Robert Pattinson spent years defending Edward Cullen. Now? He’s finally seeing things from the other side of the supernatural love triangle. During the London world premiere of Christopher Nolan’s epic The Odyssey on Monday, Pattinson offered a completely unhinged—and highly accurate—summary of his new villainous role. He plays Antinous, the chief suitor relentlessly pressuring Queen Penelope to marry him while her husband Odysseus is presumed dead. The actor didn’t try to justify ancient Greek politics. Instead, he just brought up his own cinematic past.
Speaking to an interviewer, the actor dropped a comparison that immediately broke the internet. “I keep comparing it… it’s kind of like Jacob in Twilight,” Pattinson explained, according to his MTV red carpet interview covering the film’s chaotic love triangle. He openly defended his character’s incredibly pushy motives to win over Anne Hathaway’s Penelope. “Penelope just can’t make her mind up between the two guys, and I’m just trying to help her make a decision. It’s like, it’s fine. He’s dead, get over it.”
But the nostalgia isn’t the only weird thing he brought to the set. Pattinson is famous for his deeply eccentric character building, and Antinous is no exception. He reportedly channeled the sleazy, high-wire energy of James Woods from Casino to find the character’s voice. And to really nail that provocative aesthetic? Pattinson specifically lobbied the costume department to let him wear leopard-print underpants beneath his ancient Greek robes. Because of course he did.
Fans will get to see exactly how that translates on screen very soon. Audiences are gearing up for the official July 17 theatrical release of Nolan’s IMAX spectacle. The film boasts an incredibly stacked ensemble alongside Pattinson and Hathaway, including Tom Holland, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, and Lupita Nyong’o.
There is a serious layer of irony to this whole press tour. For half a decade, Pattinson was the face of Team Edward, constantly dismissing his on-screen werewolf rival. Now he is stepping into the shoes of the aggressive, persistent third wheel who refuses to take a hint. Homer probably didn’t intend for The Odyssey to mirror Stephenie Meyer’s universe. But if anyone was going to bridge that gap, it was always going to be Pattinson.