Highlights

  • Robert Pattinson's fame from Twilight initially hindered his ability to be taken seriously as an actor in Hollywood.
  • Despite critical acclaim in smaller indie films, Robert Pattinson struggled to find major projects and feared financial instability.
  • Working on challenging roles and landing bigger studio films like Tenet and The Batman revitalized Robert Pattinson's career and provided him with more security and opportunities.

Robert Pattinson is most known for his role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight Saga. The role did wonders for his career, making him one of the most recognizable faces in the world with millions of fans. The fame was a blessing and a curse since it got Pattinson boxed in as the Hollywood heartthrob. After appearing in the Twilight films alongside Kristen Stewart, Pattinson realized he wasn't being taken seriously in the business. He worked on smaller films like Cosmopolis and Map to the Stars to counter this.

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Despite gaining critical acclaim for these roles, studios weren't chasing after Robert to star in their most prominent projects. The indie films gave Rob a stage to showcase his skills, but most fans weren't interested. With no one watching his films and no projects lined up, Pattinson feared he would go broke in a few years. Robert admitted he was terrified at this point in his life.

How Twilight Fame Affected Robert Pattinson's Mental Health

The first Twilight film turned Robert Pattinson from a small unknown actor to a household name in months. Everyone and their families were torn between Team Edward and Team Jacob by the release of 2010's Twilight Saga: Eclipse. He got typecast in Hollywood, and landing serious roles proved challenging. Pattinson said at the height of his fame, he gained worldwide recognition but felt utterly isolated and alone.

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"I went through a big time of depression between 23 and 25; I couldn't go where I wanted to go. I was in the tabloids every day, and I didn't have access to the roles I really wanted. I wanted more on every level." When Rob got a call from Cosmopolis director David Cronenberg, it was his chance to prove he could do more and break out of the box he'd been put in.

After working on Twilight for so many years, Pattinson thought he wasn't good enough to take on other roles. "I got to the point where I was going to have to call up and say, 'I'm too scared because I don't think I'm a good enough actor." But working on Cosmopolis reignited his love for acting and gave him his confidence back. Before long, Pattinson was taking on more profound roles that would allow him to grow.

Robert Pattinson's Acting Career After Twilight

Still, it took starring in several independent movies for Robert Pattinson to be taken seriously. Even then, not many fans were flocking to theaters to see his projects. Pattinson delivered his most memorable performance in the 2019 movie The Lighthouse alongside Willem Defoe. The A24 production got an Academy Award nomination but only grossed $18 million at the box office.

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In 2020, Pattinson told GQ he loved exploring challenging roles even though they performed poorly at the box office. He told the magazine his choice of roles didn't give him the security he desired in his career after starting the year with no jobs lined up. This is bad for any actor as not being booked for projects means no money is coming in.

Jenna Ortega is a perfect example of how an excellent performance can increase an actor's net worth and jobs. Since Ortega's appearance on Netflix's Wednesday, she's been booked on multiple projects, including Beetlejuice 2,Scream 7,and Finestkind. On the other hand, Pattinson didn't see the same kind of success after Twilight's success.

Robert Pattinson Almost Went Broke After Taking Several Indie Roles.

Robert Pattinson quickly realized he couldn't do passion projects or roles that wouldn't humiliate him throughout his career and needed to make money by taking commercial roles. Movie tickets weren't selling as fast as they did during his Twilight days, and it was hard for studios to bet on him as a lead actor. "The problem which I was finding was, however much I loved the (indie) movies I was doing, no one sees them."

When he started the year with no jobs lined up, Rob revealed he was genuinely worried about his future in the industry. "I don't know how many people there actually are in the industry who are willing to back you without any commercial viability whatsoever."

Pattinson told Interview magazine he is always in fear of being unemployed. "I'm constantly thinking that you're just going to spend the vast majority of your life unemployed and desperate and kind of feeling like you're a total failure. I think that's just what life is," he said this due to the unsure nature of working as an actor. "I don't know, I feel like you're specifically at a maximum most of the time you're doing a job, and you're employed for three months. That's the most stressful thing in the world."

Robert Pattinson's Career Took A Turn After He Almost Went Broke

Despite his fears about not getting any future roles, Robert Pattinson has done well for himself after the 2020 interview. He appeared in the Warner Bros. movie Tenet alongside John David Washington, which grossed $368 million worldwide. On the first day of shooting the Christopher Nolan film, Pattinson found out he had landed the coveted role of The Batman.

He said, "It was a very, very intense weekend. That was a crazy way to start Chris' film. I think I was doing the screen test, as well, on the Saturday before I started." Matt Reeves chose Pattinson for the film and wrote the script with him in mind after seeing him act in indie films like The Good Time. The Batman was a box office success, grossing more than $700 million at the box office.

So, for Pattinson, working with bigger studios was the best decision for his career and gave him more security. He got paid $3 million for the first Batman film. Pattinson can negotiate a higher salary with the sequel, The Batman Part 2, currently in pre-production.

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