Not Attractive Enough: Studio Execs Were Initially Reluctant To Cast Robert Pattinson In Twilight

Summary

• Twilight turns 15 this year, and while talking to Josh Horowitz, the film's director Catherine Hardwicke spilled some beans about the pre-production process.
• It turns out that when Robert Pattinson first auditioned for the role of Edward Cullen, he didn't look like a sexy vampire at all, and Summit Entertainment was hesitant to cast him.
• Luckily, the director saw Pattinson's potential and stuck to her guns.

Can you believe it's been 15 years since the first Twilight movie came out? Back in 2008, the love story between a 104-year-old vampire in the body of a high school student and an average, slightly awkward teenager took the box office and the hearts of audiences around the world by storm.

The first film launched the franchise, which over the years has gained a cult following and made its creators a lot of money, grossing over $3.4 billion globally. This was largely due to the charm of the main characters portrayed by Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson and their undeniable chemistry.

But it could have been a very different story if director Catherine Hardwicke hadn't pushed Summit Entertainment to cast Pattinson, which, as it turns out, they were very reluctant to do.

Catherine Hardwicke reveals another fun Twilight fact

To celebrate the big anniversary, Josh Horowitz's Watchalong podcast invited the Twilight director for an hour-long chat, during which she spilled some new beans.

Among other things, Hardwicke told Horowitz that when Pattinson came to her house for a famous first audition with Stewart, he not only didn't have the looks of Henry Cavill, who we all know was Stephenie Meyer's first casting choice, but he was as far from a sexy, glowing vampire that he was supposed to play as possible.

'When he came over to my house, he had black bangs for hair and was kind of out of shape because he was hanging out at the pub all the time.' the director said.

Hardwicke shared that she was swept up by the chemistry between the two young actors and thought it would translate well on screen, so she sent the audition tape to the folks at Summit Entertainment, followed by a personal meeting with Pattinson. Needless to say, the actor did not blow the executives away at first.

'They called me back and go, “Do you think you can make this guy look good?”' the director recalled. 'I said, “Yeah, I do. Did you see his cheekbones? We're doing a makeover on the hair and everything and he's going to start working out and he's going to be gorgeous.” But they didn't believe it at first. He, like, walked over there with a stained shirt or something. It was Rob.'

Sounds like the Robert Pattinson we know and love, right? It's really great when a filmmaker has a vision and isn't afraid to stand up for it.

Source: Watchalong.