The Batman: Robert Pattinson Says He Almost Exclusively Plays Weirdos

The Batman's Robert Pattinson says he's exclusively been playing weirdo characters for a while now. The actor played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire , but it was his role in the Twilight film series as Edward Cullen that catapulted him in the mainstream popularity. Sadly, while the fantasy franchise raked millions at the box office, it was critically panned. But over the last few years, Pattinson has slowly crafted an impressive acting résumé, making it very difficult for people to write him off simply because he played a vampire in movies based on young adult novels.

Ben Affleck was initially set to direct and star in The Batman, but after the project went through several iterations until Matt Reeves' signed on as director, followed by its leading star's DCEU exit, Pattinson was tapped to be the next Bruce Wayne. The casting drew ire of those who weren't (and still aren't) convinced that he has the acting chops to properly portray a beloved pop culture character. However, as the public learns more of what he's been up to in the last few years, some of them are mellowing on the idea - leaning towards giving him a chance to bring this new version of life before making judgment. As interest on Pattinson grows with The Batman now in production, he looks back at the last half decade of his career and makes an interesting observation.

Speaking with Vanity Fair in light of his latest gig as the lead in Dior Homme's latest fragrance campaign, Pattinson opened about the string of roles he's played the last several years. Coming from the Twilight fame, the actor didn't miss that he seems to have a penchant for playing odd-type characters. “In the last five or six years, I’ve almost exclusively played weirdos. It was almost a relief to be like, ‘At least I’ve got Dior coming out, so I don’t look like I’m just completely enveloped by the dark side yet,'” he said.

Since The Twilight Saga: Braking Dawn - Part 2 hit theaters in 2012, Pattinson has starred in a movie every single year except for 2013 starting with 2014's The Rover from director David Michôd and Maps to the Stars from David Cronenberg. The next three years, he appeared in two films annually including in Werner Herzog's Queen of the Dessert (2015); James Gray's The Lost City of Z (2016); Safdie Brothers' Good Time (2017); and Claire Denis' High Life (2018). Last year, he was in three movies including the Academy Award-nominated The Lighthouse from Robert Eggers. Aside from The Batman which is already in production, Pattinson has two more films in his personal pipeline - Christopher Nolan's much-anticipated Tenet and Antonio Campos' The Devil All The Time which are both slated to come out this year.

It's unclear if taking on Bruce Wayne is an indication of what Reeves' version would be like based on Pattinson's résumé. He's previously said, however, that he long wanted to play Batman - in fact, he's open about personally seeking the director for a chance to take the part. And now that he has it, it's safe to say that he's giving it his all. That alone should be enough reason for the public to at least give him a fair chance in The Batman.

More: What The Batman Set Photos Reveal About The Movie

Source: Vanity Fair