‘Twilight’: Why Robert Pattinson Was Afraid He’d Be ‘Shot or Stabbed’
Though Robert Pattinson had been in a few films prior to being cast in Twilight, portraying Edward Cullen permanently secured his celebrity status. Not only did the five movies provide him with financial security, but they although helped him make a name for himself in Hollywood. Prior to playing the brooding vampire, Pattinson was just like any other actor hustling for his next role. But being a part of such a popular franchise allowed roles to come to him.
Of course, being a part of the Twilight cast wasn’t always a fun time for the actors. Pattinson, in particular, had to cope with a loss of privacy. Playing Edward earned him “heartthrob” status, which meant the media and millions of young girls were obsessed with him. Furthermore, events for the Twilight movies often included hundreds, or even thousands, of screaming fans which was, naturally, extremely overwhelming.
Robert Pattinson revealed how he dealt with fame after joining the ‘Twilight’ cast
Funnily enough, Pattinson had experienced an intense fandom prior to being cast in Twilight. Thanks to his portrayal of Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire he’d had a brush with fame before becoming Edward Cullen. But even that didn’t fully prepare him for the intensity of the Twilight fandom. In fact, even Daniel Radcliffe once shared that he thought Pattinson was dealt a harder hand when it came to fame.
But just how did Pattinson cope with such intense fame? In a 2008 interview with Collider, he revealed that he couldn’t fully process it all. “My brain doesn’t really accept it,” the Twilight star revealed. “So it’s fine. I can be put anywhere and it just goes completely over my head.” But even though Pattinson didn’t fully comprehend the fame, doesn’t mean that it didn’t freak him out at times. In fact, The Batman actor had some pretty intense fears about being in such large crowds.
The movie star feared he’d be physically harmed
“I just don’t want to get stabbed or something,” Pattinson shared about the Twilight fandom. “Literally, my representation asked me, ‘Do you have any problems with this? Is it going to be OK?’ I said, ‘I just don’t want to get shot or stabbed. I don’t want someone to have a needle and I’ll get AIDS afterwards.’ That’s only my real fears.”
And Pattinson wasn’t the only member of the Twilight cast who had fears about being harmed while doing press for the movies. Back in 2009, Kristen Stewart also shared that she too was fearful of being attacked. “I’m uncomfortable with crowds,” Stewart shared with The Virginia Pilot. “I look out there at a thousand people and I realize they could rush me and assassinate me. No security could protect me. Ostensibly, they’re fans, but I think about them turning on me.”
The ‘Twilight’ cast was never attacked by fans
Clearly, there are some downsides to being in such a popular movie. Fortunately, neither Pattinson nor Stewart were attacked while filming or promoting any of the five Twilight movies.
