It’s easy to assume that successful actors are among the lucky few who happened to be in the right place at the right time and effortlessly followed the Yellow Brick Road to fame and fortune. This might be true for some, but it wasn’t necessarily the case for Robert Pattinson.
Pattinson grew up in London and became interested in music at a young age, learning piano and guitar when he was four. Despite his creative interests, he was not an ideal student—he was expelled from school at age 12 for selling adult magazines to his young classmates. He transferred schools, and because he was shy, his father suggested that he join a local theatre group. Pattinson had no interest in acting but decided to give it a try.
After getting experience working backstage and eventually performing in stage productions, Pattinson was discovered by a talent scout and began auditioning for professional gigs. He thought he’d gotten his big break with the films Vanity Fair and Ring of the Nibelungs, but all of his scenes were cut from the films.
In May of 2005, Pattinson was set to perform in The Woman Before at the Royal Court Theatre, but he was fired before opening night and replaced by actor Tom Riley. Despite this hiccup, good things were lurking on the horizon.
His breakout role came when he was cast as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The film made $896 million worldwide and was the highest-grossing film of 2005. Fans quickly fell in love with the dreamy Pattinson, but he didn’t immediately skyrocket to household-name status.
He went on to act in smaller films like The Haunted Airman and The Bad Mother’s Handbook, but it would be three more years before Pattinson became a Hollywood icon. In 2008, it was announced that Pattinson would star as Edward Cullen in Twilight, a film that would turn him into an instant heartthrob and pave the way for all of his future success.
What Is Robert Pattinson’s Net Worth?
His role as Cullen in the five Twilight films as well as the dozens of other screen performances that followed have earned Pattinson a net worth of over $100 million. He reportedly earned a base salary of $25 million for the later Twilight movies and a combined $40 million for both parts of Breaking Dawn.
Pattinson is now among the highest-paid actors in Hollywood with starring roles in films like Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and the upcoming reboot The Batman. In addition to his acting roles, he’s been the face of the Dior Homme fragrance for men since 2013 and became the first ambassador of the GQ Campaign in 2015.
Though it has yet to be released, Variety has recently reported that Pattinson made $3 million for his role in The Batman, arguably his most prominent role since Edward Cullen. While this might seem like a small number compared to what he made during the Twilight years, it’s expected to grow once The Batman—followed by inevitable sequels if the film is well-received—is released.
Production on the film shut down in September 2020 when Pattinson reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, but resumed again shortly thereafter. Because of the pandemic, the film’s release has been delayed several times, and in June 2021 it was reported that Pattinson and costar Colin Farrell were set to film reshoots on location in Glasgow.
Pattinson is not hurting for money, but it will be interesting to see where his career goes next when The Batman is (hopefully) released on March 4th, 2022.