While high-profile, Hollywood heavyweight, Robert Pattinson, has come a long way since his early heart-throb roles in the ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Twilight’ franchises, his early work certainly put the London-born actor firmly on the map. In fact, Pattinson was so on the map that the actor became the highest-earning British star of 2010 – but how much does Pattinson make per movie now?
Robert Pattinson’s net worth is an estimated $100 million, but the amount the actor makes per movie varies on the production. For his starring role in the final two movies of the ‘Twilight’ franchise, Pattinson purportedly earned around $41 million.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Pattinson’s earnings would continue to increase with every role he bagged since his last ‘Twilight’ outing, but that’s not quite how it works. It’s also worth mentioning that Pattinson’s career has taken a distinctive shift away from mainstream filmmaking in recent years, meaning a number of his most recent projects didn’t have anywhere near the same production budget as ‘Twilight’ did.
The ‘Twilight’ Years
Typically, the world’s biggest stars recognize and hone their talents from a young age. The Pattinson story goes a bit differently.
Advised by a teacher (who, now, no doubt eats their words every single day) not to pursue a career in acting, Pattinson is believed to have considered becoming a musician instead. However, when he was 13, he threw caution to the wind and joined a local amateur theatre club called Barnes Theatre Company.
By the time he was 15, Pattinson landed his first gig with the company, the bit-part role of a Cuban dancer in ‘Guys and Dolls’. Following his first iconic role, Pattinson went on to star in another production with the same company, and from there, he was scouted by a talent agent.
Taking on a number of obscure roles during his early career, Pattinson appeared on a German television movie also had an uncredited part in ‘Vanity Fair’. Ultimately, it was Pattinson’s role in ‘Harry Potter: The Goblet of Fire’ as Cedric Diggory that got the actor’s stock rising.
Bagging several auditions in Los Angeles, Pattinson flew to the US to try and get a role in everybody’s favorite American romantic fantasy saga. After making a mess of an audition for another role, Pattison said that he harnessed his “nothing-to-lose state” when he went into the ‘Twilight’ audition.
Reflecting on the role, Pattinson said: “I never really quite knew how to play a vampire, though. I sort of just was a pale, pale person… When we first signed up for it, if it hadn’t been so successful I think people would have thought it was really weird. It’s a really weird story! But once it becomes mainstream, it’s difficult for people to see how strange a story is.”
While Pattinson’s starring role in the ‘Twilight’ franchise earned the actor wealth, success, and one of the biggest fanbases in showbiz (#TeamEdward), Pattinson always sought an escape into indie filmmaking, where he could better express his theatrical qualities and win over doubters.
The actor’s indifference towards his big break was exemplified by the time he said that it was strange to be part of “something you don’t particularly like”.
The Indie Years
By the time the final movie of the ‘Twilight’ saga was released in 2012, it was unclear where Pattinson would decide to take his career next. The standout star of one of the most revered young adult franchises in history, Pattinson entered a period of his career that can only be described as a dry-spell.
Featuring in a mish-mash of different projects such as ‘The Rover’, ‘Maps to the Stars’, and James Dean biopic ‘Life’, it’s clear that Pattinson had trouble cementing his new post-Twilight identity. After several years on the peripheries of Hollywood, it would be the indie crime drama ‘Good Time’ that would offer Pattinson his salvation.
Starring as Connie Nikas, Pattinson allegedly begged for the role that would prove to critics that he was capable of taking on even the most nuanced roles. His “tremendous” and “incendiary” performance was raved about on a critical level, with some believing that ‘Good Time’ was perhaps the catalyst for Pattinson’s own “renaissance”.
Following his success in ‘Good Time’, Pattinson would go on to snag a series of top roles in films such as ‘The Lighthouse’, ‘The King’, and Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’. The writing was on the wall, Edward Cullen was dead, and Robert Pattinson was back at his best, but on his own terms.
After landing the role of the dark knight himself in ‘Batman’, it was subsequently revealed that Pattinson would be earning around $5 million for his services, significantly less than his ‘Twilight’ earnings.
But there’s a lesson to be learned here, to achieve your dreams you must be prepared to make sacrifices.