Robert Pattinson rose to stardom in 2008 after starring in the romantic fantasy Twilight. The engrossing love story between enigmatic vampire Edward Cullen and misfit high-school teen Bella Swan gained so much popularity that it transformed into a five-chapter long saga that dominated pop culture between 2008 to 2012.
The franchise played a big role in putting Pattinson on the map, but its popularity also put him in a box. The Englishman’s dreamy eyes attracted more headlines than his acting prowess, forcing the on-screen vampire heartthrob to look for something different. Pattinson started seeking out challenging roles in ‘daring dramas.’
In 2015, he came across a promotional still for Heaven Knows What, which eventually paved the way for an intriguing collaboration that helped him break the Twilight curse.
How Robert Pattinson Found His Ideal Role After The Twilight Saga
Heaven Knows What is a 2014 thriller about a homeless drug addict, who also struggles to seek forgiveness from her addict boyfriend for infidelity. The gritty indie is directed by Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie.
At the time, Robert Pattinson had no idea about the Safdie brothers’ work. He hadn’t even seen a trailer of Heaven Knows What. However, the still image of actress Arielle Holmes (Harley in Heaven Knows What) covered in pink neon light was enough for him to know he had to work with these filmmakers.
“It really struck me,” he told Rolling Stone. “You normally see really striking imagery in a lot of European movies. But it’s rare to see that coming out of American independents.”
Accordingly, Pattinson emailed them, and two years later the trio were on the set of Good Time.
The 2017 crime thriller sees Pattinson portray small-time criminal Connie Nikas, who goes to extreme lengths to get his developmentally disabled brother Nick (Benny Safdie) out of prison after a disastrous robbery attempt.
How Benny Safdie’s Movie Helped Robert Pattinson
Good Time helped Pattinson go “dark” and at the same time improved the filmmakers’ commercial profile. The brothers were nominated for Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for the pulpy crime thriller. After its premiere, the film received a six-minute-long standing ovation.
In a separate interview (via Rolling Stone), Josh and Benny revealed what Pattinson was looking for at the time Heaven Knows What dropped.
“I noticed that his struggle that he was going through was not a commercial one,” Josh said. “He was after something deeper.”
Pattinson’s brilliant stint in Good Time did pay dividends. According to IMDb, his performance in Good Time brought director Matt Reeves to write The Batman (2022) script with the Twilight lead in mind for the role of the Caped Crusader.
