Yahoo News reports that Robert Pattinson is related to the original inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Vlad the Impaler. Pattinson is related, as distant cousins, to Princes William and Harry of the United Kingdom. The two heirs to the throne are in turn related to their distant uncle Vlad the Impaler.
In an even stranger twist of Fate, the author of the Twilight series, Stephanie Meyer, is also related to the two Princes. Perhaps playing the role of Edward Cullen in the Twilight saga was in Pattinson’s blood quite literally. Ancestry.com made the discovery about the connections to the young adult novels about a clan of vampires in the northwest part of the state of Washington. One of the clan, Edward Cullen, marries a human woman Bella Swan. Twilight: Eclipse comes out in theaters June 30.
Robert Pattinson is the latest, and perhaps hunkiest, man to play a vampire ever in the history of Hollywood. Here’s a look at how he compares to other famous men who have sunk their teeth into the roles of vampires in the movies.
Bela Lugosi
Hungarian-born Bela Lugosi starred in Dracula, made in 1931 and has since become a classic of monster films. The stage actor was legendary in his native country and played Dracula on Broadway for three years from which he landed the movie role.
Unfortunately for Lugosi, he played Dracula too well. He was typecast from then on and died impoverished despite the fact that his original Dracula performance was legendary. His last film was that of Plan 9 From Outer Space from one of the worst directors in Hollywood history, Ed Wood.
Gary Oldman
In 1992, Gary Oldman played the titular Dracula in Francis Ford Coppola’s take on the blood drinking bad guy. Oldman does a great Dracula role as not only an incarnation of pure evil that makes a deal with the Devil, but you almost feel for a man who loses his wife who thinks her husband died in a war.
When Dracula sees Mina Murray, she is an image of his late wife and he decides to take her for his own and travels to London. Gary Oldman does a wonderful job of being obsessed with love while having a soul tortured by hundreds of years’ worth of anguish at losing his soulmate.
Brad Pitt
Interview with the Vampire helped launch Brad Pitt’s career even further as he plays the vampire Louis de Point du Lac in Anne Rice’s bestselling novel. An unwitting vampire, Pitt tries to make people like his character despite the dark broodiness he brings to the film. Louis was torn between his love for his former life and trying to come to terms with his powers that have both alienated him and opened his eyes over the centuries.
Pitt’s career took off from there as his cast mates included Tom Cruise and Antonio Banderas, already huge stars in their own right. Pitt’s role solidified him as a star in one of his biggest roles at the time.
Stuart Townsend
One of my favorite vampire actors goes to Stuart Townsend, an almost emo-like vampire from Queen of the Damned. He was stoic, direct, and ruthless which was perfect for the role of Lestat. This role was a breakout one for Townsend to American audiences.
Robert Pattinson reminds me a lot of James Dean. Heck, he even looks like James Dean. His character is certainly that of a rebellious vampire who does things on his own despite what his elders or the rest of his family thinks of him. A perfect combination of cunning, stealth, and grit, Pattinson’s performance may be overly simplistic for Meyer’s novels which focus on Bella Swan. However there is no doubting Pattinson’s star power as the next new Dracula. I hope he finds a wide range of roles by the twilight of his career.
Yahoo News and the Internet Movie Database provided much of the information for this article.
