British actor and singer Robert Pattinson grasps life by the horns. After rising to fame as a Hollywood heartthrob for his role in the Twilight films, he followed up with a bang, releasing two highly successful albums in a row and embarking on a major tour. Though he has been on the red carpet for more than a decade, it is only in the past couple of years that he has become a fully fledged adult, both physically and mentally. Here’s a brief guide to what kind of man he is like:
Hollywood Heartthrob
The actor made his debut in Hollywood in 2007’s Hot Water, and since then has appeared in major blockbusters, earning him the moniker ‘the vampire prince’. Although he may be most famous for playing the role of Edward Cullen in the Twilight films, he is in fact only the fifth of the vampire hero’s five movie roles. In 2012, he starred in the comedy House of Gucci as a fashion photographer who falls for a model. In 2014, he portrayed a vampire hunter in Dracula Untold. The actor’s unique blend of gorgeous looks and charismatic personality have made him a major celebrity, regularly landing him on best-dressed lists and on the cover of several magazines.
Music Mogul
Pattinson released his debut solo album, Back to You, in 2010. The album climbed to number three on the Billboard Top 200 upon its release and featured the hit single Do You Love Me? (which he also directed the music video for). In 2012, he released Watermints, his second album, which went to number one in the UK albums chart and spawned two more chart-topping singles. At the 2014 Grammy Awards, he won two awards for Best Pop Album and Best Song Written for Visual Media for “Picking Up Where We Left Off”.
Charismatic Leader
Pattinson has also emerged as a major public speaker, regularly hosting gatherings in London and elsewhere, and appearing at famous events, including the World Peace Celebrant at the United Nations General Assembly in November 2014.
Career Changer
In addition to his music career, Pattinson has embarked on a acting career, making his breakthrough in Hollywood in 2007 and since then appearing in numerous films, ranging from romantic comedies to dramas to horror films, sometimes all in one year. He has also shied away from traditional cinema, exploring alternative platforms for film such as web series and short films. In 2011, he was named one of the ‘Top 100 Most Influential People in Media’, and in 2015 he was listed by Billboard as one of the most influential celebrities in the world.
Sober, Staid Loner
The actor’s wild lifestyle has made headlines in the past and present, with multiple escapades and binges that have left him both physically and mentally exhausted. In January 2013, he checked into a rehab facility for treatment of alcohol addiction, and though he has since distanced himself from that confession, he has not hidden the fact that he’s an avid drinker, often seen holding court at parties, be they drug- or alcohol-related. In the same year that he checked into rehab, he also checked into a luxury hotel in the UK to recuperate after a bout of binge-writing that left him exhausted. He’s since spoken about how writing the music video for his song “Foolish Pride” helped him get through that moment of need. He’s also opened up about his desire to be a father, having dated women without children and spoken about the desire to be a husband.
Introspective
Pattinson is also a keen observer of life, often picking up on themes and devices that he incorporates into his work, from music to film to literature. The actor’s debut novel, Dirty Pretty Things, was met with critical acclaim when it was released in 2013, winning both the Gold Medal and the Silver Medal at the 2014 Women’s Prize for Fiction. The novel is a darkly comic story about four sisters and the men that love them. It is set in contemporary London, and centres around the notorious Lanvin house party, which was thrown by the designer for his 100th birthday in 2014.
Healthy Loner
Though he has taken his fair share of knocks, the star has always managed to keep fit, rarely missing a workout session or eating clean, and credited his training in ballet for helping him maintain his svelte frame. In 2012, he told The Sun that working out “makes me feel like a normal human being again. It’s just a feeling of freedom”. His approach to health has been questioned in the past, with reports that he was a binge-drinker and an alcoholic before his recent sobriety. He was also known to be a very frequent user of painkillers, and in 2015 it was reported that the star had checked into a rehab facility in 2014 for treatment of prescription drug addiction. Since then, he has been open about his past behaviour, acknowledging in a statement that he has struggled with “self-destructive tendencies” since he was a teenager. He has since distanced himself from those confessions, but in 2018 he opened up about being a reformed drug addict, revealing that he had only gone to rehab because he had “overdosed” on anti-anxiety medication.
Family Values
Though he may have posed on screen for some of the world’s most iconic fashion magazines, it is his family, particularly his parents, who have supported and encouraged him throughout his career. In an interview with Vogue, Pattinson’s mother, Elizabeth, said of her son: “He’s very ambitious, extremely determined, and he knows what he wants. It would be a great shame if he didn’t follow his dream because he got bored or tired of doing something. Robert should be happy that he can work and still be a good son.” In his 2017 memoir, Bad Behaviour, Pattinson wrote about how much his mother had always encouraged him to follow his dreams, even when they clashed with his personal life: “I think there comes a time when you have to decide whether you’re going to continue following your dreams or not. What she’s asking me to do is give up what I’ve always wanted to give up.” Though his parents will no doubt be over the moon to finally see him achieve so much, it is clear that this has not come without a cost to their son. He has worked hard to establish himself as an artist, and though he has created some of the world’s most iconic garments, it is also evident that he has struggled with his demons, both mental and physical.