Robert Pattinson made Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey press tour unexpectedly nostalgic after comparing his villainous character Antinous to Jacob Black from Twilight at the film's London world premiere. The British actor, best known for playing Edward Cullen in The Twilight Saga and Bruce Wayne in The Batman, joked that his Greek myth antagonist is less pure villain and more misunderstood romantic rival.
The comment landed because Pattinson plays Antinous, the chief suitor trying to claim Queen Penelope while King Odysseus is still missing after the Trojan War. Matt Damon stars as Odysseus, Anne Hathaway plays Penelope and the cast also includes Tom Holland, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong'o and Charlize Theron. Universal Pictures' official trailer says Nolan's mythic action epic opens in cinemas on 17 July 2026 and brings Homer's ancient saga to IMAX screens.
A Team Jacob Joke Hits The Red Carpet
Asked how fun it was to play a character everyone is not rooting for, Pattinson immediately challenged the idea that Antinous is impossible to support. "I think they will be rooting for him," he said with a laugh. He then added, "I keep comparing it... it's kind of like Jacob in Twilight," referencing Taylor Lautner's werewolf character, who famously competed with Pattinson's Edward Cullen for Bella Swan's heart.
Pattinson pushed the joke further by framing Penelope's situation like a chaotic YA romance triangle rather than a tragic Greek homecoming story. "Penelope just can't make her mind up between the two guys and I'm just trying to like help her make a decision," he said. He then quipped, "It's fine. He's dead, get over it," referring to Odysseus' long absence while Penelope faces pressure from suitors.
The comparison gives the moment extra internet currency because Pattinson is not just referencing Twilight. He is flipping his own franchise history. After years of being Edward, the brooding vampire boyfriend fans defended online, Pattinson is now jokingly aligning himself with the other side of the love triangle.
Pattinson's Antinous Has Sleazy Glamour
The joke also hints at the kind of performance Pattinson may be bringing to Nolan's epic. Rather than presenting Antinous as a one-note villain, Pattinson appears to be leaning into charm, entitlement and delusion. That makes the Jacob comparison funnier because Antinous is not simply asking to be loved. He is trying to rewrite the story in his own favour.
Pattinson previously said he imagined Antinous with the sleazy energy of James Woods in Casino. 'My character's a little like James Woods in Casino,' he said, while also joking that he wanted 'leopard underpants' visible beneath his costume. For a fashion-facing audience, that detail matters because it suggests Nolan's ancient Ithaca may give Pattinson a more louche, provocative visual identity than the usual sword-and-sandal villain.
Christopher Nolan's Epic Gets A Meme-Ready Villain
The London premiere has already helped position The Odyssey as one of 2026's biggest film events. Early reactions have highlighted Nolan's scale, the IMAX format and Pattinson's performance as Antinous, while the ensemble cast has made the rollout feel like a blockbuster fashion and film moment at once. Recent coverage of the premiere also noted the cast's high-profile red carpet appearance and the film's major mythological staging.
For Pattinson, the quote is more than a throwaway joke. It ties his breakout vampire fame to his current place inside prestige blockbuster cinema, where he can move from Twilight to Nolan without losing his weird, meme-friendly edge. Whether audiences actually become Team Antinous is still uncertain, but Pattinson has already made one thing clear. Even Homer is not safe from a love triangle discourse revival.
