We all know that Hollywood superstitions are pretty strong. If you break a taboo in a certain way, you will find yourself in trouble. The taboo now is dating a younger woman, and it seems that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson may have fallen foul of it. Have they really split up? Did she dump him?
Here, we’ll run down the details of their break-up, examine the impact it will have on the Twilight franchise, and speculate on whether or not they will reconcile.
The Breakup
The pair first sparked public interest when they were photographed in the early stages of their relationship. In May, 2013, they were linked together after weeks of media speculation. Since then, nothing has been the same. Their on-screen chemistry makes them one of the most popular celebrity couples in Hollywood, and indeed, the world. However, the magic apparently doesn’t extend into real life, as they have not commented on each other’s existence since March, and Stewart has attended few of Pattinson’s film premieres. When they were photographed together at the Toronto Film Festival in September, it was the first time that they had been seen in public since their split.
Rumours of their separation began to circulate in March, when Stewart was photographed without Pattinson. The actor’s publicist at the time denied that they had broken up, telling Vanity Fair: “This is just a part of Robert’s plan to promote the film. They are still together and working hard to try and make everyone believe that nothing has changed.”
Pattinson and Stewart were initially engaged to be married in 2014. However, according to an insider, the actor was playing a “long game” and had no interest in tying the knot just for show. “He wants to be with [Stewart] for the rest of his life,” the insider said. “He wants to be married to her.” But that wasn’t good enough for Stewart. She wanted to express her love through a wedding and a baby. So they postponed their plans until after Pattinson’s filming of Twilight ended in 2016.
The Impact On The Twilight Franchise
With Robert Pattinson now single, the speculation is that his affections may have turned to a younger woman. Rumours that he has a new girlfriend have been rife for weeks and have heightened interest in his next big-budget project, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. It is set for a May 2017 release and is being billed as a female-friendly version of Twilight. In an interview with Glamour in March, Pattinson was asked about his upcoming film and about whether or not he had been dating anyone new. He said: “As far as I know, everybody in my life knows I am single, so it doesn’t really affect me. For the most part, people I meet seem to be very happy that I’m still available; they seem to have missed me.”
This statement has led many to speculate that he has found happiness with a younger woman. But if this is the case, why did he break up with Stewart? It could be that she wanted to test the industry’s reaction to his dating a young woman, and she wanted to see if he would commit to a relationship with her. It’s clear that she has not given up on their dream of getting married and having children together, but the timing of their separation makes it look like she might have given up on this dream a little earlier than she had intended. Perhaps sensing that their on-screen romance would not translate into real life, she grew tired of the game and decided to walk away. But he still loves her, and if he ever decides to settle down, she will be one of the first people he calls.
Reconciliation?
If you have ever seen Twilight, you will know that fans of the series believe that Pattinson and Stewart will be reunited in the near future. For many, it seems, the film’s iconic ending was not a happy one, but a portent of things to come. And with these things, come dramatic changes. Edward Cullen’s (Pattinson) perfect world will come crashing down. The former couple may decide to reconcile and restore a bit of Bella’s (Stewart) innocence. But it is clear that this will not be an easy task, and there will be plenty of obstacles in their way.
Since the pair’s breakup, fans have taken to social media to speculate about their future together. The hashtag #KStewCullen was used over 20 million times on Twitter in the month following their breakup, and it continues to be a popular topic of discussion. Many fans are holding out hope that they will be able to bring Bella and Edward back together on-screen, but only time will tell if this is indeed the case.