Hunnam, who plays the part of US Navy Lieutenant Commander James Todd, a decorated war hero who was also blind from birth. Though many may not know it, Hunnam is actually English, which should come as no great surprise considering all of the above. The part was a role that he had to take on for an American movie, and though he would have loved to have played Todd, the role of George VI was more prestigious and offered him the opportunity to play a part that he otherwise would not have gotten the chance to.
The ensemble cast of The Bourne Legacy brings together the various incarnations of Jason Bourne, as he struggles to navigate his way through life after being marked for death following the events of The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Identity. Though it is impossible to know just how much input William Gibson, the author of the original novel on which the films are based, had into the making of the films, his unique and recognizable voice can be heard in nearly every scene. Additionally, the films continue the trend of not using traditional acting styles, opting instead for an almost documentary-like authenticity.
Though he might not be an obvious choice for the role of King George VI, it is clear that Dominic Cooper brings a new dimension to the part. His portrayal of British prime minister Winston Churchill in The Darkest Hour was compelling and brought a whole new appreciation for this underrated Englishman. Additionally, Cooper was able to play Churchill in his 80s, a decade younger than his actual age at the time of his death. Though it is not yet known how William Wallace will fit into this year’s movie lineup, it is clear that he will be back.
There are so many incredible performances in this year’s Oscar race, from Marion Cotillard and her astonishing performance in The Immigrant to Marion Cotillard and her astonishing performance in The Immigrant, from Marion Cotillard and her astonishing performance in The Immigrant to Marion Cotillard and her astonishing performance in The Immigrant.