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Decoding Twilight hottie Robert Pattinson
There's nothing simple about his life. From checking into a hotel six times in a month to avoid the ever-hounding paparazzi and dealing with hacked email accounts to getting traced by autograph-thirsty fans at every known and unknown corner of the world. And sometimes reports hit the height of ridiculous with stories about him being pregnant.
Long before he became a teenage heartthrob generating mass hysteria akin to post-Titanic Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Douglas Thomas Pattison was a regular lad from London living with his folks.
It was a matter of time before showbiz discovered Rob and his gorgeous face following assignments in the modeling world and eventually, movies. Although he was signed up to play Reese Witherspoone's son, Rawdy Crawley in Mira Nair's Vanity Fair, his bit got chopped off at the editing table. (It's now available on the DVD.)
Rob then flew to South Africa to film a supporting part in a made-for-television film, Ring of the Nibelungs. Things got a bit more promising after he bagged a role as Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff prefect in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Basking in the glory
No amount of preparation, however, could have prepared the pretty actor for the frenzy he was about to face after he got on board to portray Edward Cullen in the big screen adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's best-selling Twilight series.
As the dark, intense, faithful, conservative and soft spoken vampire decorating Bella's (played by Kristen Stewart) adolescent fantasies, Pattinson, in all his pale, cosmetic glory, drew overwhelming adoration from an enormous fan base, predominantly teenage girls, which was promptly dubbed, Twihards.
Right from the first Twilight movie in 2008 to the fourth one, Breaking Dawn - Part 1, the R-Pattz craze has only gotten bigger despite constant criticism for his one-note performances.
Post-Twilight phenomenon, the British bloke is religiously featured on every possible popularity list ranging from People's World's Most Beautiful to Time's 100 Most Influential People in The World.
The reluctant icon
The man's quite stylish without even having to try. Whether his hair in hanging all over his face like a delightful golden mop or snipped into a fierce crop, it's always a topic of hot discussion.
Even his dressing sense, which shifts wildly between bold, burgundy suits to edgy casuals, displays a disregard for conformity.
Perhaps rumoured girlfriend K-Stew, an epitome of self-styled chic is an inspiration? Speaking of which, though they have been spotted getting cozy all over the world, the duo, with a sparkling on screen chemistry, refuses to deny or confirm their relationship status.
A Van Morrison fanboy
As someone who adores Van Morrison and wants to essay him on big screen, Pattinson is no stranger to music and performed one-off gigs at pubs in London.
The 25-year-old can play instruments like guitar and piano, compose and even carry a tune. Two of his contributions, Never think and Let me sign were featured on the Twilight OST.
Other than that he sung three original songs for an indie comedy, How To Be starring him as an aspiring musician.
Rob quotes
For all the flak and fluff that comes his way, Robert Pattinson takes it all with a pinch of humour. Sample these quotes:
'The hair is 75 percent of my performance.' (To Entertainment Weekly)
'I'm now this 'thing' that's supposed to be something. And if you then don't fulfill that expectation, what the f--- are you?' (The Guardian)
'I am the worst driver in the world. Every time I get in a car, I call up my parents and say goodbye.' (Elle Magazine)
'It's kind of like being in some medieval battle. I mean I guess that's the closest analogy, especially after yesterday. A ton of people ran down the street outside the Apple store. I felt like I was literally being charged by Celts.' (Reacting to fan frenzy in Los Angeles Times)
Life after Twilight
So what's he going to do once there's no Team Jacob (Taylor Lautner) to take on? Fortunately for Pattinson, he's shown a knack to balance art with commerce by working on small, quirky movies like Remember Me, How to Be, Little Ashes and Bel-Ami that didn't aim for box-office highs while he was still working on the Twilight franchise.
Apart from which, his most high-profile roles included opposite Reese Witherspoon in Water for Elephants, a period romance set against the circus, which garnered modest earnings and mixed reviews.
So what's next? Breaking Dawn's final installment comes out in 2012 end and, in all probability, that's the last we hear from Edward Cullen, which might be a thing of both -- stress and relief for Pattinson. Will he be able to prove his worth outside the Twilight shadow? Director David Cronenberg who's working with Pattinson on the upcoming, Cosmopolis, would like to think so, yes.
Dispelling any doubts one may harbor about the light-eyed stunner, he tells MTV, 'Really, I'm telling you. He's a great actor. It's obvious in the movie. It's not like maybe yes, maybe no. It's obvious.'