Robert Pattinson: 17 Roles You Forgot He Played Before The Drama

Robert Pattinson at the premiere of The Drama last month You’re cordially invited to The Drama , a new movie starring Robert Pattinson and Zendaya that looks set to become one of the year’s most talked-about films. The comedy-drama follows a groom-to-be who discovers a dark secret about his fiancée in the lead-up to their wedding, which tests their relationship and leads them both to ask some big questions. Before he found himself walking down the aisle with Zendaya (with whom he’s set to star in two more films later in 2026), Robert already had a long and varied career. After first finding fame as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter, he became a global heartthrob off the back of his role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight series . Since then, Robert has gone on to appear in a range of different projects, from big-budget studio films to more left-of-centre indies, frequently taking on unexpected roles that have played against his heartthrob status. Fans of the acclaimed English actor are in luck, as he has four films coming out in the next few months alone. After his leading work in The Drama, he’ll be reuniting with Zendaya in The Odyssey and Dune: Part Three later this year , as well as appearing in Here Comes The Flood, a heist film co-starring Denzel Washington and Daisy Edgar-Jones. Before Robert takes on Greek mythology and battles Paul Atreides on Arrakis, here are 17 more roles from his past that you might have totally forgotten about... Little Ashes Robert Pattinson as Salvador Dalí in Little Ashes A year after he made his Twilight debut, Robert starred as the Spanish artist Salvador Dalí in the romantic drama Little Ashes. Shot before his work as Edward Cullen, Little Ashes saw Robert take on the role of the eccentric painter in a movie which chronicled Dalí’s friendship with the filmmaker Luis Buñuel – and possible love affair with poet Federico García Lorca. While the film wasn’t universally well-received – and was criticised by some for being tonally uneven – it did earn a GLAAD Award, and sparked Robert’s interest in working on more niche projects. It also hit headlines at the time for its graphic sex scenes , allowing cinemagoers to see a different side of the actor (quite literally). Remember Me Robert Pattinson in Remember Me The 2010 coming-of-age drama Remember Me was poorly reviewed upon its release, and may well have been completely forgotten by audiences if not for its unexpected twist ending . Robert played Tyler, a troubled young NYU student struggling to cope in the wake of his brother’s death, who falls in love with a detective’s daughter, played by Lost actor Emilie de Ravin, after being arrested. All in all, it was a pretty run-of-the-mill romance – that is, until its questionable closing moments, which are still what come to mind when most of us think of Remember Me. Love & Distrust Talulah Riley and Robert Pattinson in Love & Distrust You’d think you’d remember a film starring film greats like Robert Pattinson, Amy Adams and Robert Downey Jr. , but the straight-to-video Love & Distrust has mostly been lost to time. The romance film follows five completely separate love stories, with Robert appearing alongside Talulah Riley as a man who follows his ex to a French summer house in the hopes of winning her back. Love & Distrust landed an enviable 12% Rotten Tomatoes score , with its more scathing critics calling the project “slow” and “meaningless”. Water For Elephants Robert Pattinson in Water For Elephants In 2011, Robert starred alongside Reese Witherspoon in the period romance Water for Elephants, based on the popular 2006 novel by Sara Gruen. He played a veterinary student who abandons his studies after the death of his parents to join the circus, where he falls in love with Reese’s character, Marlena. While the film received mixed reviews from critics, it was a box-office success , and proved that Robert could be a draw for audiences beyond the Twilight fanbase. Bel Ami Robert Pattinson in Bel Ami For Bel Ami , Robert shared the screen with Kristin Scott Thomas and Uma Thurman in the 2012 adaptation of Guy de Maupassant’s 1885 French novel. Robert played Georges Duroy, a former soldier-turned-social climber who uses his wit to charm older, wealthy ladies. Upon its release, the film set tongues wagging due to its sexual content, with Robert allegedly filming an orgy scene with as many as 40 people , as well as having steamy scenes with several of his A-list co-stars. Cosmopolis Robert Pattinson in Cosmopolis These days, Robert is known for his work with auteurs , and it all started when he teamed up with David Cronenberg for Cosmopolis. Based on Don DeLillo’s novel of the same name, Cosmopolis saw Robert play Eric, a Wall Street golden boy witnessing the fall of his empire from the back of his private limo. Co-starring Samantha Morton and Sarah Gadon, Cosmopolis is like if The Odyssey starred American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman . Released the same year as the last Twilight film, it proved to film fans that Robert was shedding his vampire fangs to become a more risk-taking actor. The Rover Robert Pattinson in The Rover In 2014, Robert and Guy Pearce took their film The Rover to Cannes , where it received critical acclaim. The Australian film is set in the outback in a not-too-distant dystopian future, and takes place after humanity’s collapse. Robert stars as a thief, Rey, who finds himself in a robbery gone wrong. When he is shot and abandoned by his friends, the man whose car they stole forces Rey to lead them to the gang of criminals. As The AV Club puts it, the film “represented a turning point in Robert Pattinson’s career, being the first of a series of roles in which the English actor subverted his charisma and good looks to play desperate, mentally frazzled characters with criminal pasts”. Maps To The Stars Robert Pattinson in Maps To The Stars Robert teamed back up with David Cronenberg for 2014’s satirical black comedy Maps To The Stars. The film explored the dark side of modern-day Hollywood, following a neurotic ageing film star and her young personal assistant. Co-starring Mia Wasikowska, Julianne Moore and Olivia Williams, the film featured Robert in a minor role as a chauffeur and wannabe screenwriter. Queen Of The Desert Nicole Kidman and Robert Pattinson in Queen Of The Desert A year later, Robert took on the role of the real-life archaeologist and diplomat T.E. Lawrence (the inspiration behind Lawrence of Arabia) in Queen Of The Desert, Werner Herzog’s biopic about the writer Gertrude Bell, played by Nicole Kidman . Talking about casting Robert , the filmmaker said he “needed an Englishman who still looks like a schoolboy” but who is still “very smart”. With a score of just 18% on Rotten Tomatoes , it’s not exactly the best work of anyone involved, but Robert was singled out for praise for doing what he could with his modest role . Life Robert Pattinson in Life Later in 2015, Robert appeared in another biopic, this time playing the lead in Life , about the photographer Dennis Stock. The film followed Dennis’ relationship with the screen icon James Dean, portrayed by Dane DeHaan, after he was assigned to photograph the Hollywood star. Set just before the release of East Of Eden, Life follows the friendship between the actor and the photographer as they travel from Los Angeles to New York City and Indiana. The Childhood Of A Leader Robert Pattinson in The Childhood Of A Leader Perhaps the most underrated film on this list is 2016’s The Childhood Of A Leader, the feature-length debut of The Brutalist director Brady Corbet. The film explores the rise of fascism in the early 20th Century, focusing on a young American boy living in France in 1918, whose father is working for the US government during the creation of the Treaty of Versailles. Robert plays a dual role in the movie, first appearing as a jaded journalist friend of the young boy’s parents, then later transforming into a mysterious, villainous role that we won’t spoil here. It’s a psychedelic, experimental work that was unexpected for a star who found fame in such family-friendly films. The Lost City Of Z Robert Pattinson in The Lost City Of Z James Gray’s historical epic featured Charlie Hunnam as the real-life British explorer Percy Fawcett. Robert co-starred as fellow adventurer, Henry Costin, who accompanied Percy to Brazil to find a lost ancient city filled with gold. The Lost City Of Z marked one of Robert’s biggest on-screen transformations, with his face buried under a bushy beard, wide-brimmed hat and round spectacles. Damsel Robert Pattinson in Damsel Robert reunited with Mia Wasikowska for the 2018 Western black comedy, Damsel, which follows an affluent pioneer who journeys across the American frontier to marry the love of his life. The quirky Western has since earned cult status for offering a fresh and thoughtful take on the genre. Critics also praised Robert’s performance for disrupting the traditional macho role in Westerns by “serving up a naive and troubled anti-hero entirely out of place among the gunslingin’ and whiskey-drinkin’ rough necks of the Frontier lands”. High Life Mia Goth and Robert Pattinson in High Life The Claire Denis-directed High Life is considered by cinephiles a career highlight for Robert , although it’s perhaps lesser known to the average cinema-goer. High Life follows a group of criminals sent on a space mission toward a black hole, while being subjected to scientific experiments. Robert plays a celibate prisoner who is serving life for the manslaughter of a child, in one of his darkest and most surprising roles to date. The King Robert Pattinson in The King Based on Shakespeare’s group of historical plays, known as The Henriad, the Netflix film covered the major events of the life of the 15th-century English monarch Henry V, including the Battle of Agincourt and his strained relationship with his father. Robert makes a small – but notable – appearance in the historical epic as a dim-witted, ego-centric Frenchman. Those who have seen The King will remember Robert’s eccentric French accent as Louis, Duke of Guyenne, with Timothée Chalamet taking the lead as King Henry. Waiting For The Barbarians Robert Pattinson in Waiting For The Barbarians Robert has a minor role alongside Mark Rylance and Johnny Depp in the 2019 adaptation of JM Coetzee’s 1980 novel. The action-drama follows Mark Rylance’s ageing magistrate, who governs the peace of a remote outpost of an unnamed Empire. His world is disrupted when the Empire becomes paranoid, and Johnny Depp’s Colonel starts capturing and torturing so-called barbarians from beyond the borders. Robert plays a cruel officer working for the regime’s harsher side and represents a colder, more chaotic form of authority. The Devil All The Time Robert Pattinson in The Devil All The Time In 2020, Robert partnered with his The Drama co-star Zendaya’s real-life partner, Tom Holland , for the psychological thriller The Devil All The Time. The Netflix film follows several characters in post-World War II Ohio and West Virginia, with an all-star cast including Bill Skarsgård, Sebastian Stan and Riley Keough. Robert plays a charismatic but corrupt preacher, a deeply unsettling role that won over critics despite some criticism of his exaggerated Southern accent . The Devil All The Time came out the same year as Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and The Lighthouse, which marked a turning point in the actor’s career. Two years later, he would don the black cape in The Batman, cementing him as one of the hottest properties in Hollywood. The Drama is in cinemas now. MORE FILM NEWS: Robert Pattinson Looks Unrecognisable In First Trailer For Third Dune Movie Robert Pattinson Had A Role In Marty Supreme That Probably Passed You By Completely Robert Pattinson Recalls Zendaya’s Blunt Advice After The Drama Script ‘Drove Him Crazy’