Robert Pattinson

Robert Thomas Pattinson (born May 13, 1986) appears in all five movies of the series as Edward Cullen. Prior to his lead role in the Twilight Saga films, he was known for his role as Cedric Diggory in the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Twilight
Summit Entertainment announced on December 11, 2007 that they had cast Pattinson in the role of Edward Cullen. On her website, Stephenie Meyer endorsed the choice, saying, "I am ecstatic with Summit's choice for Edward. There are very few actors who can look both dangerous and beautiful at the same time, and even fewer who I can picture in my head as Edward. Robert Pattinson is going to be amazing."

According to Pattinson, he had little knowledge of the books when he auditioned. He says, "I went into it thinking it was a vampire film directed by Catherine Hardwicke, who does like gritty sort of realistic indie films. If you're doing a vampire fantasy shot like Thirteen, then that would be interesting. That's why I went into it really, and it ended up being something totally and utterly different." He says that he came to hate the "perfect" character of Edward, and so he decided to play him as a manic-depressive who hates himself. He also claims he felt voyeuristic while reading the novels, as if he were peeping in on the author's fantasies. He notes, "I was just convinced that this woman is mad, she's completely mad, and she's in love with her own fictional creation." Pattinson plays the piano during one scene in the movie. During the original takes, the actor played his own improvisations; the scene was later re-shot with him playing the "Bella's Lullaby" composed by soundtrack writer Carter Burwell for the film. Two of his original songs, written before Twilight was made, appear on the soundtrack album.

The actor admits that he is not athletic, and did not enjoy filming the baseball game. He also had difficulty putting in contact lenses to change the color of his eyes.

Personal life
Robert Pattinson was born on May 13, 1986 (Taurus) in London, England. Besides acting, his interests include reading, playing guitar and keyboard. He composes his own music and enjoys live performances. He has said that he misses being able to perform live at open mic nights now that he is readily recognized as "Edward", but he did not like having videos of his performances appear on YouTube.

He has stated in multiple interviews for the Twilight Saga that he is currently single. Since then, he has been reluctant to answer questions relating to his relationship with co-star Kristen Stewart. Kristen has many times accidentally let it slip out that "her boyfriend" was starring in certain movies (specifically the ones Pattinson has been in). They are currently back together after she apologized for cheating on him with Rupert Sanders, which he accepted it.

In school he wanted to be a political speechwriter, before deciding to try acting instead. He denies using any hair products to get his hair to stand on end, saying that "I'm just always grabbing my hair and stuff."

He received a Hollywood Award at the Hollywood Film Festival Awards on October 29, 2008. Pattinson claims that he never watches himself in movies, "because it makes me feel like I'll never want to do a job again."

Relatives
Pattinson has two sisters; the youngest, Lizzy, is twenty-five years old and had a top ten hit with the punk band Aurora. The other, Victoria, is twenty-seven and works in advertising. His parents, Richard and Clare Pattinson, currently live in Richmond.

''"Up until I was twelve my sisters used to dress me up as a girl and introduce me as 'Claudia'. Twelve was the turning point as I moved to a mixed school and then became cool and discovered hair gel." ''- Robert Pattinson.

Trivia

 * Pattinson's favorite book from the Twilight Saga is New Moon.


 * He is an excellent musician and plays both the guitar and piano. He began taking piano lessons at age three, and classical guitar at five.


 * He beat 3,000 people to play Edward Cullen in the movie Twilight.


 * He was announced as the Worlds Sexiest Man of 2012 and in which is the second time around for him to be awarded this title.


 * In December 2009, Pattinson autographed a guitar to be auctioned off for charity.


 * He also volunteered for the Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief in January 2010.


 * Time magazine named him as one of 2010's 100 Most Influential People in The World.


 * Due to Pattinson's rising fame, a wax statue of him was added to the Madame Tussauds collection in London and New York City.


 * GQ once again named Pattinson the "Best Dressed Man" of 2012.

Salary

 * Twilight: $2,000,000


 * New Moon: $12,000,000


 * Breaking Dawn - Part 1: $12,500,000 + 7.5% of the gross


 * Breaking Dawn - Part 2: $12,500,000 + 7.5% of the gross