The return of Robert Pattinson

There is little more than aday to go before The Batman, Matt Reeves' highly anticipated film about the fate of Gotham City's masked vigilante, hits theaters, and curiosity is definitely sky-high. Not only because fans of the DC comics are waiting to see how the story of the mysterious hero will be interpreted this time - especially after the release of a new trailer in recent days - but also because to dress his shoes will be a new Robert Pattinson, casting choice not at all obvious. On the one hand we have the large, penetrating eyes and the face that reflects 92.15% of the canons of perfection of the golden section (according to the London cosmetic surgeon Julian De Silva), but also a depth of a role that will have to contend with the version more fists and somersaults of the iconic Christian Bale in the trilogy signed Christopher Nolan. On the other, Pattinson's acting journey, which could almost fit into a sixteenth chapter of Ovid's Metamorphoses never given to print for ever new and innovative developments, including this one.

Since his debut on the big screen in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005, Pattinson has come a long way, going from the (almost) unnoticed Cedric Diggory to the star of the Millennial era thanks to the success of the mysterious character of Edward Cullen in the Twilight saga.  How can we forget the covers of Cioè, the Italian Y2K magazine par excellence, the close-ups alongside "his" Bella, the titles such as "The Secrets of Vampires" and the epic school feuds between Team Ed or Team Jacob, in which often the winner was always the melancholy look of the young Pattinson? In those years Robert was on the throne of the celebrities of the first millennium, king of platonic crushes and of the walls of the bedrooms, a label that soon became narrow and that he tried to shake off with more and more experimental choices of work, away from the spotlight that made him famous but closer to quality artists. The English actor has starred in films directed by great filmmakers such as Maps to The Star and Cosmopolis by David Cronenberg, Queen of the Desert by Werner Herzog, Life by Anton Corbijn or The Lighthouse by Robert Eggers, even with minor parts, collecting a series of performances that have made him shine for an artistic talent and emerge a deeply controversial character. Among the brackets of his path there is also the one as a singer, then ended badly, so Robert even thought of abandoning the profession of actor between 2009 and 2010. On the other hand, it was he who composed some of the pieces of the Twilight soundtrack including Never Think, Let Me Sing and Bella's Lullaby as well as founding a London-based music band called Bad Girls.

Pattinsons career over the years has been defined by a combination of ingenuity, tenacity and relative fame. Beyond his bold choices and masterfully planned escape attempts, his fans couldn't help but notice how his public persona has remained as endearing as it is bizarre. Maybe it's that unconventional way of doing things, or the naturalness with which he breaks the link with the image of the perfect guy built for him at the time of his debut, but Pattinson is as much icon as living meme. In support of this thesis, the photo in Adidas tracksuit during the set of Good Time, a shot retweeted so many times that will live forever in the infamy of the most famous bird of the social, or the time he was immortalized while sleeping in a dog cage. But there are also the many unhappy (and memorable) outings he had during some interviews, like the one to Crème Magazine in 2009 in which Pattinson revealed, "I had a stalker while shooting a movie in Spain. I was so bored and lonely that I went out to dinner with her. I just complained about everything in my life and she never came back." Among others in 2017, he instead lied on live TV about witnessing the death of a circus clown when he was a child, revealing a week later that the story was made up. The actor's self-narrative is strange and engaging, continually enticing you to follow along.

Even in terms of style, Robert is rather unconventional and alternates classic pieces with decidedly street and apparently less thought-out elements. A Dior face, he appears on the red carpets almost always in the monochromatic power suit of the Maison d'Oltralpe or broken up by particular styling such as Bermuda shorts instead of long pants and shirts with a mandarin collar. On the streets, instead, he opts for simplicity by wearing sneakers, boxy outerwear, hooded hoodies and jeans. Among the other must-haves there are definitely beanie hats, baseball caps and dark glasses, favorite items also to blend into the crowd when walking next to his partner, the British model Suki Waterhouse. And more leather, Chelsea boots, metallic accessories, layering games and strong elements linked to the indie hipster world, perhaps a reference to that musical universe strongly linked to the cultural and artistic background of the actor. Stylistic metamorphoses at major events and beyond that have led him, in line with his image made of style choices without rules, to become a true - and unconscious - style icon.

In short, ups, downs and flights of fancy. A bit 'what you expect to see in any self-respecting Batman and with the new film Pattinson seems ready to return not only in the loop of blockbusters, but also in the spotlight of the world. In a recent interview for GQ - whose photo shoot focused attention on the web - Robert revealed what it was like to work the last two years on the world's most famous bat character, amidst the difficulty of the undertaking and hiccups due to Covid. He tells that on the set they had even built him a small tent where he could go and relax. Most of the time hespent his time doing strange things in the bat costume. Even in the well-known editorial, shot by Jack Bridgland with styling by Mobolaji Dawodu and J. Tietz, it is clear that Robert is now far from the image of the perfect boy that for a long time has been, perhaps unfairly, put on him. Shots that portray him in bleached hair, broken nose and with a smile made metallic by silver capsules, while he gets tattoos on his arm or is mirrored in a bathroom smeared with graffiti. Even the lighting chosen for the set emphasizes the drama of each moment by reinforcing the vibrant blocks of color that accompany the various bad boy looks. Strong images like Robert's new character who is now ready to pierce the screen.

Now we have to see what future awaits for the British star. In the meantime, we just have to go to the movies: Robert Pattinson is back.