Twilight turns 10
As the first “Twilight” movie turns 10, many remember the screaming crowds and frenzied fan adoration for the film’s vampire lover Edward Cullen, played by Robert Pattinson.
Few remember the outrage when the then-unknown British actor was cast. Twihard legions hated that Pattinson was chosen to play Cullen to Kristen Stewart’s human Bella Swan, director Catherine Hardwicke recalls.
“People were like, ‘He’s revolting. He’s disgusting,’” Hardwicke says of the early days of the super-franchise.
To be fair, “Twilight” fans were going to have a hard time with any actor playing their beloved Edward from Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling young-adult novels. At that point, he had only a small part as Cedric Diggory in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” to his name.
But the director knew she had a hot-looking young actor who showed chemistry with Stewart (his future offscreen lover). The couple’s electricity was such during their audition at Hardwicke’s home that Stewart insisted “it has to be Rob” afterward.
Playing the undead legend was difficult to live up to for Pattinson.
“The book says Edward Cullen is the sexiest guy in the world. Robert was like, ‘How do you play that?’ I told him to just stay in the moment and be there,” says Hardwicke. “He took it dead seriously and got in terrific shape so he could look like a strong vampire.”