Edward Cullen Could Have Been Oh So Different

Henry Cavill It’s absolutely undeniable the heartthrob that Robert Pattinson has become ever since landing the role of vampire Edward Cullen in Twilight. Fans of the original books debated fiercely before he was cast as to who would be “the perfect Edward Cullen,” and when the role eventually went to Pattinson, those young teen girls instantly became enamored with him.

However – was that because he was Robert Pattinson or was it simply because he played the beloved Edward Cullen character? One could certainly argue that whoever was cast in the role was automatically going to become a heartthrob, an argument I actually agree with.

Some fans of Pattinson, Cullen and the whole Twilight phenomenon may be surprised to hear, however, that Pattinson wasn’t who Stephanie Meyer (author of the series), had in mind for the role. Oh no, it was not Pattinson, but rather another Brit actor, Henry Cavill.

Back before Pattinson was cast, Meyer had the following to say about who she saw as Cullen:

“Indisputably the most difficult character to cast, Edward is also the one that I’m most passionately decided upon. The only actor I’ve ever seen who I think could come close to pulling off Edward Cullen is Henry Cavill. Henry was Albert, the young son in ‘The Count of Monte Cristo.’ Can you see it? I know I can!”

The reason Meyer never took it any further than her personal thoughts and opinion on who should play the character is the fact that Cavill had changed since she last saw him:

“The most disappointing thing for me is losing my perfect Edward. … I’m not willing to relinquish Henry completely. … I propose that Henry play Carlisle!”

Cavill himself spoke recently on his “hidden Twilight past,” having the following to say about his involvement in the project:

“I’ve heard this, but I haven’t heard from Stephenie… I haven’t spoken to her personally, and I haven’t spoken to the producers.”

“By the time the movie came around, I didn’t look right for the character… No one even called me or my agent.”

I’m not at all a “Twilighter” – I haven’t read the books (I don’t intend to, either) and I knew nothing of the story, the characters or frankly hadn’t even heard of Twilight before the movie was announced. So my lack of knowledge of the books would lead me to not understanding the inevitable obsession with them. But to my shock and amazement, I didn’t just like the movie, I really liked it, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

Knowing also nothing about Robert Pattinson, having only seen him as Cedric Diggory in a couple of the Harry Potter movies, and even as a guy, I was also surprised to find myself strangely drawn to his alluring persona as Edward Cullen. I thought Pattinson did a great job with the character as far as I could see.

However, would it have made a difference if another actor had played the character? Well, yes and no. As I said above, the character was going to be popular no matter who played him (I’m sure there are droves of folks who would disagree with me on that one), but I have to say I don’t think it could have been pulled off much better by someone other than Pattinson. Whether it was his performance or just Pattinson’s natural persona, I’m not sure, but from where I’m sitting he did a pretty impressive job with it.

So Twilight fans: Was it Pattinson who made Edward Cullen a heartthrob or would he have been one no matter who played him? And do you think Cavill would have made a good Edward?

Source: MTV