Robert Pattinson has never held back when shedding light on his true feelings about the Twilight franchise. Numerous compilations have been created and posted online, showcasing the 37-year-old’s humorous disdain for the popular romance fantasy movies based on Stephenie Meyer’s popular vampire-themed book series.
Although the actor has come to appreciate the memories attached to the endeavor after the mania surrounding it subdued, he doesn’t refrain from underscoring the strangeness of the film series’ overarching premise.
The Tenet star stated in a 2020 interview how difficult it had been to compete with the Twilight marketing team, who would push the romantic angle of the films while the actor would not spare any detail in highlighting how “disgusting” some of the sequences were.
Robert Pattinson Always Thought Twilight Was “Weird”
Many critics have examined the trajectory of Robert Pattinson‘s filmography post-Twilight, and some have observed projects that could be labeled as out-of-the-ordinary in the scope of their weirdness. The actor, though, feels that not only has he participated in bizarre films before the vampire-romance epic, but the romance-fantasy series itself has exhibited several peculiar themes.
People could overlook its strange essence because of the marketing department’s portrayal of it as a “romantic odyssey.”
Speaking to IndieWire, the Good Time alum stated how “weird” Twilight could be in certain aspects:
“Even before Twilight, I was doing weird stuff. And to be honest, I always thought Twilight was pretty weird. It’s the … marketing that made it mainstream.”
He continued by remarking that he made it his mission to highlight the peculiar aspects of the movie series in the interviews he did at the time:
“If you look at any interview I did, I would be pushing the chewing through the placenta—any element which I could make gross—like I’d push and push and push it to the front. But you know you can’t compete with one guy against the whole marketing department going, ‘It’s a romantic odyssey, it’s beautiful.’ It’s like, ‘No, it’s disgusting!’”
One cannot argue that Pattinson’s point of view is erroneous. For how it was marketed, the five Twilight films did feature some strange sequences that cannot be viewed under strictly romantic lenses. Nevertheless, the series serves its purpose for those who find its peculiarities intriguing.
Twilight‘s Intensity Subduing Has Made Robert Pattinson Appreciate It
A few years ago, Pattinson gave a more positive assessment of the fantasy-romance franchise in an interview with USA Today, praising the elements that contributed to its success. He also discussed Twilight’s resurgence in popularity and the second wave of viewers who seem to appreciate the premise. Following was his statement:
“It seems like with younger people in their late teens, early 20s, it’s … become quite a hip thing to like. It’s a fascinating second wave of people appreciating it, which is … cool. I think when anything becomes a massive phenomenon, there’s always people who get annoyed because it’s just everywhere. But now it seems like a retro thing: the soundtrack, the fashion. It’s like, ‘Oh, that’s so late 2000s.’”
The actor further praised the soundtrack of the second movie, The Twilight Saga: New Moon. “I completely forgot, but the soundtracks were quite ahead of their time,” commented Pattinson.
The Batman star additionally remarked that it’s easier to look back on the project fondly since the “mania” surrounding it has subdued. A decade after the franchise’s conclusion, Robert Pattinson has learned to value the memories associated with the endeavor.
“It’s lovely now that the mania is not so intense. […] Now the intensity has died down, and it’s just very warm memories,” said the star.
At the height of Twilight‘s popularity, some fans and the media’s general attitude toward the project’s leading stars highlighted their invasive and obsessive nature. But now that the intensity has dissipated, Pattinson can appreciate some aspects of the movie series that made it a pop culture phenomenon.
All five Twilight films are available for streaming on Peacock.
