One of the most talked about celebrity crushes of the year has to be Robert Pattinson. The British actor was instantly shot to fame after his portrayal of the anti-hero Edward Cullen shocked viewers in the hit series, The Twilight Saga. Since then, he hasn’t looked back, starring in critically acclaimed films such as Cosmo and Bel Ami, and becoming one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading men. Here, we chatted to the 33-year-old about his career, his role in the upcoming Toy Story 4, and whether or not he sees himself as a romantic lead.
On Being Recognizable As Edward Cullen:
It’s funny, because the character I play is so different from myself that I don’t think people would necessarily recognize me. There’s a scene in the first Twilight movie, where I’m standing in front of a green screen and I’m supposed to be showing my emotions through my body language. I remember looking at the camera and just thinking, ‘Here we go.’ I was so nervous, because I didn’t want to do it wrong. But all the other actors were so cool and collected, so I tried to follow their lead. That’s when I realized I wasn’t going to be able to hide who I really was. So I just did the best I could and hoped for the best! I don’t mean to sound like I’m not pleased with how it all turned out, it’s just that I never imagined that being in front of a green screen and trying to act naturally would feel so awkward. It took me a little while to get used to it, but now I love it. It’s really creative and exciting to be able to perform in front of a live audience, but behind the scenes it’s such a different story.
On Whether Or Not He Wants To Follow In Daddy’s Footsteps:
When I was a kid, my dad was always there to support me. He was an actor and a writer, so I grew up in the industry. It was never really about following in his footsteps, honestly, because the industry is such a different world now. But I definitely learned a lot from watching and listening to him. There’s this beautiful scene in Cosmo, where I’m sitting at the table with Julia Roberts. She’s playing my piano teacher and she’s talking about how much I have improved. It was such a powerful scene, because it’s something that my dad would have said. It’s like a mini-retrospective on my dad’s career, and it means a lot to me.
On How J.K. Rowling Influenced The Main Character:
I read Harry Potter when I was growing up, and I always loved the stories about Harry and his friends. I was obsessed with them! So as soon as I saw a scene in one of the movies where Robert De Niro was reading Harry Potter to his kids, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. Every time I read a novel by J.K. Rowling, I think of that scene. I think it’s so cool that she was able to create someone that everybody wanted to be like. You never grow up really wanting to be Harry Potter, do you?
On What He Thinks About When He Watches The Twilight Saga:
I don’t really have a favorite moment from the Twilight saga, it’s just been such a crazy ride. Whenever I watch the movies now, I still get completely absorbed in the story. I think of each and every one of the characters and what happened to them. It’s really sad when you think about it, because everyone on the main cast was so beautiful and talented. It was such a shame what happened to them.
On Whether Or Not He Wants To Try New Things In The Future:
I would love to try everything! But acting is already such a hard thing, you have to make choices that you don’t necessarily want to make. I think it would be so cool to try out other things, but as long as acting is something I love doing, I’ll keep working at it.
The truth is that I’m not in any rush to be done with acting. It is something that I want to continue doing for the rest of my life. I think that it is only natural for an actor to continue being involved in the industry, because there’s always more work. You never really know when the next great role will come along. Acting is a lot of fun and it is creative, and I love that people still remember me from time to time, even though it’s been years since I’ve been in a feature film.