Robert Pattinson is mysterious. It’s in his eyes, yes — expressive and hazel. But it’s his choice of complex and eccentric roles that’s truly bewitching.
As of late, Pattinson’s colonized space playing Mickey Barnes in Mickey 17, starred opposite Jennifer Lawrence in the emotionally gripping Die My Love, and paired with Zendaya in the dark romcom The Drama. With every role Pattinson plays, we can expect the unexpected.
A Rebellious Brit
Born on May 13, 1986, Rob is the youngest of three and the only son. His mom, Clare, was a model scout and dad, Richard, sold vintage cars. The family lived in Barnes, a suburb of London. Pattinson told the New York Times he fancied music and had a penchant for stealing pornographic magazines and chocolate bars in his youth.
At 15, he joined a local theater group and snagged the role of Reese Witherspoon’s son in Vanity Fair … only to have all his scenes cut. His first major role came at 17 in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as Cedric Diggory, the first on-screen death in the franchise.
‘Die My Love’ • Photo: Kimberly French.
Pattinson wasn’t sold on being a movie star — he wanted to be a musician and so he played open mics until his Harry Potter money ran out.
The Twilight Saga, of course, changed everything. His then on- and off-screen relationship with Kristen Stewart added to the frenzy until the pair ended it in 2013. There was a new freedom that Pattinson found and he was determined not to be typecast.
On his movie choices, Pattinson told GQ: “A lot of the movies I like have a kind of glee to them …. And a little bit of a kind of a punk thing as well. A bit of sticking a middle finger up to everybody.” This brazenness can be seen in David Cronenberg’s 2012’s thriller Cosmopolis in which Pattinson’s character received an erotic prostate exam inside a limo. The actor called the film one of his favorites.
‘Die My Love’ • Photo: Kimberly French.
Pattinson took more risks in the 2014’s dystopian film, The Rover, with director David Michôd. Benny and Josh Safdie’s Good Time (2017) expanded his acting range. Playing a criminal on a space mission in Claire Denis’ High Life (2018), showcased his love of the bizarre, exploring themes of sexual obsession and a descent into madness.
More unraveling of sanity was on display in Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse (2019). Pattinson raised eyebrows with a ferocious masturbation scene.
He is daring, niche, and arthouse — throw in an air of danger and those devious good looks, and he is the perfect slightly-under-the-radar movie star. Still, he can’t shake the cult of vampire Cullen. Once, when he showed his passport at the airport, an officer looked at him and said, “Hey, you’re the guy from Twilight. Why’d you stop acting?” Pattinson hesitated and simply said, “I’m Batman?” He’s set to reprise that 2022 role in 2027 with The Batman Part II.
‘Twitlight’ • Photo: Summit Entertainment.
His Greatest Achievement
Pattinson and 34-year-old model, actress, singer/songwriter Suki Waterhouse met in 2018 at a Hollywood party during a game of Werewolf with Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, and Al Pacino. “Suki and I kept making each other laugh, to the point where someone told us we weren’t taking the game seriously enough,” he told the New York Times. “That was a very, very sweet moment.”
In March of 2024, the now-engaged couple welcomed a daughter. On fatherhood, Pattinson told GQ, “I had a baby and it does give you this crazy level of energy. You’re just suddenly like, I need to make a cave fortress! … I suddenly have an insane drive to do work that I never had before.”
Fatherhood has changed him and not only because he goes to bed earlier. He doesn’t like being apart from his family. “After 10 days of being away, it’s physical pain. It’s so interesting, your body chemistry changes without you even thinking about it,” he shared.
‘Mickey 17’ • Photo: Warner Bros.
This year, we’ll see Pattinson in films with blockbuster potential — Dune Part Three and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. He’s been an ambassador of Dior Homme since 2012, arguably his sexiest role yet. Or, perhaps, it’s simply everything Pattinson does, the mystifying way he moves through the world and his ever-fascinating choices.
He’s the doting dad and the dark knight. His range goes beyond the strange. A true original, intense and brooding, Pattison’s depth and his lightness always surprises us.
