3:18PM, Nov 12, 2009
With the New Moon approaching, Twilight star Robert Pattinson relishes getting his teeth into the role and sucking up fame and fortune.
Just like his enticing Twilight character, Robert Pattinson’s success seems to have snuck up out of nowhere.
This time last year his adventure was just beginning, having taken on the role of beautiful, brooding vampire Edward Cullen in the film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s hugely popular teen vampire saga.
The 23-year-old actor had ignored 75,000 angry bloggers (who didn’t think he was good-looking enough for the role) and was waiting for the world’s reaction to the film.
“I kind of knew that a lot of people liked it before,” he says of the franchise, “but I didn’t realise just how many. That part has come as a surprise. But now I see my stupid face everywhere on posters and things and it is sinking in.”
Surprisingly dismissive and down-to earth considering his huge bite of fame, Pattinson’s popularity (especially with the ladies – he’s certainly giving teen heartthrob Zac Efron a run for his money) is as much a surprise to him as anyone else.
“This was completely unexpected,” he says, remembering his own concerns over his suitability for the role. “I was given the book about five months before casting and I read the first 50 pages up until Edward gets introduced and then I was like, ‘Oh, no.’ Because he is supposed to be this perfect, beautiful being and I was really fat last year. I just felt the whole thing was embarrassing – even turning up to the audition was embarrassing!”
But, moviegoers have spoken, and if the number of column inches dedicated to his every move (and hairstyle) are anything to go by, the casting was bang on, and he won’t be going anywhere for a while.
“I now have little girls saying, ‘I want to have your babies’ and stuff. And I just want to say, ‘You don’t. Seriously. I don’t even want to have my babies.’ I just constantly get people saying ‘Bite me, bite me, bite me’ and I have to tell them, ‘Look I can’t bite you because it will hurt’... [It’s] a little freaky!
“I just go about continuously doing interviews and stuff and then going into rooms where everyone is screaming,” says the actor. “I just go to different cities in the world for screaming sessions... [but] I’m slowly getting used to it.”
And there will be plenty more screaming to come as the highly anticipated sequel (introducing a werewolf into the ‘pack’), The Twilight Saga: New Moon, hits cinemas nationwide later this month.
Twilight begins on Sky Movies Premiere/HD on Saturday 14th November at 8pm.
This feature originally appeared in the Sky Movies Magazine, November '09.
