Robert Pattinson Reflects on the Epic Fail That Haunted Him for 21 Years!

Today, he stars in many acclaimed productions, including Christopher Nolan’s all-powerful Odyssey and the biopic Primetime, but Robert Pattinson’s early career was far less glamorous.

In 2005, a few years before his breakthrough with Twilight, Robert Pattinson was gearing up to appear in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as Cédric Diggory. The young actor had limited experience: as he shared with Vanity Fair in 2009, his scenes in the same-named film shot the previous year were cut from the final edit. Yet, he landed another promising role, this time on stage, but the venture was short-lived—as was his morale.

Fired Just Before the Debut

As Far Out Magazine recalls, Robert Pattinson was set to play Andi in The Woman Before, a play at London’s Royal Court Theatre. His character was the son of Frank and Claudia, a couple whose lives are turned upside down when Romy appears at their door. Twenty-four years earlier, Frank had promised to love her forever; she returns to claim that promise. However, just before the premiere, the young actor was dismissed and replaced by Tom Riley.

Years later, in 2012, he candidly reflected on this failure in an interview with the Irish Independent, stating: “I didn’t know what I was doing. I think I was speaking too softly. Nobody could understand what I was saying!”

The Same Actor Surpasses Him Again

This dismissal left its mark and shook the young actor’s confidence: “I remember talking a lot of nonsense afterward,” Pattinson admits. Soon after, when he auditioned for the film Few Days in September, he “wanted so badly” to succeed that it affected his behavior: “I went through the interviews saying, ‘I got fired from that play because I’m completely crazy!'” Again, the role went to Tom Riley.

The substitution even caused confusion in the press: a review published by The Independent praised Riley’s performance on stage, yet it was mistakenly attributed to Pattinson.

Three years later, however, everything changed for the young actor: he secured the role of Edward Cullen in Twilight. What followed is well-known. The episode at the Royal Court Theatre then became just one of the false starts in a career that would take off in a completely different direction.

You can currently catch the actor in theaters: both in The Odyssey and in Primetime, released last September 23, with the trailer available below.