It’s time to remember our tween years! In an interview with The New York Times, Robert Pattinson revealed that he was almost fired from Twilight. His role as heartthrob and vampire, Edward Cullen, was Pattinson’s breakout role.
Before Twilight, Pattinson appeared as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Triwizard Tournament. He was unknown for the part, despite the hype of the franchise, and it was only landing a lead role in The Twilight Saga that cemented his fame.
However, his role as Edward was briefly in jeopardy. It was during the first film that his method acting became trouble on set. He was attempting to exercise too much control and revealed in a 2008 interview with Yahoo! Movies that he “…was fighting with everybody in control all the time… to the point where I almost got fired.”
Now, Pattinson can see that shooting Twilight was a gift. He was lucky to land the role and have his career launched by something that defined entertainment during its fame. Being cast as Edward comes with a toll, however, and Pattinson says “…if he’s forever associated with Edward Cullen, so be it.”
Since Twilight, Pattinson has starred in a number of movies, such as Water for Elephants, Remember Me, and Cosmopolis. He is exceptionally proud of the latter. He feels that his best work comes from operating outside of his comfort zone, so indie films have become his career path. He is self-conscious about watching his own work, however. “I’ve never seen anyone give themselves such a hard time. I’m beating myself up afterward. And I think there’s some weird perverted energy that comes out of when people criticize previous work or think you represent this certain thing; it gives you this energy,” Pattinson said, joking that he’s “almost scared of anyone saying anything I do is good.”
