Robert Pattinson Says He Almost Got Fired From ‘Twilight’ Series
Robert Pattinson shot to international fame with his lead role as Edward Cullen in the feature adaptation of the Twilight series. He gained insane popularity and legions of crazy fans because of his portrayal of the brooding, sensitive vampire in the five installments. The British actor now says that he almost got kicked out from the first film of the series. If that had happened, Kristen Stewart’s Bella Swan would have romanced a different actor on-screen, and probably off-screen as well.
In an interview given to the New York Times, Robert Pattinson said that he came close to getting fired on the first Twilight movie, and his agents had to straighten him out.
The 31-year-old actor said that working on the Twilight series was an “amazing luxury,” adding that it was an “amazing luck, as well, to just have fallen into it with the group of people I worked with on it.”
During the filming of the first Twilight movie, Robert Pattinson and the other actors were like kids who rebelled and felt “emboldened” to act out, according to the NYT. The report quoted the actor as saying that he did not have to kiss anybody’s “rear end” the entire time. He does not think that he did that.
Moreover, Robert Pattinson also said that David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis, his first movie after the Twilight saga wrapped up, was a turning point in his acting career.
“I especially love the fact that it really came out at the height of my popularity. [The movie was] the big turning point for me — I just realized that was what I wanted to do.”
The actor was recently in Cannes for his new movie Good Time directed by Safdie brothers. It debuted in the main competition section at the 70th edition of the Cannes film festival. Robert Pattinson was tipped to win the best actor for his portrayal of Connie Nikas, an aimless New York bank robber.
Joaquin Phoenix beat Robert Pattinson to take home the best actor award, but his performance seems to have finally received the recognition that he was aiming for post-Twilight series. Critics are calling the actor’s performance in Good Time his career-best performance, and the role, the best part he has ever played.
The Hollywood Reporter’s critic David Rooney said in his review that Robert Pattinson has given “arguably his most commanding performance to date as a desperate bank robber cut from the same cloth as Al Pacino’s Sonny Wortzik in Dog Day Afternoon.”
The Twilight actor told the press at Cannes that he spent a year preparing for his role in Good Time. Indiewire quoted him as saying that his character is a “conduit” for different people’s energies.
[Connie] doesn’t care about anything, but when he’s pushed up against the wall and forced to care about someone, the character is a conduit for a lot of different people’s energies.”
While filming the movie in New York, Robert Pattinson was worried about being spotted by the paparazzi. He said that he was trying to disappear and “be a ghost” in the crowd. However, no one saw him filming, even when they shot during rush hour on the subway, according to the actor.
Good Time is slated to release in the U.S. on August 11. Next, Robert Pattinson is set to star in the Joanna Hogg-directed two-part movie The Souvenir. The romantic mystery’s first part is scheduled to begin production this summer. The actor reportedly hopes to start working on High Life, which he and French director Claire Denis have been working on for three years, soon. He told NYT that he would love to work with German director Maren Ade.
[Featured Image by Matthias Nareyek/Getty Images]
