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Hollywood News Updated Jul 12, 2026

Robert Pattinson Explains Why He Loves Playing Villains

Robert Pattinson has shared that he enjoys playing villainous roles to lower people's expectations. The 40-year-old actor relishes challenging perceptions by portraying antagonists like Antinous in 'The Odyssey' and Scytale in 'Dune: Part Three'. He follows the motto "undersell and overdeliver" and finds unique quirks in his characters. Pattinson also revealed he didn't recognize his co-star Zendaya while filming 'The Odyssey'.

Robert Pattinson shares why he loves playing the villain

Los Angeles, July 11

Hollywood actor Robert Pattinson doesn't like to play up to people's expectations. The actor has shared that he loves to "lower people's expectations" of himself by playing a villain.

The 40-year-old actor relished playing Antinous, the main antagonist in Sir Christopher Nolan's epic 'The Odyssey', and also shapeshifting Scytale in Dune: Part Three because he enjoys challenging perceptions, reports 'Female First UK'.

Asked if he likes exploring his bad side, he told' People' magazine, "I do. I like lowering people's expectations; that's always my favourite, that's always my place to be. Undersell and overdeliver, that's my motto".

As per 'Female First UK', however, he stressed that Antinous, who vies for the affections of Penelope (Anne Hathaway) in the years her husband Oydsseus (Matt Damon) is missing, isn't "really" a bad guy.

He said, "I don't think he's really the bad guy. I think he's just like. It's a love story, it's a love story. Penelope is just waiting for Antinous to get older".

Robert revealed he also likes to find a "quirk" in his characters to help get comfortable and make the roles his own.

He said, "There's always one little thing that you kind of do every movie, I always find some kind of little quirk. I'm trying to remember what it was on this. I remember doing something which a lot of people thought I was very strange doing, but I can't remember (what)".

The British actor is joined in both 'The Odyssey' and 'Dune: Part Three' by his The Drama co-star Zendaya. But Robert admitted he "didn't even recognise" his friend when she was filming 'The Odyssey'.

— IANS

Reader Comments

Priya S

Honestly, I've never been a huge fan of him playing villains - it feels too predictable now. But I'm excited for The Odyssey! Nolan's films are always visually stunning. Hope he brings something fresh to Antinous besides just being the "bad guy." Sometimes actors use this philosophy to hide behind quirky choices instead of delivering a solid performance.

Michael C

"Lowering people's expectations" - that's a great marketing tactic! I remember when Rajinikanth did something similar before his role in Robot. The audience was blown away. If Pattinson brings that same energy to Dune, we're in for a treat. His Scytale could be the most interesting villain in the franchise!

Emma D

I find it fascinating that he didn't recognize Zendaya on set! That shows how immersive his process is. Indian cinema needs more actors who fully commit to their roles like this. Unlike some Bollywood stars who just play themselves in every movie. 😅

Rohit P

What I respect about Pattinson is that he doesn't chase box office hits. He took Twilight money and now experiments with complex roles. Reminds me of Nawazuddin Siddiqui who always chooses challenging parts over commercial success. Villains are the real heroes of cinema - they make the story interesting! 👏

Kavya N

Is it just me or does anyone else feel these Hollywood actors overthink things sometimes? We have so many great villain actors in Indian cinema like Amrish Puri who made it look effortless. They didn't need to talk about "quirks" or "lowering expectations" - they just delivered. Still, excited to see what he does in

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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