After spending years as Twilight’s brooding vampire Edward Cullen, Robert Pattinson is now looking at his role in The Odyssey and realizing he’s landed on the opposite side of one of pop culture’s biggest love triangles. Instead of playing the guy everyone is waiting for, he’s the one hoping the hero never comes home.
While talking about his role as Antinous in Christopher Nolan‘s upcoming adaptation of The Odyssey, Pattinson hilariously compared his character to Taylor Lautner‘s Jacob Black from the Twilight movies.
“I think they will be rooting for him,” he told MTV UK. “I keep comparing it—it’s kind of like Jacob in Twilight.” It’s actually a pretty funny comparison when you think about it.
In Nolan’s adaptation of the classic Greek epic, Matt Damon plays Odysseus, who spends ten years battling monsters, gods, and impossible odds as he struggles to return home after the Trojan War.
Waiting for him is his wife Penelope, played by Anne Hathaway, along with their son Telemachus, played by Tom Holland. Meanwhile, Pattinson’s Antinous has a very different plan.
He’s one of the many suitors competing for Penelope’s hand in marriage while also hoping to claim Odysseus’ throne and rule Ithaca. From Antinous’ perspective, Odysseus has been gone for years, so maybe it’s time everyone moved on.
Pattinson explained his character’s mindset by saying: “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.’”
Of course, Pattinson knows a thing or two about being caught in an iconic love triangle. Back in 2008, he shot to worldwide fame as Edward Cullen in Twilight, based on Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novels.
Edward found himself competing with Lautner’s werewolf Jacob Black for Bella Swan’s heart, played by Kristen Stewart, across New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn – Part 1, and Breaking Dawn – Part 2.
Now, nearly 15 years after wrapping up the vampire saga, Pattinson is getting to experience the rivalry from the other side.
Nolan’s The Odyssey also features an incredible ensemble cast that includes Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Bill Irwin, Samantha Morton, Jesse Garcia, Will Yun Lee, Rafi Gavron, Shiloh Fernandez, Mia Goth, and more.
It’s going to be interesting to see audiences react to Pattinson playing a character standing in the way of Odysseus’ long-awaited return.
If nothing else, his Twilight comparison gives fans a fun new way to look at the story, and it’s hard to argue that Antinous really is filling the Jacob role this time around.
