You may have heard recently about Robert Pattinson, the 23-year-old British actor who plays the lead in the upcoming movie, The Great Gatsby. Most people are familiar with his films, Cosmo and Water for Elephants, which won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor last year. As a matter of fact, since the beginning of this year, his films have already accumulated a whopping $600 million in global box office sales.
But, you may not know much about Robert Pattinson himself. Here’s a little bio on the handsome star.
Personal Background
Robert Pattinson was born in London on January 2, 1991, to Kristen and Pete Pattinson, a British film producer and distributor. He has an older brother, Charlie, and an identical twin, Joel. His parents divorced when he was nine years old, and he and his siblings were split up after that, spending time with their various parents. Later on, despite their divorce, Pete and Kristen remained friends and continued to support each other professionally. When he’s not busy working, Robert spends his time hanging out with his best friend, the actor and musician, Ben Foster.
Educational Background
After graduating from Elmo National Laboratory School in New York City in 2010, Robert attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, majoring in English literature and minoring in film production. While at Brown, he appeared in several off-Broadway plays, including The Collection, Theatre is Tough, and Siblings. He also published a literary magazine, Messenger, which received a lot of attention in the literary world. At the same time, he worked on a couple of short films with Ben Foster as well as other prominent Hollywood directors.
Career Background
After graduating from Brown, Robert decided to move to Los Angeles to become an actor. Fortunately, he was able to get a job as an assistant to the head of the acting department at a prestigious drama school, the Lee Strasburg School for Acting and Filmmaking. There, he learned valuable acting skills and made a few connections that helped him get his big break.
In 2013, he was cast in the role of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. As a matter of fact, it was the final installment of the Harry Potter franchise, and it was a massive box office bomb, earning only $11.7 million in its opening weekend and never becoming profitable. But, it did earn him a loyal following of fans who appreciated his charming and dashing looks and gentlemanly behavior on and off screen. Since then, he’s maintained a steady stream of acting work, appearing mostly in supporting or unknown roles. However, his career is still in its early stages, and he’s already accumulated more than $400 million in box office earnings.
A Rolling Stone
In September 2015, Rolling Stone released an in-depth interview with Robert Pattinson, in which he opened up about a number of pressing topics. Here are some of the highlights from their conversation.
On Being Typecast
The interviewer, Annie Zaleski, starts off by asking Robert if he ever wonders if he’s limited to a certain type of role because of his looks. “Honestly, I always think that. But it’s what I want, so I guess I’ll always have to settle for it,” he says. “I’ve never been one to conform to stereotypes, so I guess I’ll just have to get used to it.”
In the same vein, Zaleski asks if being a sex symbol has ever limited his acting opportunities. “I wouldn’t say it’s limited my acting opportunities; I mean, I get approached all the time about different things. I just always turn them down. I’ve never been someone who goes, ‘Yes, I’ll do that.’ I’ve never been interested in parading around in bikinis or showing off my cleavage. I’m not a sex symbol. I’m just an actor who happens to be beautiful.”
As for the type of roles he gets offered, Robert says it varies. “I just finished a film with Christian Bale, and he was the most mature, sophisticated man I’ve ever worked with. So, there’s that. Sometimes it’s a political thriller, sometimes it’s a horror movie, sometimes it’s a family comedy.”
On Finding Success Early
One of the things that made Robert happy about his early success is that it came before he even reached his twentieth birthday. “I remember walking down the street, being surprised that people were looking at me and talking to me. I didn’t feel like a celebrity yet. I just felt like someone who had finally reached a place they had been looking for,” he says. “Even now, I’m still learning. I don’t think I’ve ever really felt like I’ve ‘arrived,’ if you know what I mean. It’s still a learning process for me. Even now, I’ll walk down the street and people will shout ‘Hey!’ at me. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been the object of attention, and it still feels incredible.”
On His Favorite Role
The interviewer moves on to talk about his favorite roles, mentioning The Great Gatsby and The Social Network several times. “I really like playing some of those cool, intellectual guys who are very charming. It’s always nice when you can get away with being smart and charming at the same time,” he says, adding that he doesn’t see himself changing the way he acts or talks just to be accepted by Hollywood. “It’s really not about that. Sometimes I’ll meet a girl, and she’ll be a complete contrast to Hollywood. She’ll be the most beautiful woman in the world, and I’ll be the most charming guy. And then, I’ll meet someone else, and he’ll be the most charming person and she’ll be the most beautiful woman in the world. So, it’s not like I’m playing a role or something. Sometimes I’ll meet a girl, and we’ll just connect, you know? It’s not about playing a role. It’s about finding who you are outside of Hollywood and just living your life.”
Future Of Film
One of the things that makes Robert anxious about the future of cinema is that technology is changing the way people consume media. “I get really anxious when I think about the future of film. I think it’s going to be hard for people to sit through a whole movie. I feel like, as an actor, my job is to entertain people for a couple of hours. It’s not to educate them or enlighten them,” he says. “It’s going to be hard for people to sit through a long movie if they can get all their information in other ways. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens when people are no longer dependent on films to learn about what’s going on in the world. It’ll be interesting to see what develops as a result of that.”
Personal Life
Although Robert was previously engaged to model and actress Lily Collins, he now claims to be single. “I’m actually really excited about that. I’ve been seeing a lot of my friends in London, and it seems like a lot of them got engaged, and I’m just really happy for them. It makes me feel like I’m progressing,” he says. “I just turned 24, and I feel like I’m starting to see the world a different way. Before, I always wanted to be with a woman. Now, I don’t really know what I want. I want to be with someone who makes me happy, you know? I want to be married and have kids one day. But, I don’t think that’s going to be for a while.”
Health Issues
Besides wanting to be with a woman and settle down with children, Robert also talks about how he wants to be a good father and contribute to the wellbeing of his children. “I want to be a really good dad. That’s one of the biggest things I want to do in my life. I want to be able to give my kids the attention and the love that they need. Being a good father is going to be really important to me,” he says. “I don’t want to rush into anything, but eventually, I’d like to get married and have kids. Hopefully not right away, but it’s something that I’ve thought a lot about. It’s weird; it’s not like I’m playing a part or someone wrote a story about me. Sometimes, it just happens. You meet someone and you click, and it just feels right.”