10 Things You Might Not Know About Robert Pattinson

Robert Pattinson was destined for stardom. Having officially debuted as an integral part of one of the biggest franchises on the planet, the Harry Potter franchise, Pattinson was thrust immediately into the limelight. Then came Twilight and the role of vampire icon, Edward Cullen, the center of another billion dollar franchise. But stardom is not something that Robert Pattinson seemed comfortable with. Despite having the looks and talent of a modern James Dean, Pattinson rejected fame in the wake of Twilight and sought to challenge himself by working with some of the most acclaimed indie directors on the planet.

In recent years, Pattinson has worked with such auteurs as David Cronenberg (Cosmopolis), The Safdie Brothers (Good Time) and French legend Claire Denis (High Life). These projects brought critical praise if not blockbuster box office success. But creative fulfillment appears to have been far more important to Pattinson than being a massive global superstar.

At least, that was the case before The Batman. Yes, despite seeming to reject the big paydays and blockbuster movie star roles, Pattinson could not resist when director Matt Reeves called upon him to don the cape and cowl of the world’s most well known crime fighter. With Pattinson set to take Batman into the blockbuster future for the foreseeable future, now is a good time to reflect on Pattinson’s career and the things you might not know about the man who would become Bruce Wayne.

Here are 10 Things You Might Not Know About Robert Pattinson

10. Pattinson has played Reese Witherspoon’s Son and Lover

No, this isn’t some fetishy bit of fan fiction, in his career, Robert Pattinson has played both Reese Witherspoon’s son and lover in different projects. In 2004, before he came to fame as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Pattinson played Witherspoon’s son, Rawdy, in flashbacks in the movie Vanity Fair. Sadly, all of Pattinson’s scenes were cut from the final movie by director Mira Nair, but it did happen. Then, in 2011, Pattinson finally had the chance to share the screen with Witherspoon in the circus set romance, Water for Elephants. Here Pattinson and Witherspoon played star-crossed lovers with Pattinson’s Jacob stealing Witherspoon’s Marlena away from her villainous husband, Christoph Waltz.

9. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was Pattinson’s film debut but not his acting debut

Though Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire launched Robert Pattinson into the public consciousness, it was his film debut but not his acting. Instead, Pattinson’s acting career began in a far less glamorous circumstance. Pattinson’s first onscreen role came in the European television mini-series Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King. Pattinson’s role is relatively small in the sprawling German epic mini-series but it is his first credit. In a funny aside, The Batman director Matt Reeves has jokingly claimed to have sought Pattinson to play Batman/Bruce Wayne based on his performance in Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King. Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King also carried the titles, Sword of Xanten and Curse of the Ring, depending on where in the world it was being shown.

8. Matt Reeves Likes Joking About Pattinson’s Early Television Work

As I mentioned before, Matt Reeves claimed in an interview to have cast Pattinson based on his role in The Dragon King/Sword of Xanten but that isn’t the only role that intrigued Reeves. In other interviews, Reeves has stated that he sought Pattinson for The Batman because of his work in the 2006 BBC Television movie, The Haunted Airman.

That movie received its share of infamy after producers re-released the movie in America, straight to DVD, featuring questionable artwork modeled on Pattinson’s performance in Twilight.

7. Robert Pattinson is a Method Actor… Sometimes

The Method is a type of acting where the performer remains in character at all times in an attempt to fully live their character’s experiences. Robert Pattinson is not a method actor but he has method acting tendencies. One example of Pattinson’s dedication to authenticity comes from his performance as famed painter Salvador Dali in the little seen 2009 movie, Little Ashes. In that film, Pattinson is said to have insisted on masturbating to completion during a simulated sex scene.

According to Pattinson, he was incapable of convincingly faking an orgasm so he decided that masturbation was the answer to making the scene appear convincing. Masturbation is a common theme in Pattinson’s career as it played a role in his roles in the movies Damsel and The Lighthouse later in his career. Pattinson told Variety that there are some things you just can’t fake when asked about method acting, though he denied being a ‘method actor.’

6. Pattinson Went a Little Method to Play Edward Cullen in Twilight

No, Robert Pattinson didn’t start drinking blood to convincingly portray vampire Edward Cullen in Twilight. Well, there is no evidence to indicate that Pattinson ever drank blood. That said, Pattinson did take a rather ‘method’ approach to the setting of Twilight. In order to get comfortable in the Oregon setting of Twilight, Pattinson moved to Oregon, lived near the set before shooting began, and went as far as obtaining an Oregon Driver’s License so he could drive legally in the state when shooting the movie. These aren’t the only examples of Pattinson’s method moments in the Twilight franchise. In the Twilight sequel, Eclipse, Pattinson learned to speak fluent Portuguese because he had a single scene in which he was called upon to speak the language.

5. Sean Penn’s Into the Wild Played a Role in Pattinson Starring in Twilight

In talking about landing the role of Edward Cullen, Robert Pattinson told reporters that he found himself drawn to the role of Edward Cullen after seeing future Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart in the Sean Penn movie, Into the Wild. Pattinson was so impressed with Stewart in Into the Wild that he was eager to get the role of Edward Cullen for the chance to work with her. Interestingly, Stewart booked the role of Bella Swan because of her role in Into the Wild. Into the Wild co-star Emile Hirsch recommended Stewart to director Catherine Hardwicke when he worked with Hardwicke on the movie Lords of Dogtown.

4. Robert Pattinson was one of four actors in the running to become Edward Cullen

Though Pattinson became eager to win the role of Edward Cullen in order to work with Kristen Stewart, he had a hill to climb to get there. According to director Catherine Hardwicke, Pattinson was not the first choice for the role. Future Superman, Henry Cavill was the actor Hardwicke initially sought for the role while producers also screen tested Chronicles of Narnia star Ben Barnes and future Cullen family member, Jackson Rathbone for the role of Edward before settling on Pattinson for the role.

3. Robert Pattinson is a talented musician and ended up unknowingly on the Twilight Soundtrack.

You may know that Robert Pattinson is a talented musician but did you know that he landed two songs on the Twilight soundtrack without knowing it ahead of time? It’s true, according to director Catherine Hardwicke, she heard a pair of songs that Robert had recorded prior to joining the cast of Twilight and she liked them so much, she added them to the movie without telling Pattinson. Pattinson is said to have found out about his inclusion on the film’s soundtrack when he saw the movie and heard his songs “Never Think” and “Let Me Sign” in the movie. Since then, Pattinson has knowingly contributed music for the soundtracks of Damsel, How to Be, and High Life.

2. Pattinson feared he was losing his hair while making the indie movie, Good Time

While making the indie movie, Good Time with famed indie auteurs, The Safdie Brothers, Pattinson feared he might be losing his hair. By the time shooting on the crime drama was ending, Pattinson’s hair was falling out in clumps due to the repeated necessity of dying his hair blonde. Pattinson’s character, Connie, dyed his hair while hiding out as a criminal on the run in the movie and the lengthy shoot meant repeatedly having to cover his roots to maintain Connie’s blonde locks for continuity.

1 Pattinson worked at a real New York City Car Wash while making the movie Good Time

While he claims to not be a method actor, Pattinson was once again going method while working on Good Time with The Safdie Brothers. According to the brothers, while they worked on Good Time, Pattinson moved into a rundown apartment where he rarely changed clothes and did no cleaning so as to get into the vibe of his low life criminal character. When Pattinson was told that the character of Connie had worked at a car wash, Pattinson along with co-star and co-director, Benny Safdie, decided that they needed to work at a car wash as well in order to get into character. The fact that this was just backstory for these characters did not stop Pattinson from actually cleaning cars in character as Connie while hoping no one recognized him as one of the biggest stars in the world.