Die-hard fans of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire all have one thing in common: They’re lowkey obsessed with Cedric Diggory. What’s not to love? The Hogwarts champion is kind, brave, and more likely than not to save you in a pinch, even if it means getting second place instead of first.
When the fourth Potter film was announced, fans collectively gushed when they saw who would be playing Diggory: Newcomer Robert Pattinson, who only had two films under his belt (Vanity Fair and Ring of the Nibelungs), scenes from both of which scrapped after filming. Diggory would be Pattinson’s first major role and, as it turns out, the one that would launch his career.
So, how old was the then-newbie when he appeared in both Harry Potter and Twilight? Read on for more.
How old was Robert Pattinson when he filmed Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire?
Pattinson, who is now 35, was only 18 years old when he was cast as Diggory. The role found him acting directly opposite one of the biggest young stars in the world, Daniel Radcliffe, who was 15 at the time. Pattinson’s smile and easygoing manner made him just as likable on screen as his character is in the book, which is why audiences were dreading the tragic moment at the end of the film when Diggory would inevitably be killed by Peter Pettigrew.
Despite his character’s untimely end, Pattinson was just getting started. After Potter, he acted in the psychological thriller The Haunted Airman, the one-off television drama film The Bad Mother’s Handbook, and the independent dramedy How to Be. Proving that he could handle a variety of cinematic genres, he was also cast as the artist Salvador Dalí in Paul Morrison’s Little Ashes.
His breakout role came when Pattinson was tapped to play the sexy, enigmatic vampire Edward Cullen opposite Kristen Stewart‘s Bella Swan in Twilight. The novel that inspired the film was so wildly popular that Pattinson was initially hesitant to take the role, but when the film was released, his performance was praised by critics despite lackluster reviews for the film itself.
How old was Robert Pattinson in Twilight?
Pattinson was 21 when principal photography ended for Twilight. That’s admittedly a lot younger than his character Edward Cullen, who is over 108 years old. Eagle-eyed fans will notice that Pattinson looks like he’s closer to 17 in the film, which is the age Cullen was when he was bitten in 1918. We won’t dwell on the fact that he ends up falling in love with Bella Swan, who is actually 17, AKA 91 years younger than him.
Twilight launched Robert Pattinson as a bona fide movie star, and he went on to reprise the role of Cullen in New Moon, Eclipse, and both parts of Breaking Dawn. Pattinson was 22 and 23 during New Moon’s filming, 23 during Eclipse’s production, and 24 and 25 across Breaking Dawn’s shoots.
In addition to being the world’s hottest vampire, Pattinson went on to star in dozens of other films, including Remember Me, Water for Elephants, and most recently Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. Pattinson will be starring in the upcoming adaptation of The Batman as the title character and his alter ego, Bruce Wayne. The film is being directed by Matt Reeves and is expected to be released on March 4th, 2022.