Hold on tight spider-monkey, we almost had a different Edward Cullen.
“Twilight” director Catherine Hardwicke revealed Monday that Robert Pattinson almost lost out on the iconic role due to the fact he wasn’t hot enough at the time.
“When he came over to my house, he had black bangs for hair and was kind of out of shape because he was hanging out at the pub all the time,” Hardwicke, 68, told the “Watchalong” podcast.
According to the director, she had Kristen Stewart, 33, and Pattinson, 37, film “fun auditions” at her home prior to sending them to the film’s production company, Summit Pictures.
“I thought ‘it works not just in person, but it works on screen,’” Hardwicke said. “I had to be sure. Of course in person I just got carried away, but you have to be sure — does it really translate [to the screen]?”
Studio execs did not immediately bite at the chance to cast the “Harry Potter” alum, however.
“I sent it to Summit and he went over to meet them,” Hardwicke said. “They called me back and go, ‘Do you think you can make this guy look good?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I do. Did you see his cheekbones?’”
According to the director, she had promised the studio that the “Batman” star was going to get a makeover.
“We’re doing a makeover on the hair and everything and he’s going to start working out and he’s going to be gorgeous,” Hardwicke said. “But they didn’t believe it at first. He walked over there with a stained shirt … It was Rob.”
Hardwicke also confirmed that four other stars had been approached to play the teenage vampire including Ben Barnes, Shiloh Fernandez, and Jackson Rathbone — who was eventually cast as Jasper Hale.
Thankfully, Pattinson already had a loyal fan base during his brief appearance as the tragic Hufflepuff student Cedric Diggory in 2005’s “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.”
The actor had also appeared in “The Haunted Airman” and “Ring of the Nibelungs” by the time he was cast in the paranormal romance film.
Pattinson has recently been making headlines for his personal life too. Over the weekend, the “Water for Elephants” star’s actress girlfriend, Suki Waterhouse, revealed she’s pregnant.
“I’m extra sparkly today because I thought it might distract you from something else that’s going on,” Waterhouse, 31, said in a video posted to X (formerly Twitter) while performing onstage at the Corona Capital Festival in Mexico City.
“I’m not sure if it’s working,” the “Daisy Jones & The Six” star added to cheers from the crowd.
The pair were first linked in 2018. They made their red carpet debut at a 2022 Dior show in Egypt before appearing at the 2023 Met Gala together.
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