Twilight Shock: Original Edward Almost Lost Role to Harry Potter Star!

Although Robert Pattinson is widely recognized for his portrayal of the iconic vampire in Twilight, co-star Jackson Rathbone initially believed that another Harry Potter actor, not Pattinson, was set to become Edward Cullen. Before his breakthrough role in the Stephanie Meyer-inspired series, Pattinson debuted in film as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005.

Before securing the part, several actors were considered for the role of Edward in Twilight, including Rathbone himself, who was one of the top four contenders. The other candidates included Shiloh Fernandez from Evil Dead and Ben Barnes of Shadow & Bone fame. Although Rathbone did not end up playing Edward, he was cast as another member of the Cullen family, Jasper.

During a ScreenRant-hosted Q&A session at Motor City Comic Con, moderated by Joe Deckelmeier, Rathbone shared his initial assumption about the casting of Edward. He reminisced about his audition process, where he was “pretty close” to landing the role and was even flown to Philadelphia to assist director Catherine Hardwicke in auditioning Kristen Stewart:

Jackson Rathbone: My very first first-class flight, which was incredibly cool. There I am, flying first class with Catherine Hardwicke, whom I greatly respect. I kept thinking, “Stay cool, don’t mess this up.” Then, in Philadelphia, we met Kristen, who was just 16 or 17 at the time — really just a kid. We did the reading in a park and Catherine had me do the spider monkey scene where she jumps on my back.

During the Q&A, which also included co-stars Peter Facinelli, Ashley Greene, and Kellan Lutz, Rathbone humorously revealed that the “spider monkey” line was his idea, inspired by his time with the band 100 Monkeys. He then mentioned that despite his efforts, he did not get the part of Edward, as the team preferred “the Harry Potter guy.”

However, Rathbone initially thought they meant Daniel Radcliffe had won the role. When told it was “the other one,” he humorously considered Rupert Grint as a possible Edward, even jokingly referring to the idea as “Redward.” Ultimately, acknowledging Pattinson as the final choice, Rathbone expressed that he was indeed “the best guy for the part” and fondly recalled how his connection with Hardwicke during the auditions helped him secure the role of Jasper:

Jackson Rathbone: Catherine and I really hit it off. We’re both from Texas, and she insisted, “You need to be Jasper.” At first, I was hesitant, but when they showed me who would be playing Alice, I was convinced by how lovely she was. [Laughs]

While Pattinson and co-star Kristen Stewart have openly discussed their experiences with the Twilight franchise, the casting of either Radcliffe or Grint as Edward would have been a significant challenge. At the time, they were deeply involved in the Harry Potter series, with Half-Blood Prince releasing the same year Twilight was in casting and pre-production phases.

Neither actor had yet started to explore roles outside the Warner Bros. saga like they would after the series concluded. Radcliffe took on roles such as the horror-comedy Horns and Grint appeared in M. Night Shyamalan’s Servant on Apple TV following the Deathly Hallows finale. Had they pursued roles in another fantasy series sooner, Radcliffe and Grint might have faced more skepticism from Twilight fans, who were keen on a faithful adaptation of the novels. Ultimately, many agree with Rathbone’s sentiment that Pattinson was the ideal choice for Edward.