Robert Pattinson has been getting a lot of big gigs in recent years, like The Batman, Mickey 17, The Odyssey and more, show off his strong acting chops. While he’s come a long way, the British actor can forget his days as the sparkly, brooding vampire Edward Cullen in the Twilight movies. And, apparently, neither can the fans after over a decade, which Pattinson admits he still finds shocking.
While Pattinson’s first shot at a big franchise came when he played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, his role as Edward really put him on the map. As a result, he now holds a special place in fans’ hearts. While promoting his 2026 movie release, Primetime, with Brut, Pattinson got real about how the popularity of the Stephenie Meyer film franchise still takes him by surprise:
With Twilight, I just didn’t know that it was going to be this massive thing. I guess that was the thing—I guess it’s not really the same thing, but I definitely didn’t know when I was even doing the movie that it was going to be this, like, crazy sort of phenomenon afterwards.
It would definitely be an understatement to describe the Twilight films as popular. Together, all five films smashed the box office, earning over $3.3 billion worldwide. Not only that, but the series cemented the careers of Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Anna Kendrick and more. Whether you were “Team Edward” or “Team Jacob,” or became part of the flood of parents who decided to name their daughters after Bella, the hype is still alive and well after 18 years.
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Honestly, I can understand why Pattinson would still be so taken aback about the staying power of the teen drama franchise. All of this is very ironic as well, considering that initially, Pattinson thought he wouldn’t meet book fans’ expectations for the role of Edward. Yet, with the films’ increasing popularity, he ended up being a swoon-worthy heartthrob to audiences.
That fame also came at a bit of a cost for the Tenet actor, though. He previously said that during his early Twilight years, he was losing his identity when fans made him feel like he was Edward in real life. Even while filming Remember Me in New York years ago, Pattinson spoke about 40 people taking his picture while he was filming on location. Ultimately, he said the downside of fame was that his opportunities for normal interactions were gone.
But, today, Pattinson is humorously of the thinking that he’d be too “boring and old” for fans to stalk him now. After he noticed a surge of his male fanbase attending the Mickey 17 premiere, I think it’s safe to say he’ll never be shy of fans in any way, though. But, at least this time, they won’t only be Twihards asking for his autograph.
Robert Pattinson may still find his Twilight fame “mind-blowing” after all of these years, but I think that’s simply a testament to his pitch-perfect work in the films. Of course, he’s since proven he’s more than just Edward Cullen, but he can thank the vampire film series for launching his career in the first place.
Feel free to stream the Twilight franchise with a Peacock subscription. You can also make sure to catch Pattinson’s performance in Primetime, which is in theaters now.