I was on Team Edward through the whole “Twilight” saga. Now that it is over, how is Robert Pattinson doing?
—Kate Godfrey, Seattle, Wash.
As you can imagine, Pattinson, 26, has mixed emotions about putting the role of Edward Cullen behind him for good now that “Breaking Dawn—Part 2” has been released. On the one hand, the five “Twilight” movies have done so much for his career, but on the other, the phenomenon was so huge, it was almost overwhelming.
“As an actor, I think it’s scary,” he says. “You really, really feel like you have no control. It’s a huge juggernaut, especially when something becomes part of the cultural landscape. It’s really scary because you get trapped and you get scared of changing, which is the worst thing that can happen if you want to be any kind of artist.”
Being considered a serious actor is of concern to the London-born actor, who isn’t just in it for the money. He has an idea of the kinds of roles he would like to play and actors and directors with whom he would like to work.
“It’s not necessarily that satisfying getting monetary success, but sometimes it keeps the door open to make what you want to make,” he says. “Other times, you can make five massive hits in a row and still not get cast by the directors you want to work with doing little movies. There are no guarantees. I’m trying to sign up and do movies that I’ll be proud of if it’s my last one. That’s how I think about it.”
Already in the can for Pattinson is the futuristic Western “The Rover,” and in October, it was reported that he would be filming the thriller “Hold on to Me.” Both films provided roles that were 180 degrees from Edward.
“People ask me if I’m afraid of getting typecast, but you can’t be afraid of that,” he says. “It’s really not up to you. I’m getting parts that aren’t vampires. I don’t know if people will accept me in them, but there’s really nothing to be afraid of.”
