Most people have heard of Robert Pattinson, but maybe not all know what kind of man he is or what he’s done. The British actor burst onto the scene in 2010 as the rebellious vampire hunter in the vampire drama series, ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2′. Since then, he’s appeared in a variety of films, most notably ‘Twilight Saga’ spin-offs, ‘New Moon’ and ‘Eclipse’, the latter of which earned him his first Academy Award nomination. He also starred in the independent film, ‘Remember Me’, which will be coming out on Netflix in April.
Even without the mega celebrity status that comes with being the son of the legendary Sir Robin Pattinson and the nephew of the late Elizabeth Taylor, Robert would still be a household name. He’s always been a favourite of the late, great Marjorie Merriweather Post, who named him one of the most eligible bachelors in 1938. The year before, she’d published a book called ‘Dancing Girls’, in which she described Pattinson as “charming, very debonair, and a great dancer.”
It’s not hard to see why Post thought so highly of the 27-year-old actor. He’s the son of Elizabeth Taylor’s elder brother, Sir Robin, and resembles his famous uncle in both looks and temperament. He’s very much a Hollywood child. Born in London, he spent his first five years in Los Angeles before returning to the UK to complete his education. He then moved back to the U.S. and immediately began working in film and television. He’s co-hosted the U.K. version of ‘The X Factor’ and was featured on the cover of ‘Time’ magazine. He’s also a brand ambassador for Ralph Lauren.
Richemont Snub
One of the distinguishing features of Robert’s personality is his passion for all things British. In 2012, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire for his contribution to British culture. The honour was bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. That same year, he played Prince William in a romantic comedy called ‘The King’s Speech’ and was featured in an episode of ‘Call the Midwife’ called ‘Tinker’s London’, where he played the role of John Boynton-Smith, a reporter who becomes romantically involved with the titular character. In 2014, he appeared as himself in an episode of the British sitcom ‘Marrying Jack’.
Richemont Interests
It’s not just British culture that interests Robert. He has a keen interest in the performing arts, namely theatre and opera. He’s currently starring in a play called ‘The Man Of La Manche’ at the Brooklyn Public Library. According to the Dramatic Pub website, “The Man Of La Manche’ tells the story of one man’s quest for authenticity and the many masks that he must shed to find it.” The playwright, Richard Nelson, described him as “warm and engaging, with an excellent physical comedy delivery.”
If that doesn’t pique your interest, perhaps his role in the upcoming film adaptation of ‘Saving Mr. Banks’ will. The British newspaper ‘The Telegraph’ reported in January 2016 that Robert had landed the lead role of Walt Disney in a film adaptation of ‘Saving Mr. Banks’. Director Paul Thomas Anderson said: “I’m really excited to have found my Walt. He’s going to be amazing. I’ve had long conversations with him, and he’s really listening and coming from a place of heartfelt concern. It makes me feel very good as a director.”
It seems that Robert’s range as an actor is far greater than what we’ve seen so far in his filmography. He’s not just limited to playing romantic leads or supporting roles. He’s starred in an award-winning television series, ‘Wanderlust’, and played William Shakespeare twice, once on stage and once on screen. He’s also narrated documentaries for the BBC. When he’s not acting, which is most of the time, he loves to travel and explore different cultures. He’s even set up an NGO, MAP International, which raises awareness about the effects of climate change.
A Brief History Of The Twilight Saga
The Twilight Saga is the popular name for a series of vampire drama films based on the classic book series, ‘The Dark Shadows’. The first film adaptation was released in 2010 and starred Michael Sheen as the vampire Barnabas Collins. The most recent, and probably last, entry in the trilogy is ‘Twilight Saga: The Midnight Hour’, which came out last year and is available on Netflix. It’s the only one of the three movies that does not feature any dialogue. Instead, it’s mostly a series of jump scares and tension-building scenes that rely heavily on atmosphere and suspense.
The first Twilight film was a massive worldwide hit, earning over $700 million at the box office. It also became the highest-grossing horror film of all time in Russia, where it was released as ‘Controversial’. The second and third films in the series, ‘New Moon’ and ‘Eclipse’, earned even more at the box office and became the highest-grossing pair of vampire movies of all time. They’re also both in the Top Five of the all-time film series based on The Dark Shadows novels.
Break Dancing
While we’re on the subject of fitness, let’s briefly discuss Robert’s break dancing. The Telegraph once described the actor as having a “charmingly awkward” dance style and reported that he was “much better” at it than he appeared to be. He also reportedly said: “I feel like I was born in the wrong century, and the role of the century is to party.”
This passion for fitness and dancing is not new to Robert. He’s a trained dancer and studied performance at the London Contemporary Dance School. He did not, however, appear in any of its dance performance pieces. While he may not be the world’s best dancer, he is certainly a lot of fun to watch. In addition to dancing, he also enjoys skiing, scuba diving, traveling, and long, luxurious baths.
An Edward Cullen Fantasy
The books and films of the Twilight Saga are centered around the relationship between two vampires, Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. In 2010, Summit Entertainment bought the movie rights to the popular paranormal romance series, ‘The Twilight Saga’ for a reported $15 million. The following year, it was revealed that the studio had also bought the movie rights to Edward’s original story, ‘Naked’ for an undisclosed fee. The news was announced at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. In 2013, it was reported that ‘The Twilight Saga’ and ‘Naked’ would be screened as part of an “all-female vampire movie marathon” in London that year. No other films in the trilogy were included in the festival.
While it would be cool to be able to say that the cinematic legacy of the Twilight Saga will be Robert as a brilliant cinematic genius and genius builder of worlds, we’re going to have to settle for less than that. At least, for now. He is, in fact, a phenomenal talent, and it’s not hard to see why the legendary Taylor would choose him to bear her last name. He’s a force of nature whose work will continue to mesmerize and inspire people for years to come.