Credit: Far Out / YouTube Still
Mon 3 August 2026 9:00, UK
When the book of cinema in 2026 is written, the name ‘Robert Pattinson’ will be all over it.
Pattinson has starred/will star in three of the biggest films of the year: The Drama, in which he played a husband-to-be facing a moral conundrum; The Odyssey, in which he plays potential suitor Antinous; and Dune: Part Three, which will see him bring the character of Scytale to life. Note that Zendaya is also in all of these films, but Pattinson’s name is in this article’s headline, so we made it about him for SEO purposes. You understand.
The British star has come a long way since his early days of superstardom. Pattinson first found global fame as shiny vampire Edward Cullen in the monstrously successful Twilight saga. There are still many fans who refuse to see him as anyone else, even though he has gone out of his way to distance himself from the series in the years since.
Twilight was not the first teen franchise to feature a young R-Patz. He turned up as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth instalment in the adventures of the magical nerd. Despite hating every second of it (a running theme of Pattinson’s early career), playing Cedric certainly gave him a huge leg-up at a pivotal time in his life.
Many of Pattinson’s scenes in Goblet of Fire were opposite the boy wizard himself. Daniel Radcliffe is a full three years younger than his one-time co-star, but that didn’t stop Pattinson from looking up to him. As he explained in a 2010 interview with CBS, he’s a big fan of Privet Drive’s most famous resident.
“I love the mix of stuff he has done in his career, always pushing the boundaries and stuff like that,” Pattinson confessed. “I also envy his stints on stage – he is a great actor.”
By 2010, the Harry Potter film series still had another year left to go. Radcliffe had briefly branched out with the film December Boys and a series of appearances in Equus on London’s West End. However, once Lord Voldemort had been defeated (spoilers), the chains were fully off.
Further reading: Cutting Room Floor
Radcliffe’s post-Potter career has been absolutely fascinating. He started with a leading role in a film version of The Woman in Black, before deciding to go absolutely nuts. He’s played everyone and everything, from Allen Ginsberg to ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic to a farting corpse. He has done everything in his power to throw off the shackles of Harry Potter and it has been wonderful to watch.
Pattinson was clearly inspired by Radcliffe’s career trajectory as, in many ways, he has emulated it. He’s had his fair share of weird and wacky roles since Twilight wrapped up, to the point where he can now do pretty much anything he wants.
Clearly unencumbered by money or reputation, Radcliffe and Pattinson have laid the groundwork for every young star that has come after them. When you’ve already hit the big time in your teens, why not spend the rest of your life doing what you want to do?
