I’m not a fan of the popular book and movie series “Twilight.” I really know nothing about the series other than the fact that it details the blossoming romance between a teenage couple that consists of two main characters: a handsome vampire boy and a pretty mortal girl. But the individual who plays handsome vampire, Robert Pattinson, is a bit of a character himself.
In the April edition of GQ magazine, Pattinson describes the lifestyle in a way most celebrities don’t. He’s almost afraid of it all. The fame and the fortune are something he actually tries to avoid. In reading the interview, you can almost hear the indifference in his voice towards the Hollywood environment, an environment that Pattinson seems to have innocently fallen victim to.
Surprisingly, he was unaware of the massive, cult-like following of the “Twilight” series. To him, it was just a new opportunity. It was a lead role in a film, something he hadn’t had before. It was a job. How many other young celebrities would look at a lead role in a Hollywood film as “just a job”? After all, the lead role was a particularly publicized announcement that “Twilight” fans had waited for with great anticipation for months. It was more than a job or even a role. It was a physical embodiment of the character “Twilight” readers have fallen in love with over and over again. He was now the face of the franchise and the center of the universe that so many fans’ lives revolve around.
It hasn’t fazed him. Other than assuming a massive role in a film without really knowing what he was doing, Pattinson has shown both through his words and conduct that he’s a humble guy despite his eruption of fame. He doesn’t let his giant popularity get to his head. He retains his roots as a normal person as if he was never on the cover of GQ to begin with.
In fact, according to the GQ story, he is “hypersensitive about being looked at,” so much so that Pattinson hasn’t even seen “Twilight.” He tried to see it in theaters with his mother but walked out 10 minutes into the screening because he felt uncomfortable watching himself “fake” it. Ironically, after going and sitting out the rest of the film in his car, he looked up and noticed he was being videotaped by a nosy fan in the parking lot.
Pattinson’s self-consciousness goes farther than just being looked at. It is enhanced by word of mouth, text of keyboard and print of publication. He reads all of the “Twilight” blogs online, keeps up with himself in the tabloids and lends an ear out for what people say about him on television. It is a rather unusual trait since most celebrities claim to ignore the gossip and keep their eyes away from the news about themselves. Pattinson’s habit is not conducted in vain but rather curiosity and fascination. Pattinson says, for example, he read one story about how he was dating a Brazilian model named Annelyse, yet he didn’t even know an Annelyse. What makes this characteristic so unusual is that “R-Patts” actually has the time to devote to his own personal media circus.
And when he’s not reading up on comical stories about himself, he sits around his house and watches movies. He goes to the drive-thru at In-N-Out Burger. He says he never gets any calls from anybody but he doesn’t seem to mind it either. He’s a hermit and prefers it that way.
Really? A young, good-looking guy who, at this stage in the popularity of the “Twilight” series, can have any female on this earth avoids attention? A multi-millionaire in his early 20s wants to steer clear of the rumors and reputations of his scandalous hook-ups with young hotties like Brazilian models, Camilla Belle and “Twilight” co-star Kristen Stewart? A famous actor who admits having issues with being self-conscious and, to top it all off, goes through the drive-thru at In-N-Out?
The English actor is an unusual deviation from what we might classify as the typical young Hollywood star. Despite having the world at his fingertips and every reason to be a showboat, Pattinson has stayed true to himself. Instead of gloating in the spotlight, he recluses to the shadows, kind of like a vampire. Essentially, Pattinson is normal.
Sink your teeth into that one.
— Oliver Casey is a junior in enterprise management. He can be reached at [email protected].
