Robert Pattinson on His First Impression of Kristen Stewart
Bella Swan is easily one of Kristen Stewart’s most well-known roles. Portraying the vampire-obsessed human turned her into a household name around the globe. But being in the Twilight movies was hardly Stewart’s first big break. She had a pretty impressive resume before playing Bella and was known to many indie filmmakers. Perhaps that’s why Robert Pattinson was initially intimidated by his co-star.
Robert Pattinson had to take drugs before his ‘Twilight’ audition
By the time Pattinson got around to auditioning for the role of Edward Cullen, Stewart had already been cast as Bella. At the time, Pattinson was suffering from extreme audition anxiety. In fact, his agent, whom he was living with at the time, had to convince him to take a valium just so he’d show up to his audition. And even though the drugs calmed him down, he couldn’t shake his nerves completely. Pattinson admits that acting opposite Stewart, a more experienced actor, was a bit daunting. However, he managed to use these feelings to his advantage.
‘The Batman’ actor admits that he was intimidated by Kristen Stewart
“I was a little intimidated by Kristen in my audition,” Pattinson admitted to TIME. “So I played it like a guy who is beating himself up a lot about everything. I don’t think anyone else did it like that. I think they concentrated on the confidence aspect.”
Pattinson recalls how Stewart behaved in his screen test for ‘Twilight’
In addition to being intimidated by Stewart, Pattinson admits that she was the picture of professionalism. According to The Lighthouse actor, he took his cues from Stewart and modeled his behavior after her. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Pattinson spoke more about his screen test for Twilight and his first impression of Stewart.
“Casting was really easygoing, and Kristen is also very cool, but at the same time, there is something very, very serious about her,” Pattinson explained. “I really wasn’t expecting the girl who plays Bella to be like her at all. Her professionalism made me keep my mouth shut whenever I wasn’t acting. It further gave the illusion of being serious.”
Stewart campaigned for Pattinson to be cast as Edward Cullen
Ultimately, Pattinson’s take on the character and his professional demeanor paid off, and he landed the role of Edward. Interestingly enough, it was Stewart who went to bat for him to get the role. She immediately felt that The Batman actor stood out amongst his competition and was quick to share her opinion with Twilight director, Catherine Hardwick. So clearly, both actors thought highly of each other from the very beginning. It’s not surprising that they both ended up getting along famously during the years they spent making the five movies.
