Robert Pattinson seems to be landing a lot of big gigs and is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s most reliable actors. He’s already being praised for his performances in The Drama and The Odyssey this year, and he has too big films opening in the next couple of months, Primetime and Dune: Part Three. There was a time, of course, when nobody knew who the actor was, before he got his big break in Twilight. Now, Pattinson is opening up about buying an expensive car amid that fame, and it didn’t pan out like he imagined.
In a recent interview with GQ, Pattinson opened up about some of the big buzzy projects he’s been in this year, as well as reflecting on what it was like when he first became very famous. Pattinson’s casting as Edward in Twilight (as the book series became a phenomenon) pushed him into the stratosphere, and that came with financial benefits. While some stars purchase jewelry or watches when they first start making a lot of money, Pattinson apparently eyed an automobile. He said:
I mean, the car thing—I’ve kind of gone through that. When I was doing Twilight, I got this Shelby Mustang, which is the car I always wanted when I was a kid. I think it was a GT350, maybe, or a Fastback, like the one from Gone in 60 Seconds.
This feels like the blueprint for a “dream car,” especially for a kid. It’s cool, it’s flashy, it’s masculine and it has a cinematic presence. All in all, that’s exactly the kind of car a child would imagine a movie star driving. However, all the reasons to get a Shelby Mustang are the same reasons the car is so impractical, especially when it’s an older, vintage model. Pattinson learned that very quickly:
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But you don’t realize that it’s not a car that you can drive every day. The number of times that I had humiliating experiences, where it would choose to just not start or break down—always in front of enormous groups of tourists or something like that—and I’d have to push it around the corner. I was like, ‘That’s it. I’ve had enough of this. I need something that just works.’
Especially considering Pattinson was so famous during this time, I can imagine this being quite embarrassing. It’s a bit humiliating for anyone when their flashy car breaks down and they have to get out and push it. It makes it even worse when you are the guy from Twilight and everyone knows who you are. I’m sure it was a humbling experience, though, in retrospect, considering pushing a car isn’t always on the list of things you expect to do as a rich movie star.
I feel like the car purchase is a right of passage for young movie stars. Even Matt Damon and Ben Affleck talked about stupidly pouring money into matching Jeeps when they first got their first big checks. It’s kind of a trend, and I’m not surprised Pattinson did it when he first got famous, especially considering he was so young. Now, it seems like he has certainly upgraded, with both the practical car that works and the Batmobile we will get to see him drive again, based on The Batman: Part II set photos.
When Robert Pattinson isn’t driving a mustang or a Batmobile, he can be seen just about everywhere else. You can check out his performance in The Drama now with an HBO Max subscription. Fans can also see him in The Odyssey, which is in theaters now, as well as other upcoming 2026 movie releases Primetime, which is in theaters on September 25th, and Dune: Part 3, which hits cinemas on December 18th.