It’s no secret that Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are pretty different people. The former is most famous for starring in the Harry Potter film series, appearing in the popular video game Rock Band, and being the object of numerous on-screen crushes. But while Kristen Stewart is perhaps most well-known for breaking up with her Twilight costar and good friend Rob Pattinson in 2014, these days she seems to be doing just fine career-wise. She’s starred in several major blockbusters and was even nominated for an Academy Award in 2019 for Best Supporting Actress in the movie Bombshell. As for Robert Pattinson, he’s managed to stay relatively low-profile since the split from Kristen Stewart, rarely appearing in public or in interviews, but lately he’s been making a comeback with a bang. Here’s a look back at what caused the rift between these two Hollywood power couples.
The Whole Harry Potter Series
It all started with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Robert Pattinson was 26 years old at the time and had already risen through the ranks quickly in Hollywood. He starred in the popular psychological thriller Suburban Jungle as a rookie, followed by the much-acclaimed Twilight, which made him a star. Kristen Stewart was 17 at the time and had recently made her acting debut in the comedy-drama Babyteeth. In the final Harry Potter movie, she played Fleur Delacour, a womanizing teenager who goes head to head with the handsome and mature Pattinson. In one of the film’s most memorable scenes, she ditches her boyfriend for good, dumping him in favor of Robert Pattinson. The couple made a romantic appearance in front of the camera, but behind closed doors they were already in a romantic relationship. We’ll get to the “behind closed doors” part soon.
A Change In Attitudes
But even before they officially became a couple, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart had already created a stir with their unique perspective on relationships and romance. While most Hollywood stars are expected to keep their opinions to themselves or at least keep them to themselves when talking to the media, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart always had something to say. In an interview with Vanity Fair in 2015, the actress revealed that she and her costar had an understanding that they weren’t going to be typical Hollywood couples, but instead were going to be themselves and put their own spin on their romance:
“I think that’s what attracted me to him. I think a lot of the time in Hollywood, people don’t really know how to behave or act or would rather be someone they’re not. Maybe that’s why I like playing roles that are a bit outside of my comfort zone. I feel like I can really be myself and play a character I’m not normally seen as. With Rob, I could pull off a character that was quite different from myself, which I think is what attracted me to him. Maybe because he’s different from me as well. We haven’t really fit the Hollywood mold, I guess, and that’s why people have liked us.”
While this was a relief to film industry insiders who had to work with them, it didn’t endear the actors to their fans, who were used to seeing conventional Hollywood couplings onscreen. The fans’ perception was that Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart didn’t deserve to be together, simply because they were different from what Hollywood normally produced. And it seems like the fans were right. The dynamic duo broke up just a few months after this interview, with Rob saying at the time that he felt they had “grown apart.” But as much as we’d like to believe that Hollywood’s current power couple climate is completely different from the stigma of a long time ago, it’s simply not true. Take the case of Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande, for example, who met on the set of the 2012 movie Whiskey Media in London and became inseparable after filming wrapped. They were among the few high-profile couples to publicly acknowledge their relationship in the early days, when the internet was still in its infancy and the stigma surrounding infidelity was just beginning to lift. While the dynamic duo isn’t facing any public stigma today, it’s important to acknowledge that infidelity never really goes out of style in Hollywood.
And maybe that’s the biggest difference between then and now. Back in 2012, infidelity was still seen as a grave mistake, but Hollywood had also been slowly warming up to the idea of a same-sex marriage. While it remains legal in California and many other states, being gay is still seen as something of a social stigma in the United Kingdom, where the majority of Whiskey Media is set.
The Inseparable Duo
This is one relationship where being different really did work out beautifully. For the rest of their time together, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart refused to play by the traditional rules of Hollywood. They stayed true to themselves and each other, rarely showing public signs of their romance and even going so far as to say that they never wanted to “fit in” with the rest of the industry.
The couple continued to stand out among their colleagues in the movie business. While many co-stars and executives began to see them as a real-life Hollywood odd couple, it seems that they preferred to keep their relationship a secret. They weren’t afraid to express their true feelings for one another, often taking advantage of the few scenes that didn’t require them to act in a married capacity. These are the same scenes that caused friction with Rob’s Potter co-stars. In one of those scenes, Fleur’s sister Polina asks her if she’s serious about Robert. Fleur responds by saying that she’s “always” been serious about him and that he’s the reason why she came to London in the first place. It would appear that the sentiment is mutual, because Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart were seriously considering tying the knot before the year is out. But all that changed in the summer of 2014, when Rob Pattinson cheated on Kristen with another woman. While she eventually forgave him, it was a difficult time for the couple and a major blow to their already-shaky reputation in the eyes of many Hollywood fans. It wouldn’t be until after the incident that they would begin to make their romance public again.
A Break In The Middle Of A Major Blockbuster
In 2014, Rob Pattinson was already one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors, thanks in large part to the success of Twilight. But this fame didn’t come without its price. The success of Twilight had caused a rise in demand for his services, which led to him landing some pretty high-profile roles. When production on the much-anticipated sequel to Twilight began in the United Kingdom, many fans began to grumble that Rob was getting too expensive to work with. Then came the bombshell that would end all negotiations for the actor. During pre-production, producer David Heyman had flown to New York to meet with his co-writer and director, Taika Waititi, to discuss the second installment to the Twilight saga. While there, he allegedly asked a bartender for an address where he could find “that comedian”, Robbie, who he’d heard was living in the area. To everyone’s surprise, David Heyman went on to say that he had just met with “that comedian” and that he’d love to work with him on a project.
A few days later, Waititi had a phone call with his good friend and on-screen daughter, Grace, who told him that she’d heard from her father that he’d met with “that comedian” and that he’d love to work with him. Waititi, who had been trying to get a hold of David Heyman for days and was completely unaware of what had happened while he was in New York, was completely shocked. He was scheduled to begin shooting in a week and had been in contact with his co-star, Kristen Stewart, to confirm their romantic involvement. But now, with the news that he’d met with “that comedian” and might work with him, he felt like he’d been played. It was a huge blow to his ego and severely damaged their friendship. While everyone was angry with David Heyman for betraying them, it was also apparent that he’d been under a lot of pressure. He was afraid that the film would be shut down if he didn’t deliver on his promise to “that comedian”, who had already begun to chip away at his client base.