Every so often a YA book gets turned into a movie, and becomes a sensation. Twilight is a prime example of this, as the book to screen adaptation (which is streaming with a HBO Max subscription) was wildly popular and made household names out of its actors. That includes Robert Pattinson, who lead the Twilight cast as Edward Cullen. The 39 year-old actor recently reflected on that sudden fame, and trying to separate himself from the character.
In the years since the Twilight movies have ended their run in theaters, the Mickey 17 actor has been able to get some perspective about that time in his life. Pattinson previously said he lost his sense of self as a result of the fame, and during a conversation with Interview Magazine he shared more. In his words:
When I was doing Twilight, there was such a cultural pushback against it, almost simultaneous to its success, so I kind of had to ride both things. I really enjoyed making the movies, but then there was such a huge marketing push behind it as well. I didn’t want to get my personal identity caught up in that, so I tried to push forward my individuality a little, and that kind of stuck with me. It was also interesting getting famous off of playing a part—people thought I was that character in the beginning.
While fame is a dream for many actors out there, it can be a double-edged sword. And while there were screaming fans proudly declaring themselves #TeamEdward, there were also very loud naysayers. And through it all Pattinson didn't want people to think that he and Edward were the same person.
While Stephanie Meyer's novels were already wildly popular, the Twilight movies made the franchise into a global sensation. While Pattinson finds its ongoing popularity mind-blowing, it must have been even more intense at the hight of it all. In the same interview, the actor went to share how he felt different from Edward, saying:
It was quite strange, but it also allowed me to push against it. Also, I wasn’t precious about that identity because it wasn’t my identity to begin with. It’s interesting to use the public perception of you as part of your character development, because you’re like, ‘I assume at least a few people in the audience are going to be expecting this,’ so you can make it more dramatic.
Part of the reason why some folks felt like Pattinson and Edward were so similar was because of his offscreen relationship with co-star Kristen Stewart. In fact, there is still fan chatter about them to this day, despite the years that have passed since their breakup. The Die My Love star went on to share the disconnect between his public persona and who he really is, offering:
But at the same time, you never really know what people are thinking. A lot of people are very protective of, ‘This is who I am, this is my identity,’ and I’ve never really felt that. Part of me is very certain of who I am, but I don’t feel it’s odd to just wake up one day and just be a different person. [Laughs] I think it’s positive insecurity.
Luckily for Robert Pattinson, he has been largely able to separate himself from his tenure as Edward Cullen. He's taken a variety of different film projects, becoming an indie darling in the process. This led him to eventually join another huge IP, playing the title character of Matt Reeves' The Batman. And the forthcoming sequel is one of the most highly anticipated upcoming DC movies.
The Twilight movies are streaming now on HBO Max, and Robert Pattinson can be seen opposite Zendaya in The Drama, hitting theaters on April 3rd as part of the 2026 movie schedule.
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