Oh the Twilight guy, right? Or Cedric Digory from Harry Potter Not anymore. Sometimes, true talent gets deservedly exceptional roles right out of the gate. Most of the time, however, one must reluctantly work a few warm-up gigs to get the roles that are of real quality. This cannot be more true for Robert Pattinson, whose warm-up ended up being the wildly popular teenage vampire sensation, Edward Cullen. Despite scathing critical reviews of the films and more so his performance, Pattinson went on to prove audiences wrong and garner a reputation for himself as the actor he wanted to be. Though the reactions seem to be mixed, lots would say he went ahead and did it. These accomplishments have brought him attention from renowned directors and producers, even landing him a role in the overly anticipated and dark re-imagining of Batman from director Matt Reeves.
Perhaps not the extraordinary, perhaps not the most aesthetically and artistically appealing actor, but Pattinson nonetheless has made his mark and he bagged the role of Batman, the iconic Twilight star is now a household name. And here are 5 of his memorable performances.
- The Lighthouse (2019)
Indeed the film is very underrated and the storytelling is subtle, something that you don’t see a lot in Hollywood. The Lighthouse garnered widespread recognition for Pattinson as a dedicated and dramatic actor. Two men both named Thomas (Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson) are working as lighthouse attendants on a dislocated New England island, both struggling to maintain sanity and their grasp on reality itself. Though this film is classified as horror, that is really only because of the tension created by masterful cinematography, a haunting soundtrack, and the stirring performances by the lead actors — who are virtually the only actors in the film. “Bad luck to kill a seabird!” Since the roles were both period piece Englishman and Pattinson was looking for “stuff that was really really weird and crazy,” he turned both of them down but was soon after given this script. This is exactly the script Pattinson was looking for and with his take on a Downeast Maine accent, he absolutely blew it out of the water with the collaborative help from his co-star.
- Good Time (2017)
A wildly original, exciting, and heartfelt film from the Safdie Brothers, Good Time is a slow but sure rise in tension and anxiety that keeps the viewer enthralled. Pattinson plays Connie Nikas, a selfish con man who dedicates one perilous New York night to the rescue of his brother, who has been arrested. Don’t let anything in the previous sentence make you think he’s a good guy, though, Connie is the reason that his brother has been arrested and taken into custody. And Pattinson truly made his mark and without a doubt, he made his role truly his own.
- High Life (2018)
While it can be hard to follow what exactly is happening in High Life, the sci-fi concept being executed is undeniably original and visceral throughout this unsettling film. Pattinson is Monte, a member of a death row space crew that has been assigned to investigate a black hole at the edge of the solar system. Unaware of their true mission, the crew is subject to human fertility experimentation by a witchy and eerie doctor named Dibs (Juliette Binoche) who drugs them to safely conduct her trials. Most of this is summarized in flashbacks as Monte raises his daughter completely alone, hoping that the ship’s power holds up. The range of human emotion that comes out of Pattinson in this film is precise and masterful, as he transforms into slightly different characters as the film progresses.
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Just once I’ll let my personal opinion cloud my judgment. You’d be lying if you say that Cedric didn’t make an impact. Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In the midst of the immensely better book-to-film series, the Goblet of Fire is the Harry Potter movie where multiple other witchy/wizardry schools come together to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. Cedric Diggory is the dreamy, charming, intelligent student that this tournament needs, although some superfans might argue that house Hufflepuff has no place in such an event.
Before Pattinson started taking on accent/dialect-heavy roles, he basically portrayed a version of himself that can do magic. Not that it’s a bad thing. In fact, this opportunity for Pattinson was a key step in securing his acting future, establishing that he can be a teenage heartthrob and has the dramatic acting chops to back it up.
- The King (2019)
In a more recent and minor role, Pattinson got a chance to branch out and test his acting talents in a few different ways. In what is a somber and well-told tale of the ascent to power of Henry V (Timothée Chalamet), Pattinson plays opposite him as the French Prince and psychopath The Dauphin. Though he doesn’t arrive in the film until later, his appearance is fresh and engaging
