Robert Pattinson has fans laughing after his cheeky answer to a question about his role in The Odyssey.
The actor has built a reputation not just for his performances, but also for the dry, unpredictable way he handles interviews. Over the years, he’s become known for saying wildly unexpected things with a straight face, and that same energy was on display again while promoting his newest movie.
At the premiere for The Odyssey, Pattinson, who appears as Antinous in Christopher Nolan’s take on the story, was asked by MTV UK about playing someone audiences are unlikely to support.
“How fun is it to play a character that everyone is not rooting for?”
Pattinson replied:
“I think they will be rooting for him. I can compare him to… It’s kind of like Jacob in Twilight.“
He then doubled down with an even more outrageous explanation of the plot.
What The Odyssey is about is Penelope just can’t make her mind up between two guys and I’m just trying to help her make a decision,” he continued.
“[…] It’s like it’s fine, he’s dead, get over it.”
The remark quickly got attention online, especially because of the clear nod to Taylor Lautner’s Twilight character, Jacob Black.
One TikTok user said:
“I’m crying he brought up Twilight for ZERO reason.”
Another commented:
“To be fair, ‘he’s dead get over it’ really is Jacob for the entirety of new moon,”
Some fans were simply delighted to hear Pattinson reference the vampire franchise again.
One person wrote:
“He brought up twilight nature is healing.”
Another fan added:
“TWILIGHT REFERENCES WILL NEVER NOT MAKE ME SQUEAL AHHHHHH,”
And another said:
“Not him laughing so hard at his own joke.”
The moment has reignited plenty of nostalgia for the old Team Jacob versus Team Edward era, with Pattinson once again showing he knows exactly how to get a reaction. In the comparison, Pattinson appears to be referencing the fact that both Jacob and Antinous are rivals who have feelings for the female lead despite being presented as less favorable options—Jacob competing with Edward for Bella’s heart, and Antinous vying for Penelope’s affection while her husband Odysseus is presumed dead after the Trojan War.
In the traditional mythology, Antinous is notably the most prominent of Penelope’s 108 suitors and becomes a particularly ruthless antagonist in Nolan’s version, with the character plotting not just to marry Penelope but also to overthrow her son Telemachus. This darker characterization makes him more menacing than the romantic rival Jacob Black, though both characters are competing for the affection of women already committed to other men.
The comparison also hints at Pattinson’s well-documented sense of humor about his past roles. During recent press, Pattinson revealed he experienced imposter syndrome before committing to the role of Antinous, questioning whether he could pull off the villain part despite his extensive experience, which includes prior work with Nolan on the 2020 film Tenet.
The Odyssey is now showing in theaters, having opened on July 17, 2026, with Pattinson appearing alongside Matt Damon as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Tom Holland as Telemachus, Zendaya as Athena, Charlize Theron as Circe, Lupita Nyong’o, and Elliot Page. The film represents Christopher Nolan’s ambitious adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic, with a reported budget of $250 million. Pattinson’s role as the manipulative antagonist marks another departure from his more sympathetic characters, continuing his evolution as an actor willing to embrace darker, more complex parts.