Skip to main content

When Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart were cast in Twilight as Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, their lives changed forever. Not only were they thrust into superstardom, becoming household names, but the five films would also earn them millions of dollars and ensure that they were set for life. Furthermore, their involvement in the franchise would lead to the actors being offered roles in numerous projects because of their star power.

Twilight cast members Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart | Franco Origlia/Getty Images

’50 Shades of Grey’ is a fanfic of ‘Twilight’

But two high-profile roles that the Twilight cast members were never offered were the roles of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. Funnily enough, those characters were based on their Twilight characters. Fans of both “50 Shades of Grey” and “Twilight” will note that there are a lot of similarities between the books. That is because “50 Shades of Grey” is actually a “Twilight” fan-fiction and Bella and Edward’s story inspired Ana and Christian’s in more ways than one.

Robert Pattinson revealed that E.L. James never wanted him to play Christian Grey

Of course, Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan were eventually cast in 50 Shades of Grey. But what did Stewart and Pattinson think about the book and would they have considered acting in the film? In an interview with Independent, the pair opened up about their thoughts about the raunchy book.

Though Pattinson didn’t reveal whether or not he’d ever considered playing Christian Grey, he did share that E.L. James insisted that he was the wrong person to be cast in the role. “I think the author has written me out of it,” the Twilight star shared. “I saw some interview earlier and she went: ‘Oh, it could never be him.’ And I’m like: ‘Hey, I’m going to make you pay for that.'”

Would the ‘Twilight’ stars have considered joining the cast of ’50 Shades of Grey’?

Pattinson continued on to share that he was amused that so many people were interested in being cast as the billionaire. “It’s funny seeing all these other actors so openly vying for it,” the Twilight actor shared about the coved role. “I’ve never seen that happen before. It’s so strange. I haven’t read the whole thing, I read bits of it.”

Like her Twilight co-star, Stewart also revealed that she’d read large excerpts of “50 Shades of Grey” though she hadn’t read the book in its entirety. “Uh, first of all, they haven’t called me or anything,” Stewart shared when asked if she would ever star in the movie adaptation. “They haven’t offered me the part.” Though Stewart wasn’t offered the role what would she have done if she was? When the actor was asked in 2014, she was undecided but didn’t rule it out completely.

Kristen Stewart weighs in

“I haven’t read it, and so I mean, I know what you are talking about, I’ve definitely read some of ‘those bits’,” the Twilight star said through laughter. “It’s really nuts, I couldn’t believe it. I see people reading it and I’m like: ‘Dude you are in public, what are you doing?’ But I’m pretty daring. It just takes the right story, and so I don’t know because I haven’t read it. I’m not avoiding it or anything. I just think it’s been made this big deal, so I don’t even know how to answer that question.”

Related

Will Smith Credits This One Thing For His Successful Career

We can’t quite picture Pattinson and Stewart in 50 Shades of Grey so perhaps it’s for the best that the roles went to other actors. But, if the Twilight stars ever wanted to record a scene or two from 50 Shades of Grey as a spoof, we’d certainly be interested in it for the laughs alone.