A few weeks ago, we were treated to our first glimpse of Mr. Robert Pattinson as a werewolf in the new James Bond film, “Spectre.” Now that the movie is out, we can finally put a name to the face. Though not quite the best looking man ever to don the suit of James Bond, the British heart-throb is certainly a very unique looking individual. When it comes to creating a striking headshot, it’s no wonder that photographers and makeup artists stepped up their game to capture this singular moment. Here, we’ll discuss the shooting, lighting, and makeup instructions for the timeless “Bond headshot.”
Robert Pattinson: A Look Back
Though he’s now 33 years old, Mr. Pattinson has been acting since he was 15 years old. He began his acting career in the British drama series “Skins”, and since then he has appeared in dozens of films and TV shows. Most recently, he starred in the sci-fi romance “Ex Machina”, but he has also starred in “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” and “The Rover”.
Mr. Pattinson has been married three times. His first marriage was to actress Kate Winslet, with whom he had his only son, Flynn. They divorced in 2014. In 2017, he began dating actress Kristen Stewart, with whom he has two children, Scout and Alexandria. It was recently announced that the couple were engaged, and though no date has been set, it’s looking more and more like the wedding bells will be ringing for the “Twilight” stars soon.
Mr. Pattinson is rarely seen without his trademark sunglasses, and though he sometimes removes them to reveal piercing blue eyes, he never actually takes them off. It was initially reported that his sunglasses were chosen because they blocked the strong California sun, but that might not be the case. He has always been very protective of his eyes, and it seems that the sunglasses protect his eyes from something more than just the sun. Perhaps it’s time to find out what that is.
The ‘Bond’ Headshot
In order to get a sense of what went into the making of Mr. Pattinson’s stunning headshot, let’s take a step back and rewind to 2015, when James Bond was finally retired from the service. Since the last film featuring Bond was the disappointment “Spectre”, it was a breath of fresh air when producers announced that the iconic secret agent would no longer be featured in film and television. Naturally, fans were disappointed, but in order to capitalize on this, Bond producers and photographers stepped up their game and began churning out new headshots of the famous spy. With the reboot of “Bond” in the works, it was only a matter of time before fans would be treated to a new batch of headshots. And, indeed, in early 2017, it was announced that Mr. Pattinson would be taking on the iconic role of Bond in the next film, “Bond 24”. Since then, fans of the “Bond” films have been subjected to a steady stream of new images of the actor in various poses, most of which were taken by famed photographer Annie Leibowitz. Though Leibowitz has photographed some amazing Hollywood stars, it is still a bit of a disappointment that Mr. Pattinson’s headshot was chosen by Leibowitz rather than by director Sam Mendes or the producers of “Bond 24”. Maybe it’s a sign of how highly Mr. Pattinson is thought of that they felt he was the best choice for the role, regardless of whether he’s physically fit to pose as James Bond.
The Making Of A Classic ‘Bond’ Headshot
If we compare Mr. Pattinson’s “Bond” headshot to earlier pictures of him as James Bond, we can see a clear progression. The first time we saw him as Bond was in the 1996 film, “Goldeneye”. Since then, he has appeared in six more films as James Bond, making this year’s “Spectre” the seventh appearance for Mr. Pattinson as the British secret agent. Though he hasn’t actually played Bond in a while, he reportedly worked out extensively for the part, and it’s clear that the training paid off. As with all of Mr. Pattinson’s recent work, the headshot was done by makeup artist Christian Berard. Berard has previously done work for photographers including Annie Leibowitz and Steven Klein.
In “Goldeneye”, Mr. Pattinson wears a thick black mustache that is nearly as long as the handlebars of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. In later films, he has gone on to drop the mustache and grow a soul patch, which he now sports in the “Bond” headshot. If we compare this picture to a previous picture of Mr. Pattinson as James Bond, we can see that he has clearly taken on the persona of British spy. The sunglasses and the hat are both a part of the costume, and though the outfit is more flashy than that traditionally worn by Bond, it’s not hard to imagine Mr. Pattinson slipping on the accessories and imitating the suave English spy. While this headshot may not be the best example of a classic “Bond” headshot, it’s a fitting end to our retrospective.
In the meantime, if you’d like to try out some of Christian Berard’s amazing makeup techniques, be sure to check out his website at christianberard.com. Or, for more information on Mr. Pattinson, be sure to check out his official website at robertpattinson.com.