He frequently tops 'World's Most Attractive Man' lists and has girls screaming wherever he goes, but Robert Pattinson has a surprising confession for his female fans. The star said he had reservations about auditioning for the part of Edward Cullen in Twilight - the film which raised him to heartthrob status - after learning the character was meant to be impossibly handsome.
"Going in for the audition, I felt like a bit of an idiot," admitted the star, who said he stared and stared at himself in the mirror in doubt before leaving the house for the casting. "I just thought even having the gall to go in means you're a bit… arrogant." He overcame his reservations, however, and went on to win the part and the hearts of millions of ladies the world over.
Early life and rise to fame
Robert Thomas Pattinson was born in London on May 13, 1986, to parents Richard and Claire - a vintage car importer and a model agency worker. He was encouraged, aged 12, into modelling by his mum but his career wound down four years later. "When I first started, I was quite tall and looked like a girl, so I got lots of jobs because it was during that period where the androgynous look was cool," he recalled of the time. "Then I guess I became too much of a guy, so I never got any more jobs. I had the most unsuccessful modelling career."
By his own admission, Robert wasn't really interested in school, but his attention was captivated as a teenager, by the theatre. He started out helping behind the scenes at his local theatre company, before deciding he wanted to get onto the stage. An agent spotted him in a production of Tess Of The D'Urbervilles and he began looking for professional roles. After a few small appearances in made-for-TV films, Robert landed the part which would get him noticed - playing head boy Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and The Goblet Of Fire in 2005. He was named 'British star of tomorrow' by The Times newspaper a title which seems an understatement after his ascent to worldwide recognition post-Twilight.
But just before Robert got the part, and unsure of his future, he questioned whether he wanted to be an actor at all. "I hadn't got into university and I was just bumming around and not feeling particularly good at anything. At the time I was desperately thinking I would never reach or achieve my goals," he admitted. All that changed in 2008, after the release of the first vampire romance, which was followed up by New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.
Rob was delighted by the success of the films but found his newfound fame "bizarre". He said in 2009: "It is still strange. I just don't get the immediate-recognition thing. I was at the Frankfurt airport yesterday, and people just immediately know who you are. It's never, 'Are you ...?' It's just like, 'Can I have a photo?'."
After signing up to play Salvador Dali in Little Ashes, and his first forays in straight drama with Remember Me and Water For Elephants, Robert found himself very much in demand. But ever the perfectionist, he still seemed uncomfortable with his acting. "I don't really like watching my stuff. It makes me feel sick," he said. "You imagine you look a certain way in your head, and when it looks even the slightest bit different from what you imagine, you go, 'Rubbish'."
Despite having girls throwing themselves at him blue-eyed hunk insisted he wasn't looking for a girlfriend. Eventually, he reluctantly confirmed what millions of Twilight fans had suspected all along - reports of a romance with his co-star Kristen Stewart were in fact true.
But, the pair's romance wasn't to last and they split in 2012 following reports of an affair between Kristen and her Snow White and the Huntsman director, Rupert Sanders. Robert and Kristen would reconcile but then split for good in May 2013. After Kristen, Robert began dating the singer FKA Twigs and they got engaged. However, they split after three years together. Since 2018, he has been in a relationship with model Suki Waterhouse and in 2023 Suki revealed they're expecting a baby.
His credits in recent years have included Tenet, The Devil All the Time and The Batman.
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