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It’s been pretty hard not to root for Robert Pattinson since he drew some inspiration from the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Matthew McConaughey by attempting to shed the “Hollywood Heartthrob” label he was burdened with as one of the stars of the Twilight franchise.
It took a little while for the actor to find his footing, but I’d argue the “Pattinsance” officially kicked off when the Safdie Brothers cast him to play consummate New York City scumbag Connie Nikas in 2017’s Good Time.
Pattison continued to hone his Serious Acting chops with fantastic performances in High Life and The Lighthouse before making his grand return to big-budget pictures after landing the role of The Caped Crusader in The Batman. There’s no telling what the future holds for the large suit aficionado, but based on what he’s managed to do in recent years, it appears the man who was formerly reduced to “That guy who played the sparkly vampire” has a very bright future ahead of him.
The 36-year-old has undoubtedly learned plenty of lessons after spending close to 20 years navigating the entertainment industry, and he’s been refreshingly candid about the challenges he’s faced (and overcome) while reflecting on his fairly wild journey.
That includes a pretty crazy revelation about the lengths he used to go to in order to maintain the fairly gaunt physique he was formerly known for. During a recent conversation with The Evening Standard, he admitted he spent too far long deploying a number of different strategies to try to stay trim—which included a potato-based diet that sounds about as unenjoyable as they come:
“It’s very, very easy to fall into that pattern as well, even if you’re just watching your calorie intake, it’s extraordinarily addictive—and you don’t quite realize how insidious it is until it’s too late.
I have basically tried every fad you can think of, everything except consistency. I once ate nothing but potatoes for two weeks, as a detox. Just boiled potatoes and Himalayan pink salt. Apparently, it’s a cleanse… you definitely lose weight.”
It’s good to hear he’s put that phase of his life behind him.