What happened to Robert Pattinson?
After being cast as the male lead in the classic “Twilight” film series, Robert Pattinson became one of the most popular and recognizable faces in Hollywood. The British actor won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the 2012 film adaptation of “Water for Elephants,” and has completed filming on the highly-anticipated “Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 2.”
Pattinson continues to work hard to balance his professional and personal life, as he juggles acting roles, promoting his studio’s latest movies, and caring for his animal collection (which he shares with Emily).
Despite the success of “Twilight,” Pattinson hasn’t been resting on his laurels. The actor has steadily worked to improve his craft, training with acting guru Constantin Stanislavski in a bid to become the best possible version of himself. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the major changes that Robert Pattinson has gone through since starring in “Twilight.”
Hollywood To U.K. And Back Again
Before filming on “Twilight,” Pattinson had only made a handful of small screen appearances. He was best known in the U.K. for playing the infamous character of Edward Cullen in “Eclipse.”
Once “Twilight” was in the can, however, Pattinson was inundated with offers to star in TV shows and films. He turned down many lucrative offers because he wanted to remain true to his principles and only work on projects that he believed in. To that end, he accepted a role in the upcoming David Cronenberg film “The Golden Compass,” then followed it up with a lead role in the indie film “The Rover.” He had previously turned down the opportunity to be the lead in “The Rover,” but changed his mind once “Twilight” was complete.
Pattinson also starred in the 2015 film adaptation of Stephen King’s “It,” playing the teenage version of Pennywise the Clown. The film was a critical and commercial failure, but it did give Pattinson the opportunity to work with King, which he has cited as one of the highlights of his career.
Stanislavski & The Method
One of the most influential figures in Pattinson’s career is 73-year-old Constantin Stanislavski. Stanislavski is considered the founder of modern acting, and is known for developing a method to acting that focuses on every aspect of a character’s performance, including their physique, voice, and psychology.
In his memoir “My Life in Films,” Pattinson credits Stanislavski with changing his life, saying, “[Stanislavski] altered the course of my acting career. Up until that point, I had focused solely on my lines and what I was required to do. Now I started to think about the character I was playing, not just what the script needed.”
In the 1950s, Stanislavski began teaching his system to actors from around the world, including Britain’s Michael Caine and America’s Al Pacino. It is, therefore, unsurprising that Pattinson has chosen to study under the renowned Russian acting teacher. He has said that he modeled his approach to acting on Stanislavski’s teachings.
Bodyweight & Cardio
Pattinson is a lifelong athlete, and has shown his dedication to physical fitness in the past. After “Twilight,” the actor put his gym gear to use, losing over 40lbs. Since then, he has dedicated himself to becoming stronger and more agile.
The actor has spoken frankly about his struggle with addiction, and how it affected his personal life and work. In an interview with Vanity Fair, he said, “I’ve always been interested in bodybuilding and working out. After ‘Twilight,’ I started to get a bit obsessive about it. I worked out five days a week, and sometimes I would do 10 to 12 hours of cardio a day. Not only did it help me lose weight, but it also helped me focus.”
Pattinson has credited his bodybuilding workouts with helping him to become a better actor, saying, “I would say that my bodybuilding and working out has helped me as an actor. It’s really made me more aware of my body language and how I move. When I was doing my biophysical analysis with [acting coach] Kevin Micallef, I was like, ‘Oh, I move like this when I’m angry or frightened.’ It really opened my eyes as to what I could do with my body, and what expressions I could put on.”
A More Natural Approach
While his body transformation was a work in progress, Pattinson’s face was already starting to show the effects of his disciplined training. A more mature and relaxed appearance was apparent in his acting, and the change has been noted by critics and audiences alike. In a review of the actor’s performance in “Twilight” for The Guardian, Ben Miles writes, “Nowhere is the change more visible than in Pattinson’s approach to acting. He seems less affected by gimmicks, more comfortable in his own skin.”
Pattinson has cited Stanislavski as the reason for the shift. The Russian acting teacher is known for encouraging his students to bring their “best selves” to the role, and for praising them for being “authentic” in their work. Pattinson has said that he finds the concept of an “actor’s best self” to be quite liberating. He has continued to work with Stanislavski, and has been known to seek out new teachers and workshops as a way of continuing to evolve as an actor.
Pattinson has also spoken about the importance of finding the right fit for his body type. In an interview with British Vogue, he said, “My main thing now is to look for roles that I can relate to, that I can connect with on some level. I don’t necessarily want to do superhero movies… What I really prefer is to do psychological thrillers, where I can really explore something. I want to find roles that I can bring my own world to, yet something that is universal enough to resonate with people.”
Experimenting With Sound
Pattinson has spoken about his desire to experiment with new things, and has cited “Water for Elephants” and “The Rover” as the films that have had the greatest impact on his personal and professional life. The latter, in particular, has had a profound influence on the actor, and he has used the platform of his Twitter account to call for a revolution in how animals are portrayed on screen.
The animal rights activist and filmmaker has stated that he was deeply disturbed by the fact that most people didn’t seem to have any empathy for animals. As a result, he decided to make a film about animal rights that would make people question their relationship with animals. He began experimenting with sound, recording sounds of animals and placing them in scenes from “The Rover” to see how they would affect the audience. He also used animals in scenes from “Water for Elephants,” recording and then playing back recordings of tiger sounds for his lead actor to experience a nightmarish vision of what a tiger might sound like.
An Upcoming Sci-Fi Project
Pattinson isn’t resting on his laurels. He has a number of projects in the works, with one of the most exciting projects being a sci-fi thriller with Steven Spielberg. The as-yet-untitled project will be produced by Amblin Entertainment and DreamWorks, and will shoot next spring in Germany and Poland. The film will be based on the 1970s television series “The Tomorrow People,” and will center on a group of people who discover that they have extraordinary powers in order to defend mankind against aliens. Steven Spielberg will direct.
Pattinson has been an activist for animal rights and environmental causes since before he became an actor. In March 2015, he co-founded the organization, Kids against Climate Change, which encourages children to take part in environmental awareness campaigns. The organization also runs workshops and camps for children, teaching them to be brave and empathetic leaders in the fight against climate change.