For those who missed it, Robert Pattinson became a Twilight series regular last year. Since then, he’s starred in two more movies: The Revenant, which was recently released, and The Lost City, which is currently in theaters.
The actor is best known for playing the vampire Christian in the hugely popular movie franchise. Since the first movie came out in 2010, it has become one of the most popular movie series of all time, raking in billions of dollars at the box office. In the years since then, he’s appeared in several more Twilight movies and also starred in Saving Mr. Suzuki, Water for Elephants, and Kingsman: The Secret Service.
While fans will always love him for playing Christian, it’s fair to say that there’s a lot more to Pattinson than just his on-screen characters. In fact, there are several interesting things about the actor.
Is He Really That Bad of an Actor?
Pattinson has played a wide range of characters over the years, from a cheating ex-boyfriend to a charming gangster. While he can certainly act, he doesn’t seem like the most talented actor in the world. It’s almost as if he was born to be a celebrity. While his demeanor makes him seem very humble, he’s actually appeared in several mediocre films. Although he’s had some good roles here and there, he mostly seems like he’s treading water.
He’s Good in Front of the Camera, But What About Behind IT?
If you’ve ever seen the Twilight movies, you know that Pattinson is all about the camera. While he’s usually in good shape, he seems to have a thing for portraying hungry vampires. Even more impressive is that he can keep that hunger up for long periods of time. But that’s not all there is to his acting. When he’s not being a vampire, he can be found hiding behind the camera, directing and editing shots.
How Does He Feel About His Stardom?
One of the things that made Christian so special was that he was the perfect embodiment of a modern day celebrity. He was gorgeous, charming, and very talented. Despite all of that, he didn’t seem to have an ego to speak of. Many stars can appear humble while still being extremely confident in themselves, but Christian genuinely seemed like a good guy. Of course, in the Twilight universe, good guys usually turn out to be vampires, so it’s not that surprising that he’s not very proud of what he is. As for how he feels about being famous, it’s hard to tell, because he never really lets his guard down. In one of the few interviews he’s done since the start of 2018, he told Wonderland Magazine:
“I’ve been lucky, life has been good to me, and I appreciate all the opportunities that it’s given me. It’s more about being content and not wanting praise or recognition. So, at the end of the day, I guess I’m just glad that people liked what I did. I’m not really sure what else to say.”
He Has No Regrets
One of the things that makes Christian so relatable is that he doesn’t seem to have any bad habits or weaknesses. He’s not a drinker or a drug user, and he doesn’t seem to covet anything materialistically. This makes him seem like a completely different person from the ones we meet in Twilight. He’s incredibly well-adjusted, which is why he continues to be surrounded by people who support and adore him. It would be great to see this aspect of his personality come through in more interviews.
He’s Open to New Ideas
Pattinson has always been willing to try new things and follow the leads of successful movies. This has made him extremely versatile as an actor. Even as a teenager, he was already trying to find ways to push himself as an artist. He attended the prestigious Glasgow School of Art and dropped out after two years. According to his Twitter, he left school to pursue acting professionally. Before he became a full-time actor, he worked as a scenic artist and painter, doing everything from designing sets to executing landscapes. He’s even done a bit of everything in between, from costume design to directing. He’s tried his hand at almost all areas of the entertainment industry. This has made him much more interesting as an actor, but also much more vulnerable, as he’s open to new ideas and possibilities.
Although he’s had some great roles in some great movies, it’s not like he’s never been in a box score. His biggest paycheck to date is $700,000 for a single episode of the X-Men TV series. He’s been able to work consistently, landing decent roles with the occasional hit, but it’s still not easy for an actor to find work. Even once you do, it’s not guaranteed that you’ll end up with a big paycheck. This is something that he’s had to learn to live with.
He Knows How to Have Fun
Let’s be honest, fame can be pretty boring. Unless you have a ton of money and you can buy anything you want, it’s hard to have fun. Unfortunately for Pattinson, fun is at the very least, difficult, and sometimes, it seems as if it’s not even on his radar. In a world full of celebrity, sometimes it’s easy to forget that you’re famous and that you have fans who care about what you do. For those who have watched him act for a long time, it can be jarring to see him so serious in interviews and on social media. Then, there are the movies. If you’ve seen any of them, you know that he has a tendency to act strangely, in ways that are almost creepy. Take last year’s reunion tour for example. He had a whole section of the show dedicated to his odd habits. At one point, he was seen putting on a cape and trying on a mask, before breaking into character and scaring the audience. Even worse, there seem to be several online trolls who enjoy mocking and harassing him. It would be great to see him have some fun on social media, especially since it’s impossible to tell, with all the secrecy that he puts up, whether or not he’s having fun.
He Supports Other Actors
One of the things that made Christian so special was that he supported other actors. He would go above and beyond to help his co-stars and even paid for some of their acting lessons. While he wasn’t the most popular guy in school, he was certainly well-liked. Many of his former classmates still speak to him regularly, supporting and encouraging him to continue acting. This support seems to have gotten him through some rough patches, as he often refers to his time on set as his “sanctuary.” It would be great to see this aspect of his personality come through in more interviews.
He’s an Animal Lover
One of the things that made Christian special was that he cared about animals. This was most noticeably seen in Twilight, where he often played a character who was protective of Victoria (Anna Kendrick). For those who didn’t know, Anna is a vegetarian, and before shooting TWILIGHT, she made it clear to everyone that she didn’t want to play a character who was eating animals. This is something that Pattinson has kept up, as he doesn’t usually eat red meat and rarely, if ever, eats chicken. This is evident in his Twitter, where he often talks about his love for animals and shares pictures of pets and other animals he comes across.
For a long time, this was seen as a bonus detail, something that fans of the Twilight series would immediately recognize. But as he’s gotten older, it seems as if this is what has attracted people to him, as much as his good looks. For whatever reason, he has a special connection to animals and it’s always been there. This is one of the few interviews he’s done where, when asked about his next film, he didn’t mention the millions of dollars he’ll be making.