Robert Pattinson Refused To Got Shirtless During His Twilight Audition Despite The Director Wanting To See His Body (2024)

Robert Pattinson really did not want to go shirtless during his audition for Twilight. Unlike some actors who are eager to go tarps-off, such as Ross Lynch in Disney's Teen Beach movie, Pattinson wanted to put his foot down. While The Batman actor didn't build a career on shirtless scenes as Zac Efron did, he certainly began his career as a teen heartthrob. Not only did Pattison's net worth change after Twilight, but paying Edward Cullen made him the object so so many fans' attention. So, it's not surprising that director Catherine Hardwicke wanted to see if he had the right body for the role.

In this article, we will reveal why Robert Pattinson was actually embarrassed to take off his shirt during his audition for Edward Cullen. Following that, we will reveal why Pattinson was cast as Edward Cullen, and then touch upon his diet and workout routine.

Robert Pattinson Didn't Want To Take Off His Shirt During His Twilight Audition

During an interview with Allure, Robert Pattinson admitted that his audition for Edward Cullen in 2008's Twilight presented a rather uncomfortable problem. The director of the first movie, Catherine Hardwicke wanted to see him shirtless. Not for any creepy reason, just because it's typical for actors who will have intimate or shirtless scenes to show off what they'd be working with for a casting team. However, Pattinson was a bit ashamed of his body in 2007, when Twilight was being cast. This is because he had dyed his hair jet black and was out of shape while filling his previous role in Little Ashes. On top of this, he was completely waxed and just didn't present in the way he wanted to.

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Pattinson expanded on the uncomfortable situation where he was required to take off his shirt. He claimed that he was doing various screentests for the movie alongside four other potential Edward Cullens. And in one of the screen test scenes, each of them was required to go topless. Pattinson admitted that he refused to take off his shirt.

Robert Pattinson explained that his first audition for the Edward Cullen role in Twilight was bad. But he got that second shot. During an interview with Howard Stern, Pattinson claimed that Hardwicke herself told him to remove his shirt at the end of the second audition.

"Why? You're in good shape," Howard Stern replied.

Pattinson then explained that his look playing Salvador Dali in Little Ashes right before Twilight required him to be both pudgy and hairless. Ultimately, Pattinson's refusal to go shirtless worked in his favor. In fact, he almost never took off his shirt in the movies at all. While there were a couple of scenes where he stripped down, Taylor Launter's Jacob was the character who showed the most skin. During his Howard Stern Show interview, Pattinson revealed that there were many more shirtless scenes in Stephanie Meyers' original "Twilight" books.

"How do you tell the director, 'I'm not going to do that'?" Stern asked.

"Because I [eventually] took it off and she told me to put it back on again," Pattinson smiled.

Why Robert Pattinson Was Cast In Twilight

According to Cheat Sheet, Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke was searching for an actor to play Edward Cullen who didn't look "real". Someone who could have been a vampire for 90 years despite looking like a teenager. And, of course, someone who was brooding.

During an interview with The Big Hit Show podcast, Hardwicke claimed that Kristen Stewart had already been cast in Twilight before the Edward Cullen actor was locked down. Pattinson's chemistry with Kristen Stewart was ultimately what won Hardwicke's interest. On top of this, Hardwicke explained that Robert Pattinson just had the right energy to play Edward Cullen. Even though he didn't take off his shirt during the audition.

Robert Pattinson's Workout Routine And Diet Plan

While Robert Pattinson didn't have to take off his shirt in many Twilight scenes -- or in many movie moments -- he still needed to be in shape. This is particularly true for his 2021 role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Matt Reeves' The Batman. During an interview with GQ, Pattinson clapped back at the requirements of actors to pile on muscle for superhero roles. However, in an interview with Healthy for Men, the actor admitted to various lifestyle changes so that he could be fit enough for demanding roles such as Batman.

Accoridng to Healthy for Men, Pattinson cut down on alcohol consumption as well as processed meat and fried foods in order to transform his physical appearance into a cutter and more intimidating frame.

"It's all about pushing boundaries and building up to a point where you know you can do justice to the physicality required. And past that, so much of it is letting the special effects and on-screen exchanges produce the real magic. Overall, it's just very exciting."

On top of this, Pattinson also claimed that he became dedicated to a training program that focused on short and sharp functional movies. This included "military-style sandbag routines on the beach" and running 5-10k three times a week. In addition, Pattion also trained in combat sports, which were required for his role as Batman. Fortunately, these combat sports were also greater for melting away calories while building lean muscle.

According to Men's Health, boxing was a major component in Pattinson's workout routine for The Batman and is likely to be again when he returns to the role for The Batman Part 2. Each hour session can burn around 800 calories if done correctly.

But while Robert Pattinson has shared some details about his workout and diet plans, he has mostly kept it a secret. This is clearly because he doesn't like drawing attention to his body. Just like when he auditioned for Twilight, he didn't want his shirtless physique to be the focus of his career.