Robert Pattinson loves to “lower people’s expectations” of himself by playing a villain.
Enjoying the Villain
The 40-year-old actor relished playing Antinous, the main antagonist in Christopher Nolan’s epic The Odyssey, and also shapeshifting Scytale in Dune: Part Three because he enjoys challenging perceptions.
Asked if he likes exploring his bad side, Robert Pattinson told People, “I do. I like lowering people’s expectations; that’s always my favorite, that’s always my place to be. Undersell and overdeliver, that’s my motto.”
However, he stressed that Antinous, who vies for the affections of Penelope (Anne Hathaway) in the years her husband Odysseus (Matt Damon) is missing, isn’t “really” a bad guy.
He shared, “I don’t think he’s really the bad guy. I think he’s just like. . . It’s a love story, it’s a love story. Penelope is just waiting for Antinous to get older.”
Finding a “Quirk”
Robert Pattinson revealed he also likes to find a “quirk” in his characters to help him get comfortable and make the roles his own.
He explained, “There’s always one little thing that you kind of do every movie, I always find some kind of little quirk. I’m trying to remember what it was on this. I remember doing something which a lot of people thought I was very strange doing, but I can’t remember [what].”
Joined by Zendaya
The British actor is joined in both The Odyssey and Dune: Part Three by his The Drama co-star Zendaya.
But Robert Pattinson admitted he “didn’t even recognize” his friend when she was filming The Odyssey.
He said, “I didn’t know that she was on the set the day that she was shooting. It’s so strange. We were so far away from each other and I didn’t even recognize — I didn’t even say hi. She’s the best. So fun, so fun to hang out with, such a great actress.”
Comparisons to Twilight
Meanwhile, Robert Pattinson, who became a household name after leading the cast of the Twilight Saga, recently compared The Odyssey to the vampire franchise.
Discussing his character, Robert, who played vampire Edward Cullen, told MTV UK, “I think they will be rooting for him. I keep comparing it—it’s kind of like Jacob in Twilight. What The Odyssey is about — Penelope just can’t make her mind up between the two guys and I’m just trying to like help her make a decision. It’s like, ‘It’s fine. He’s dead, get over it.’”