Times are changing for the entertainment industry; it’s not how it used to be thanks to social media. The spaces and gaps between roles are more apparent since there’s so much content outside of just the movie itself. Actor Robert Pattinson shared the rollercoaster of his career, going from the heartthrob vampire, to more 'out there' characters, but he also spoke about an interesting interaction when accused of quitting after the Twilight movies.
Pattinson has been in a myriad of roles that span across many genres. He’s been the beloved Hufflepuff prefect Cedric Diggory, sparkling vampire Edward Cullen, Bruce Wayne and even a talking bird, which has led to some interesting encounters in the real world. In an interview with The New York Times, the actor reflected on the time a passport control immigration officer asked him why he stopped acting after Twilight, to which Pattinson’s response was simply:
I was like …, ‘I’m Batman?
Yep, that's an excellent short response to clue someone into reality. Through the whole interview, you get the impression that Pattinson wanted to be an actor, but not famous. He shared a glimpse into his personal experiences as his career evolved during and after his time on Twilight. In his first few roles, he described himself as anxious and out of place, saying:
I couldn’t define the stage properly-- I didn’t realize that you have to make a line between the world of the movie and the world of reality.
In the full interview, Pattinson shared the various side hobbies and projects he does to fill the space between film shoots. He talked about how all the crazy interview responses he used to give were just a thing he made up out of boredom, but also because at that time the questions were all the same. Pattinson described himself as always acting even when he’s off stage because, in his words, all people would ask him about is what it was like to be famous.
He continued to speak about the different ways he began approaching characters to feel more connected. This most likely stems from the fact that Pattinson himself is not the biggest fan of Edward Cullen, which I can understand. I may not be an actor but I know from experience when I have to write from a very one-dimensional standpoint, it can be a bit boring and uninspiring. Luckily, Pattinson hasn’t had this problem as his roles in The Lighthouse, The Boy and the Heron and The Batman earned glowing reviews, including his former director Claire Denis praising his Bruce Wayne performance.
An actor being typecasted, or only known for one specific movie, isn’t new. There are plenty of stars out there who've dealt with that, like Superbad star Jonah Hill turning down a role in Transformers to avoid being typecasted, or The Last Of Us’ Bella Ramsay had some typecasting bumps after her role in Game of Thrones.
Currently, Pattinson is filming with Jennifer Lawrence on Die, My Love, he's re-teaming with Tenet director Christopher Nolan, and a sequel for The Batman in the works. So thankfully, we still have more of Pattinson in the future, and I wish him well, especially in his new pottery adventures.
