Robert Pattinson Reveals He Wasn't Team Edward Attractive When Auditioning For Twilight

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in Twilight

Robert Pattinson has established quite a name for himself as an actor, having worked with some of the most iconic directors working today. But he first became a household name playing Edward Cullen in the Twilight franchise. Based off the novel of the same name, Edward is a sex symbol on both the page and screen, but it turns out that Pattinson wasn't feeling too hot when he went in to audition for his vampiric alter ego. He recently shared this surprising story, and it's a good one.

Robert Pattinson and his co-star Kristen Stewart rose to superstar status beginning with the release of 2008's original Twilight film. Pattinson's likeness graced various magazines and school lockers, with his brooding rendition of Edward Cullen. But his actual audition for the role wasn't as glamorous as one would think. In his own words,

When I turned up for the audition, I had done a job where I'd dyed my hair black, but I had an inch and a half of roots, and I had waxed my body. And then I had a few months where I'd been drinking beer all day, so I had this hairless, chubby body. I looked like a baby with a wig on.

Well, that's certainly a look. Because while Edward Cullen is immortal and glittery, Robert Pattinson is a regular person like the rest of us. And he wasn't especially put together when auditioning to play the literary love figure. Hey, that's what hair and makeup is for anyway.

Robert Pattinson's comments Allure help peel the curtain back behind his ascension into stardom as Twilight's Edward Cullen. Robert Pattinson is an actor who is happy to change his appearance for a role. So when going in for Twilight, he mid-transformation from his last movie. He had the remains of an old dye job, as well as some beer belly wait from taking time off. But all that would change once Pattinson finally got his fangs.

The Twilight era of Robert Pattinson's look was a moment in time, but he's been known to grow facial hair and change his hair cut for roles. He's not doubt going through a physical transformation right now as well, as Pattinson is starring as the Bruce Wayne in Matt Reeves' The Batman. This role should obviously include a ton of stunt work and fight choreography, as Batman is typically at the height of fitness as Gotham's Protector. Did he get as big as Kumail Nanjiani for The Eternals? Only time will tell.

Despite not exactly looking the part, Robert Pattinson's acting abilities helped him nail the role of Edward in Twilight. He'd go on to star in the franchise's three sequels, before finally putting the role behind him. Although now that he's taking on the mantle of Bruce Wayne in The Batman, he might end up achieving the same level of insane fame as before.

Robert Pattinson will star in Tenet on July 17th, and The Batman will hit theaters June 25th, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.