Harry Potter: Why Robert Pattinson Once Said He Hates Cedric Diggory
Robert Pattinson has never been shy when it comes to his feelings on specific projects — or anything, really. Remember when he made terrifying microwave pasta and admitted to not working out before "The Batman" in that infamous GQ profile? This explains why he was so open regarding his feelings about his minor but vital "Harry Potter," Triwizard Tournament player and Hufflepuff champion Cedric Diggory.
According to author Virginia Blackburn, who wrote, "Robert Pattinson: An Unauthorized Biography," Pattinson has characteristically strong feelings about Cedric. "I hate him," Pattinson apparently said. "I used to hate everybody like Cedric at my school. I was never a leader and the idea of my being made head boy would have been a complete joke. I wasn't involved in much at school, and I was never picked for any of the teams."
"This is quite difficult," Pattinson concluded. "In the book, and also in my [character's] first introduction in the script, it's like, 'an absurdly handsome 17-year old,' and it kind of puts you off a little bit, when you're trying to act, and you're [also] trying to get good angles to look good-looking and stuff. It's really stupid; you'd think I'm really egotistical. But I think that's the most daunting part about it – it's much scarier than meeting Lord Voldemort."
What do you need to know about Cedric Diggory?
Pattinson's feelings aside, Cedric is, honestly a sort of benign character in the books and films, but he's also incredibly important to the overall narrative. In "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) finds himself competing in the Triwizard Tournament despite the fact that he's entirely too young to be a part of the tournament in the first place — and he's not the only Hogwarts champion. While Harry represents Gryffindor, Cedric represents Hufflepuff, and there's definite resentment in the air; even though Harry truly didn't enter himself into the tournament on purpose, many feel like he's trying to steal Cedric's thunder, and Hufflepuff's as well. This all changes, though, during the tournament's final task.
During a massive, dangerous hedge maze, Harry and Cedric cross paths just before reaching the Triwizard Cup, so they agree to take it together. This turns out to be a deadly mistake; the cup is a Portkey, and it transports them to a graveyard where Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) is ready to return to human form. Since Voldemort didn't expect anyone to come with Harry, he orders that Cedric, or "the spare," be killed, and the young boy's life is cut short. This moment looms large for Harry for the remainder of his life, and it also sets "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," the play and sequel, into motion.
Robert Pattinson has become an A-list actor since Harry Potter
Since appearing in just one "Harry Potter" movie, it's safe to say that Robert Pattinson has become one of Hollywood's most commercially and critically acclaimed stars. His next big project was, of course, the "Twilight" franchise, where he starred alongside fellow future A-lister Kristen Stewart and played Edward Cullen, another character Pattinson famously disliked. After appearing in romantic flicks like "Remember Me" and "Water for Elephants," Pattinson embarked on what can only be described as the delightfully strange part of his career.
He worked with the notoriously inventive Safdie Brothers on "Good Time," tried his hand at sci-fi with Claire Denis for "High Life," and freaked out everybody from David Eggers to Willem Dafoe on "The Lighthouse." Pattinson also worked his way into major commercial yet ambitious fare, winning a leading role in Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" and, as we all know, the lead role in Matt Reeves' 2022 take on the Caped Crusader, "The Batman." Pattinson has his pick of roles these days, so it's safe to assume he won't choose to play Cedric Diggory again in a "Cursed Child" film adaptation or something similar.