It’s been quite a while since we’ve heard from Robert Pattinson. The handsome actor, who rose to fame for his role as Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter films, has kept pretty busy since then. Since 2015, he’s appeared in two major Hollywood productions, the horror sequel The Darkness and the western The Gunman. The former was a direct continuation of the story begun in 2014’s hit film The Darkest Hour, which also featured Pattinson, while the latter was a rebirth of sorts for the Welsh-born actor, as he hadn’t appeared in a western in over 20 years. We’ve been eagerly awaiting his next project and, thankfully, he’s returned to form with the upcoming drama High Noon.
The Darkest Hour
Pattinson’s first appearance in a major Hollywood production was in 2014’s The Darkest Hour, which he also co-produced with his brother James. The film marked the beginning of a successful collaboration between the two, as they had previously worked together on the 2011 TV series The Borgias. Based on a short story by acclaimed British author Graham Swift, The Darkest Hour tells the story of Joe, played by Tom Hiddleston, a man whose life is turned upside down when the love of his life is brutally murdered. Haunted by the tragedy, he’s forced to fight for survival and, as a result, becomes obsessed with bringing the criminal responsible for her death to justice. When a copycat crime occurs, Joe is at again with his former partner, this time played by Jessica Chastain, who seeks to prove he’s not responsible for the murder. What starts as a vendetta against the man who wronged him soon blossoms into a fight for the very heart of a woman he loves.
The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was a box office success, grossing over $500 million worldwide. It also launched Hiddleston’s acting career and earned him a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor. In addition, it put Pattinson on the map as an actor to watch. In the years since, he’s maintained a busy schedule, starring in films like Good Time, The Lost Child, and High Dive, as well as producing and appearing in major Hollywood productions like The King’s Speech and Crimson Tide.
The Gunman
A year after The Darkest Hour wrapped production, it was announced that Pattinson would be appearing in The Gunman, a major motion picture directed by Andrew Dominik. Based on the Bret Easton Ellis novel The Rules of the Game, the film stars Charlton Heston as Max, a ruthless businessman who runs an oil company in Arabia. When a heist gone wrong leaves several people dead, including Max’s wife, he seeks to exact revenge against those responsible. After tracking them all down, he teams up with his former teacher, played by Bruce Willis, to bring them all to justice. But the more he learns about the scam, the more he realizes that his allies may not be as devoted as he is to seeing the villains pay for their crimes. The film also featured Rosamund Pike and Timothy Hutton in supporting roles.
The Gunman was another critical and box office success, earning over $400 million worldwide on a $30 million budget. It also won three Golden Globes, earning nominations for best director, film and actor. What’s more is that it launched Willis’s acting career. In the years since, the Hollywood heavyweight has starred in many films, with Moneyball being the most recent, and co-starred with Heston in The Shepherd, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Since then, he’s also appeared in The Big Bounce, Alpha, and The Highwaymen, among others.
High Noon
The actor’s next appearance was in the summer blockbuster, High Noon. Based on the legendary Shane campaign, the film tells the story of Roy Goode, a sheep farmer who finds himself pitted against the townspeople of Abilene, in a battle for the soul of his daughter, Grace (played by Renee Zellweger). When their pastor (Dennis Quaid) is murdered, and a peace rally is deemed suspicious by the townspeople, Goode is forced to take up arms against his former friends and neighbors, leading to an 11th hour, last-ditch standoff between the two parties. The film was directed by Gary Scott Thompson and featured many of Hollywood’s top stars, including Heston, Pike, Hutton, and Andy Griffith.
High Noon was a critical and financial success, earning over $500 million worldwide and launching Zellweger’s film career. Since then, she’s gone on to star in the blockbusters The Magnificent Seven and The Parent Trap as well as the acclaimed romantic comedy Leading Lady. In addition, she’s produced and starred in many films, with the latest being the upcoming Crazy Rich Asians. What’s more is that High Noon inspired a stage play that had a premiere at the 2017 Williamstown Theatre Festival. Based on the film, it’s now playing in London’s West End.
Pattinson’s foray into producing came in the form of the limited series Utopia, which he also starred in. Described as a “pandora’s-eye view” of society in the near future, the series examines the impact of social media on our lives. Set in the year 2064, Utopia follows the trials and tribulations of Leo (played by Patton Oswalt), a data journalist who discovers that the world has become a very different place. Upon his return to Earth, he sets about uncovering the hidden truths behind the world as he knows it, while being pressured by a government agency to keep his findings under wraps. He’s joined on his quest by a tech-savvy journalist named Molly (Mackenzie Davis), whose own investigation into social media and reality journalism leads to a confrontation with Leo, which in turn leads to a deeper understanding of humanity, as well as an indictment of Leo’s journalistic ethics. The series also starred Joel Kinnaman, John Leguizamo, and Jeff Daniels, and was nominated for a Golden Globe for best miniseries or television film. In the years since, it was followed by a sequel, Utopia – Ascension, which premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. The first season of the sequel will premiere on HBO in the coming months.
Other Projects
Aside from High Noon and its two sequels, Utopia and Utopia – Ascension, Pattinson has appeared in many other projects. These include the 2013 thriller The Conjuring, in which he plays the role of Ed Warren, an exorcist who is called in to rid a home of demonic forces. He had a small but memorable role in Captain Phillips as Billy Hayes, the captain of the American cargo ship that is hijacked by a group of Somali pirates. In 2015, he was seen in a supporting role in the political thriller The End of the Tour, directed by Franny Armstrong and based on the eponymous novel by Tom Wolfe. That same year, he appeared in the comedy-drama Still – Leaving Neverland, co-starring with Nicole Kidman, in which he plays Peter Bowen, the husband of the woman (Kidman) who is accused of sexually assaulting a pair of young boys. He also has a small role in the 2018 comedy series The House of Gucci, co-starring with Michael Sunstein. Most recently, he’s appeared in the 2019 comedy series The Stand-In, which explores what it means to be an actor’s stand-in. The role was a small one, but it came with many perks, including a trip to Ireland, where he visited Harry Potter and the Forbidden Lake, the setting of the first film in the Fantastic Beasts series. In addition, he co-produced the upcoming horror sequel The Darkest Hour, which is set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
Overall, it’s been a busy few years for Robert Pattinson. This year alone, he’s appeared in several major Hollywood productions and starred in a pair of limited series, Utopia and Utopia – Ascension. He’s also maintained a busy schedule, producing, acting in, and touring with his own band, the Twilight Saga: Eclipse Tour. The band’s latest album, Wonderstruck, was released in May 2019 and it’s a fitting follow-up to their self-titled debut in 2012. Most importantly, the British actor has kept himself in great shape, training regularly for his roles and appearing shirtless in many promotional photographs, including the covers of several magazines. He is currently represented by the Gersh Agency in London.