Why Robert Pattinson Had to Get Weird Before Booking The Batman

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The post Why Robert Pattinson Had to Get Weird Before Booking The Batman appeared first on Consequence.

The mysterious machine of stardom is a fickle, unpredictable thing. As long as Hollywood has been around, it has been known to mold and remodel careers in an exceedingly unpredictable manner. Perhaps the most outrageous example of this appears in the form of our beloved Robert Pattinson, whose time in Hollywood has taken the most gloriously erratic turns.

But within a machine as well-oiled as Hollywood, can this kind of bizarre ascension to fame really be a mere matter of chance? In the case of R Patz, one might actually argue that his outrageously capricious career – from Twilight to The Lighthouse to The Batman – actually makes a whole lot of sense.

Pattinson first became a household name when, very early on in his career, he appeared in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) as the chiseled-jawed, angelic prep-schooler Cedric Diggory. He didn’t even really have a whole lot to do in the film, but his floppy blonde hair and polite British accent instantly thrust him to teen heartthrob status.

Enter Edward Cullen

This, of course, set Pattinson up for his real big break: the Twilight franchise. Not unlike Diggory, Pattinson’s sparkling, vampiric Edward was (and honestly still is) positively beloved worldwide.

But, despite being bonafide heartthrob material, Edward Cullen inhabits a distinctly different energy than Cedric Diggory. Indeed, the Twilight franchise is home to a host of surreally bizarre and unintentionally comedic moments, including – but absolutely not limited to – a scene where Edward removes his shirt to reveal a chest sparkling like a disco ball, and then proceeds to say to his soon-to-be-GF: “This is the skin of a killer, Bella.”

Moments in the Twilight series like this continue to live in infamy over a decade later. And one of the main advocates of making fun of the films? Pattinson himself.

Choosing Chaos During Press Junkets

On press tours, Pattinson was the first to play into the idea that the series is utterly ridiculous. He often noted that there’s a lot of stuff in the Twilight world that makes no sense, for example, and once even suggested that the books’ author, Stephanie Meyer, is “mad.”

Making fun of the thing that made you famous is undoubtedly an… unconventional career choice. But for Pattinson, there is no denying that it is a choice that ultimately paid off. Once he really committed to poking fun at poor sparkly Edward, he took that persona and ran with it.

From there, he became a celebrity who consistently peppered interviews with incredibly strange things – like announcing that he smells like a crayon, lying about witnessing the death of a clown at a young age, or explaining that there is a little Gremlin inside of him.

It’s alarmingly easy to get pigeonholed in the role of a teen heartthrob and never recover from it. But Pattinson’s offbeat persona didn’t allow for that to happen. Instead, his radical sense of self-awareness alerted filmmakers that he was always going to bring a complex package to any film he is in. And this made him a perfect subject for the indie film world.

A24’s New Favorite Hearthrob

After a short career lull following the final Twilight installment, Pattinson returned to the film scene full force, and effectively changed the trajectory of his stardom from heartthrob to serious independent film star. In 2017, he starred in The Safdie Brothers’ Good Time as a bank robber on an epic journey to rescue his brother from prison.

Through his performance in this film, he was able to showcase his abilities as an actor who could carry a lot of action on his back (50 percent of the movie is essentially just Pattinson running) while maintaining a clear, concise, and consistent character.

A year later, he starred in Claire Denis’ chilling space-drama High Life, which really marked his metamorphosis into the world of slow, contemplative indie films. His performance there is both thrilling and subtle, with most of the film’s drama appearing in his subtle facial expressions.

And a year after that, he acted alongside Willem Dafoe as a crazed lighthouse-keeper in The Lighthouse. This is perhaps Pattinson’s most eccentric performance to date, and the role really allowed him to lean into a nutty, wide-eyed caricature.

What is it about Pattinson’s persona, exactly, that made him the perfect subject for these independent films? In many ways, it is the very subversion of expectations that allows them to thrive.

The Lighthouse shocks the senses in many ways, not least of which is it being presented in a rare 1.19:1 aspect ratio, having a running bit about farts, and an explicit sex scene with a mermaid. It also shocks the senses by starring Pattinson (not dissimilar to the way in which Adam Sandler helped Uncut Gems succeed when he starred as its super-serious protagonist after decades of helming goofy comedies).

 

And, of course, Pattinson’s multi-decade-long career of twists and turns ultimately led him to his most current project: The Batman. In the history of superhero movies, the role of public persona has always played an important part – from Jared Leto allegedly mailing dead animals to fellow cast members while playing the Joker in Suicide Squad, to Christian Bale gaining a hundred pounds of muscle in preparation to play Batman in Batman Begins, to name just a few.

When all is said and done, this is what makes Pattinson such an unconventionally perfect pick for the newest Batman: For a genre that relies increasingly on such a heavy cult of personality, and that is almost as much about the actor playing the role as it is the role itself, Pattinson surely has what it takes.

It goes without saying that Pattinson is an excellent actor, but in the end, it is his metamorphosis from self-aware, self-deprecating heartthrob to breakout indie star that made him the superhero Gotham really needs.

Why Robert Pattinson Had to Get Weird Before Booking The Batman
Aurora Amidon

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