Robert Pattinson says the reaction to him portraying Batman in an upcoming film has been far better than how people responded to him playing Edward Cullen in "Twilight."
"Maybe I'm just used to abuse by now," the 33-year-old actor told the New York Times in a new interview. "At least I didn't get death threats this time — that's a plus!"
"It's funny that people are so very angry about 'Twilight,'" Pattinson continued. "I never particularly understood it."
Read more: 19 things you didn't know about 'Twilight'
Pattinson's fame skyrocketed thanks to his role as a brooding vampire in "Twilight." When fans learned Pattinson would be playing the character, vividly described in novels written by Stephenie Meyer, they were furious because he wasn't who they visualized.
"People were like, 'He's revolting. He's disgusting,'" "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke told USA Today in 2018.
By the time the first movie came out, fans warmed up to Pattinson and he developed a large following. He played Edward in five films released between 2008 and 2012.
"I used to walk down the street with no one recognizing me, and then that changed for four years," Pattinson told the New York Times, referring to the post-"Twilight" part of his career, in which he took on roles in smaller films like "Good Time" and "High Life."
Pattinson's new role as the Caped Crusader in Matt Reeves' "The Batman" film will push the actor back onto the radar of people who may have stopped following him after "Twilight."
In an interview with Variety that was published in early September, Pattinson recalled feeling "f---ing furious" when news spread about his casting as Batman in May.
At the time, the actor hadn't auditioned for the comic-book role and thought the leak would ruin his chances of landing the part.
"Everyone was so upset," Pattinson said. "Everyone was panicking from my team. I sort of thought that had blown up the whole thing."
"It was terrifying," he added. "I was like, 'Oh f---! Does that screw me because they are so intent on secrecy?'"
Pattinson went on to say that surprisingly, fans weren't opposed to him playing the iconic character from Gotham City.
"To be honest, it was less vitriolic than I was expecting," he said.
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