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Before he became Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter franchise, Robert Pattinson struggled to get his footing in Hollywood. But the future Twilight star only scored that gig after another one fell through. Here’s how Pattinson landed his iconic role.
Robert Pattinson didn’t know he wasn’t in the final cut of ‘Vanity Fair’
Pattinson’s first film role had all kinds of potential. With only small stage gigs to his name at the time, the actor was cast in Mira Nair’s 2004 adaptation of Vanity Fair. Pattinson landed the role of the son of social climber Becky Sharpe, played by Reese Witherspoon.
Despite the mother-son onscreen relationship, Witherspoon had a unique take on her first encounter with Pattinson. Upon meeting the up-and-coming actor, she told Entertainment Tonight that she was blown away. She recalled telling Nair, “That’s my son? He’s so good looking! I was like, ‘He’s so hot!’” (via The Independent).
After making an impression on an A-list star, Pattinson showed up to the first screening of Vanity Fair expecting to see himself. Instead, he found that Nair had cut his scenes (per BuzzFeed). After the disappointment, Pattinson started testing out his musical skills at open-mic nights (from a GQ interview).
Joining the ‘Harry Potter’ cast changed everything for Robert Pattinson
While he thought he might make it as a professional musician, a Hollywood insider had a different idea. Talking to W Magazine years later, Robert Pattinson said he landed his Harry Potter role because of Mary Selway, the Vanity Fair casting director.
According to him, Selway “felt so guilty no one had informed me [of my scenes being cut] that she basically gave me a first run at the part in Harry Potter.” Reflecting on the serendipitous career break, Pattinson added, “So, I was quite glad I got cut out in the end.”
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The actor appeared in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth film in the franchise. In the movie, Pattinson played Cedric Diggory, a talented young wizard competing in the Triwizard Tournament. With the role, he was completely endeared in the hearts of Potter fans, scoring an international audience. But even with a budding career, Pattinson’s true star-making role would take another stroke of luck.
Robert Pattinson landed ‘Twilight’ after bombing an audition
Robert Pattinson had some career momentum after Goblet of Fire. But still had to prove himself in auditions to solidify his star status. From the W Magazine interview, this proved easier said than done. After he “completed ruined” one audition, the actor headed to another the next day — for what became his first lead role.
Following the terrible first audition, Pattinson felt much looser and found the Twilight material easier to handle. And the rest was history. He was cast as vampire heartthrob Edward Cullen opposite Kristen Stewart. And he quickly became an international superstar as The Twilight Saga exploded in popularity.
Pattinson’s early commercial success gave him enough money and clout to write his own ticket. After a decade of picking up mostly arthouse roles with acclaimed directors like David Cronenberg, Claire Denis, and Robert Eggers, Pattinson stepped back into the mainstream more recently with Christopher Nolan’s Tenet.
It was Pattinson’s work in smaller films that actually led director Matt Reeves to consider Pattinson early in the process of casting for The Batman. After making the final cut alongside Nicholas Hoult, Pattinson ultimately put on the Batsuit and won over both Reeves and Warner Bros. execs. With both critical acclaim and massive commercial appeal stemming from The Batman, Pattinson is now a long way from having his scenes left on the cutting room floor.
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