‘Twilight’: Robert Pattinson’s Thoughts on Edward Are Pretty Bleak
Robert Pattinson couldn’t have predicted how much his life would change when he first auditioned for Twilight. Fresh from portraying Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Pattinson was determined to teach himself how to act. When he was cast as Edward Cullen, the 108-year-old vampire in the body of a 17-year-old boy, he thought there was a pretty strong possibility that nobody would even see the film. Of course, that sentiment couldn’t be further from the truth.
The five Twilight movies ended up becoming one of the biggest film franchises of all time. Grossing over $3 billion dollars in the box office, the films made Pattinson a household name and ensured that he was set for life. Since the final film in the franchise premiered in 2012, Pattinson has gone on to do a variety of films, big and small. But still, portraying Edward Cullen remains one of his most high-profile roles.
Robert Pattinson doesn’t view his ‘Twilight’ character, Edward, as ’emo’
Playing the moody vampire certainly earned Pattinson “heartthrob” status. Twilight fans loved the brooding elements that he brought to the role, often dubbing his character as very “emo.” Funnily enough, Pattinson didn’t view his infamous character as emotional at all. In fact, he believes that the vampire spent the majority of his life fighting against any and all emotion until he met Bella.
“He’s spent his entire life repressing everything,” Pattinson shared about his Twilight character in an interview with MTV. “He’s kind of ashamed of himself when he lets his facade of formality break. When Bella comes into his life. He doesn’t want to feel anything. He wants to make his world smaller and smaller because he doesn’t feel like he belongs in it.”
Edward struggles with being a vampire
Continuing on, the Twilight alum shared that there’s a reason Edward’s story doesn’t quite begin until Bella arrives. “He either wants to be a human or die because his existence is completely pointless,” Pattinson explained. “That’s why he doesn’t talk to anyone. He doesn’t really feel anything in the book apart from when Bella comes. He’s literally counting the cracks in the wall and stuff. Every single day is exactly the same thing. If he feels anything he shuts it down immediately.”
It’s clear that Pattinson’s thoughts about who Edward is were pretty bleak, at least in regard to who he was in the first movie. And Pattinson wasn’t the only cast member who had some bleak ideas about his character. In an interview with Female.com, Kristen Stewart, who portrayed Bella Swan in the Twilight movies, also described Edward in a pretty dark way.
Kristen Stewart weighs in on Edward Cullen
“I mean, you know, you have this guy who is 108 years old, and he hates himself,” Stewart shared about Pattinson’s character. “And he’s afraid of himself. And he’s afraid of her, and he’s afraid of his whole situation. And he’s just neurotic as all hell.” Considering how the Twilight movies are billed as romantic movies, it’s pretty hilarious that Pattinson and Stewart have such dark ideas about one of the main characters. However, considering how Edward’s self-loathing is a near-constant theme of the movies, we can’t say either of their descriptions are wrong.
