The actor starred in the ‘Twilight’ film series as vampire Edward Cullen, sparking the popular Team Edward vs. Team Jacob debate opposite Taylor Lautner’s werewolf Jacob Black
Credit: Universal; Summit
NEED TO KNOW
- Robert Pattinson joked that playing a character “everyone is not rooting for” in The Odyssey is “kind of like Jacob in Twilight”
- The actor starred in the Twilight film series as vampire Edward Cullen, sparking the popular Team Edward vs. Team Jacob debate opposite Taylor Lautner’s werewolf Jacob Black
- In The Odyssey, which is in theaters now, Pattinson portrays Antinous, an arrogant suitor trying to win over Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway) from Odysseus (Matt Damon)
Robert Pattinson is still keeping the Team Edward vs. Team Jacob debate alive all these years later.
While attending the premiere of his latest film, The Odyssey, in London earlier this month, the actor, 40, compared his character in the newly released project to that of Taylor Lautner’s in the Twilight film series, in which he also starred.
When asked by MTV U.K., “How fun is it to play a character that everyone is not rooting for?” Pattinson had a cheeky response, stating: “It’s kind of like Jacob in Twilight.”
@mtvuk “It’s kind of like Jacob in Twilight” 😂 We cannot wait to see Robert Pattinson playing Antinous in The Odyssey 🌊 #MTVMovies #RobertPattinson #TheOdyssey #Twilight
♬ original sound – mtvuk
In the Twilight movie saga, based on books of the same name by Stephanie Meyer, Pattinson portrayed a vampire named Edward Cullen who wins the affection of human Bella Swan, played by Kristen Stewart, who is involved in a love triangle with Lautner’s werewolf Jacob Black.
The romance sparked a huge pop culture debate about which suitor Bella should’ve chosen. Meyer, 52, herself has said she is Team Jacob, while Lautner’s wife, Tay Lauter, admitted that she was actually Team Edward before meeting and later marrying the actor.
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The Twilight film series is comprised of five movies total: Twilight (2008), The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009), The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010) and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, which was split into two films released in 2011 and 2012.
It shot Pattinson, Lautner, 34, and Stewart, 36, into global superstardom and helped launched thier careers to new heights.
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Through his latest project, the Christopher Nolan-directed The Odyssey, Pattinson stars as Antinous, an arrogant suitor trying to win over Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway) while her husband, Odysseus (Matt Damon), tries to get back home to her after 10 years following the Trojan War.
Comparing his role in the movie to how it somewhat mirrors the love triangle featured throughout Twilight, Pattinson told MTV U.K., “What The Odyssey is about — Penelope just can’t make her mind up between the two guys, and I’m just trying to like help her make a decision. … It’s like, it’s fine. He’s dead, get over it.”
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The Odyssey follows the story of Homer’s ancient Greek poem of the same name.
Along with Pattinson, Hathaway, 43, and Damon, 55, the film also stars Zendaya, John Leguizamo, Lupita Nyong’o and Charlize Theron, among others.
Pattinson previously told PEOPLE that he enjoys exploring his bad side through his acting roles — something he will do again in the upcoming Dune: Part Three.
“I do. I like lowering people’s expectations,” he said. “That’s always my favorite, that’s always my place to be. Undersell and overdeliver, that’s my motto.”
The Odyssey is now in theaters. The Twilight films are available to stream.
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