The Twilight movies have many lines that have been endlessly mocked, and one of the most notable ones from the first movie was thanks to Robert Pattinson – and that only makes me like Twilight even more. Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight arrived to change what we all knew and loved about vampires: those terrifying yet very charming and seductive characters who feed off of blood and only come out at night. Meyer shared her unique version of vampires with the world in her Twilight book series, which was as popular as it was controversial.
Twilight chronicled the romance between mortal Bella Swan and vampire Edward Cullen, though the latter wasn’t like traditional vampires: his skin glowed under the sunlight, his eyes changed color depending on the blood he drank, and like the rest of vampires in this universe, he had a special power. The Twilight novels became a massive worldwide phenomenon, and their popularity only grew when they were adapted to the big screen. However, the movies brought to light the books’ many flaws and had their own, but knowing where one of the worst lines came from only makes me like Twilight even more.
Robert Pattinson Is Responsible For Twilight’s “Spider-Monkey” Line
Catherine Hardwicke Shared The Origin Of “Spider-Monkey”
Twilight was expected to be romantic with a touch of mystery, but in reality, many scenes and lines ended up being too funny to be taken seriously.
The whole Twilight Saga is packed with unintentionally funny moments, characters, and lines, but the ones in Twilight are extra special for being the first movie. Twilight focused on the beginnings of Edward (Pattinson) and Bella’s (Kristen Stewart) relationship: from the moment they met to Edward telling Bella he was a vampire, to their almost deadly encounter with James. Because of this, Twilight was expected to be romantic with a touch of mystery, but in reality, many scenes and lines ended up being too funny to be taken seriously.
Among them was the scene where Edward showed Bella how fast and agile he was thanks to his vampirism. In it, Edward took Bella on his back as he ran through the woods and climbed trees, and at one moment, he turned to her to say “hold on tight, spider-monkey”. I don’t even know where to start with the “spider-monkey” line as it not only felt too random, but it also wasn’t romantic or cute at all, and it didn’t quite feel like something Edward Cullen would say, yet he did.
Hardwicke decided they needed some pieces of dialogue, so she wrote around 10 lines and let Pattinson choose – and he chose the “spider-monkey” one.
As it turns out, the “spider-monkey” line wasn’t planned from the beginning, and it’s thanks to Pattinson that it made the cut. Speaking to EW during San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke revealed she was worried about some of the scenes between Bella and Edward as there were too many where they just looked into each other’s eyes. Hardwicke decided they needed some pieces of dialogue, so she wrote around 10 lines and let Pattinson choose – and he chose the “spider-monkey” one.
Not Even Robert Pattinson Took Twilight Seriously (& I Love It)
No One Hates Twilight More Than Robert Pattinson
For years, Pattinson was visibly uncomfortable when talking about Twilight and has been very honest about what he thought about it.
Hardwicke didn’t share what the other lines were, so to think that Pattinson himself chose the “spider-monkey” line out of many others makes it a lot funnier and better. Twilight fans now joke about how no one hates Twilight more than Pattinson, as for years he was visibly uncomfortable when talking about Twilight and has been very honest about what he thought about it, even saying the Twilight world made no sense (he’s right, but it’s a funny world).
The DVD commentary of Twilight is the best example of this, where he didn’t hold back on roasting himself and the rest of the movie. Throughout Twilight, it’s actually very obvious how Pattinson was holding back laughter while also trying to be sexy, something he also admitted on the DVD commentary, and it goes to show that not even he took Twilight seriously – and I love that. Twilight might not have been that bad on paper (it has its many flaws, I know), but it was a completely different thing on the big screen.
I would love to hear from Pattinson why he chose that line and if he was already feeling how ridiculous Twilight was while filming.
Pattinson’s sense of humor (perhaps unintentionally) shone through his choice of “spider-monkey” for that specific scene, but I would love to know his side of this story. I would love to hear from Pattinson why he chose that line and if he was already feeling how ridiculous Twilight was while filming or if it was a feeling that came later on – but either way, his awareness of Twilight’s weaknesses makes the movies a lot more enjoyable.
