Robert Pattinson is undeniably one of the best actors working in the current film industry. The British actor’s first major role was in the Harry Potter franchise as Cedric Diggory, but it was his role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight series that projected him further into the spotlight. Thankfully, after those movies were over, Pattinson broke free from the type-casting curse and was able to present his willingness to play various types of characters with different accents.
If one only watched him in Twilight, they would never realize how amazing of an actor Pattinson actually is. For over ten years now, Pattinson has proven how capable a leading and supporting actor he is, with characters that range from wacky to cool to sympathetic to intimidating. The recent release of Bong Joon-Ho’s Mickey 17 further confirms that statement as he plays multiple versions of a single character. From The Batman to some A24 films, Pattinson’s filmography shows that he is not a one-trick pony.
10
He Played a Devilish Preacher And Leaned Into a Southern Drawl
The Devil All The Time (2020)
- IMDB Rating: 7.1
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 65%
- Watch on Netflix
Netflix’s The Devil All The Time was one of the only noteworthy movies from 2020, yet it was darkly themed and well-acted enough to leave an impression on viewers. The movie takes place from the end of World War II in the 1950s to the 1960s, where several characters’ lives intersect. The residents include good-hearted protagonist Arvin, his veteran father Willard, criminal couple Carl and Sandy, corrupt deputy Lee, and the evil reverend Preston.
Along with the Southern Gothic atmosphere and disturbing story elements, The Devil All The Time stood out because of its stellar cast. Even with an acting ensemble that included Tom Holland, Bill Skarsgård, Riley Keough, and Sebastian Stan, Robert Pattinson was the standout performer. Not only does he sport a convincing Southern accent, but he also makes his reverend character effectively sinister. The “delusions” monologue is the moment everyone loves to imitate and remembers the most. The Devil All The Time is only one of several films where Pattinson shows off his array of convincing accents.
9
This Post-Apocalyptic Film Brought Him Into The Arthouse Scene
The Rover (2014)
- IMDB Rating: 6.4
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 67%
- Watch on Pluto TV
A24’s The Rover, released in 2014, was one of the first movies that allowed Robert Pattinson to break free from his Twilight image and show that he is, in fact, much more than the franchise he started in. Starring alongside Guy Pearce, The Rover occurs in a post-apocalyptic Australia where greed has caused society to decline. Within this new and desolate world, a drifter named Eric, played by Pearce, aims to reclaim his stolen car, the only possession he has left that matters to him.
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When he encounters one of the thieves, Rey, played by Pattinson, Eric forces him to hunt down the gang and take back his car. The Rover is one of A24’s more overlooked films, despite having a fascinating post-apocalyptic world and two splendidly talented actors headlining it. Guy Pearce delivers greatness as the lead, but Robert Pattinson steals the movie several times. Pattinson gives a vulnerable and quieter supporting performance as a kind thief who struggles to communicate with others. The Rover was the start of many A24 collaborations for Pattinson and one of the first times critics and audiences realized that he could pull off more layered performances.
8
This Space Drama is Highly Unconventional Yet Thought-Provoking
High Life (2018)
- IMDB Rating: 5.7
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
- Rent on Prime Video
Some of the most notable space movies are the ones that provide emphasis on visual storytelling and thought-provoking themes. Claire Denis’ High Life, another A24 movie, brings those crucial elements into the modern era. Robert Pattinson stars as astronaut Monte, who is the survivor of a dangerous mission to search for the solar system’s outer reaches.
With him and his infant daughter now in isolation, they struggle with their new situation, and it gets even worse after discovering they are heading into the path of a black hole. High Life is a sci-fi drama that won’t be for everyone, as the slow pacing and more silent moments will put the viewing experience to the test. Nevertheless, the film still received acclaim for its visuals, themes of space travel, and Robert Pattinson’s lead performance. As Monte, Pattinson takes the audience on a journey that transforms him from a test subject to a hopeful father figure. The bond between Monte and his daughter becomes High Life‘s emotional core, making for one of Pattinson’s most patience-worthy films.
High Life
- Release Date
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September 26, 2018
- Runtime
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113 Minutes
- Director
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Claire Denis
7
He Portrayed a French Heir Opposite Timothée Chalamet
The King (2019)
- IMDB Rating: 7.3
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 71%
- Watch on Netflix
The 2019 Netflix original The King is responsible for bringing two of today’s best actors together. Not only did the historical film aid in giving Timothée Chalamet a career boost, but it also gave Robert Pattinson another chance to try a different accent and genre. Adapted from William Shakespeare’s work, The King is set in 15th-century England, where a young prince named Hal, played by Chalamet, is forced to ascend within royalty under dire circumstances.
Through his reign, Hal becomes king and eventually adopts the title of Henry V. Along with Chalamet’s lead performance and stunning production value that transports viewers to the 15th century, another memorable factor in The King is Robert Pattinson’s portrayal of the French heir known as The Dauphin. Though he doesn’t appear until halfway through and doesn’t have plenty of screen time, Pattinson uses what he has to make The Dauphin initially menacing but becomes a comical relief in an otherwise serious film. In addition, he dons a French accent, with some people calling it on point, while others consider it outlandish.
The King
- Release Date
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November 1, 2019
- Runtime
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140 minutes
- Director
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David Michôd
6
This Christopher Nolan Mind-Bender Let Him Show Off His Suave Side
Tenet (2020)
- IMDB Rating: 7.3
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70%
- Rent on Prime Video
Robert Pattinson’s casting in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming fantasy epic The Odyssey was a welcoming headline, considering the two previously collaborated for the action mind-bender Tenet. Though it was released during an unfortunate and slow-moving time for the film industry, it was nevertheless a thinking man’s blockbuster that requires multiple rewatches to grasp what Nolan has to say fully.
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Tenet revolves around a secret agent named The Protagonist who gets thrust into a new international espionage mission where he must travel through time in non-traditional ways to prevent World War III. While John David Washington’s unnamed protagonist is the lead, viewers were more enamored by Robert Pattinson’s supporting turn as Neil. In addition to speaking in his natural accent, Pattinson brings plenty of charisma to Neil and can explain a lot of the movie’s exposition very well. Pattinson also delivers an incredible and memorable final scene where Neil accepts his newfound fate and parts ways with The Protagonist. After watching Tenet, viewers were ready to see Pattinson in more action movies.
Tenet
- Release Date
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September 3, 2020
- Runtime
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150 minutes
5
His Performance as The Caped Crusader Earned Tons of Fans
The Batman (2022)
- IMDB Rating: 7.8
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%
- Watch on MAX
Whenever a new actor gets cast to play Batman, anticipation and expectations will always be astronomically high. When Robert Pattinson was brought in as the latest version of the Caped Crusader, fans were curious how well he would live up to previous interpretations done by Michael Keaton and Christian Bale. In the hands of director Matt Reeves, Pattinson proved many speculative people wrong and became one of the best actors to play Batman.
In The Batman, Pattinson’s version of the superhero is in his second year of fighting crime, and his newest mystery involves tracking down The Riddler, who seeks to expose the corruption in Gotham City. He also crosses paths with Catwoman and The Penguin. At three hours long, The Batman packs lots of plotting and characters without feeling underdeveloped or overstuffed. The main takeaway from this well-received superhero movie is how fantastic Pattinson is as both the vulnerable Bruce Wayne and the detective-like Batman, with the latter side of the character being front and center. Pattinson commits to the action sequences and puts on an effectively deep voice, making him a beloved Batman that fans can’t wait to see again in the sequel.
The Batman
- Release Date
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March 4, 2022
- Runtime
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176 minutes
- Director
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Matt Reeves
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Robert Pattinson
Bruce Wayne / The Batman
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4
This Anime Film Proves He Should Do More Voice-Acting
The Boy and the Heron (2023)
- IMDB Rating: 7.4
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
- Watch on MAX
Robert Pattinson is an actor no one would expect to do animation. But, for the English-dubbed version of Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning film The Boy and the Heron, Pattinson made his mark in voice-acting and became the standout performer in it. The main reason why his performance is so unforgettable is that, when listening to his character, a shape-shifting gray heron, viewers wouldn’t even think it was Pattinson because the voice is so high-pitched and raspy.
In The Boy and the Heron, young protagonist Mahito Maki moves to the countryside following his mother’s passing. In his new home, he encounters a talking gray heron who claims he can take him to see his mother again, but they must travel through a fantastical and visually stunning world. The Boy and the Heron is another deeply thematical, wonderfully animated, and beautifully constructed movie by Hayao Miyazaki. With Pattinson voicing the heron in the film’s title, he wholeheartedly commits to the bit. Unlike the traditional trope of celebrities using their normal voices for animation, Pattinson vocally transforms into the part. The final result left the actor’s fans believing he should do more animated projects in the future.
3
Audiences Get Two Robert Pattinsons For The Price of One in This Sci-Fi Satire
Mickey 17 (2025)
- IMDB Rating: 7.1
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%
- Watch in theaters
The satirical sci-fi film Mickey 17 is Robert Pattinson’s latest movie, and it shows the actor is unafraid to get bizarre. Playing Mickey Barnes and his clones, Pattinson further showcases why he loves to portray strange characters with even stranger voices. The movie is directed by Bong Joon-ho, the Oscar-winning filmmaker whose last project was the award-winning sensation Parasite.
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Set in the future, Mickey 17 follows an expendable named Mickey whose responsibility aboard a spaceship is to be experimented on. Every time Mickey dies, a clone of himself gets created. Things get complicated when the 17th version of him doesn’t die and an 18th is made, resulting in “multiples.” In addition to Bong Joon-ho’s political commentary, Mickey 17 was praised for its exceptional performances, especially by Robert Pattinson. The actor plays not one, not two, but eighteen different versions of the same guy, with the 17th and 18th being the most prominent. Several scenes require Pattinson to interact with himself, which is no easy feat. He also has a cartoonishly good voice that helps him disappear into the role, and fans were shocked that a British actor like him pulled it off.
Mickey 17
- Release Date
-
February 28, 2025
- Runtime
-
137 minutes
- Director
-
Bong Joon Ho
- Writers
-
Bong Joon Ho
- Producers
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Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Marianne Jenkins, Dooho Choi, Jesse Ehrman
-
Robert Pattinson
Mickey Barnes
-
-
-
Mark Ruffalo
Kenneth Marshall
2
This Anxiety-Inducing A24 Movie Had Viewers Stressing
Good Time (2017)
- IMDB Rating: 7.3
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
- Rent on Prime Video
If The Rover was a small stepping stone for Robert Pattinson to break free from Twilight, then Good Time, another A24 film, solidified him as the acclaimed actor he is now. The directing duo of Benny and Josh Safdie took a bold risk by casting Pattinson in the lead role, but it ultimately paid off and made audiences see him in a different light. Since the film is briskly paced with little to no signs of stopping, it’s fantastic that Pattinson can keep people thoroughly invested.
Good Time follows Connie Nikas, a thief from Queens. When Connie and his brother Nick botch a simple bank heist, Nick ends up in jail, resulting in Connie doing everything he can to secure money to bail him out. Connie’s night gets increasingly worse and becomes hindered by numerous setbacks. Pattinson’s performance in Good Time is endlessly fascinating. He initially portrays Connie as a man on a mission until the layers get peeled back to reveal a manipulative and deceitful individual. Connie can be a quick thinker and a fast talker, yet he still manages to fumble his objectives. Thanks to Good Time, viewers took Pattinson’s acting seriously and were willing to see him do dramas and play complex characters.
Good Time
- Release Date
-
August 11, 2017
- Runtime
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101minutes
- Director
-
Ben Safdie, Joshua Safdie
1
Pattinson And This Arthouse Movie Should Have Gotten More Oscar Nominations
The Lighthouse (2019)
- IMDB Rating: 7.4
- Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%
- Watch on MAX
The Lighthouse is the quintessential movie that shows how far Robert Pattinson has come since his earliest years of acting. Yet another A24 movie, Pattinson truly shines whenever he does independent cinema. The Lighthouse is director Robert Eggers’ second feature film, and it essentially acts as a two-man show between Pattinson and Willem Dafoe, another actor who also excels in horror movies and independent works from A24.
Set on a remote New England island in the 1890s, The Lighthouse follows Ephraim Winslow, whose real name is secretly Thomas Howard, and Thomas Wake, two men newly assigned as lighthouse keepers. Soon, a monstrous storm arrives, and their sanity gets challenged, which leads to them turning on one another. From the brilliant black-and-white cinematography to the poetic dialogue, there are many things to praise about The Lighthouse. More importantly, Pattinson delivers an award-worthy performance as Ephraim, who harbors a dark past and is ready to snap when provoked. With the film being a psychological horror venture, he shares incredible chemistry with Willem Dafoe. People were genuinely shocked that the duo didn’t receive Oscar nominations for their acting. Unnerving and hard to pull away from, Pattinson’s performance in The Lighthouse is the peak of his diverse range.
