Is Robert Pattinson the New Ethan Hawke??



From EW

During interviews for EW’s upcoming cover story on New Moon, Robert Pattinson revealed that he and I have something most trivial and intriguing in common: an appreciation of the 1994 Gen X drama Reality Bites. “I really like Ethan Hawke in it. And I liked Winona Ryder. Actually, I liked everything,” he told EW senior writer Karen Valby. “[I was] watching my older sister and her friends when I was 12 and thinking it was all really cool. Like the scenes in their apartments with the candles in the wine bottles. I wish that was still cool—now it’s just silly pretentiousness. I just wanted to put a candle in a wine bottle.”

Sure, Pattinson has enough clout at this point to stick as many candles in wine bottles as his undead heart desires, but this aside did get me thinking about Ethan Hawke and Robert Pattinson and the pantheon of twenty-something cinematic heartthrobs through the years. As I said, I too am a Reality Bites fan, both on the movie’s merits and because of the impressionable age at which I first saw it. Remember that run in the early 90s when Ethan Hawke (who also starred in another Gen X gem Before Sunrise) represented the male ideal of a certain time and place? Remember the grungy, thrift store chic with the long, slightly-greasy hair always getting pushed back, only to fall in his face again? The disaffected, but soulful, sort-of poet, kind-of musician? It’s funny to think of an adolescent Pattinson absorbing these cues and emerging 15 years later (15!) as a different spin on a similar song. His Edward Cullen is a little more cleaned-up than Hawke’s Troy Dyer, but the handsome brooding rings a bell, (not to mention the obsession with his hair — it’s not for nothing that Pattinson notes that his unruly pompadour is really the result of his admittedly poor personal hygiene.) I supposed you can trace this kind of angsty dreamboat all the way back to James Dean if you really wanted. But what do you think: Is it fair to see a movie lineage between Hawke and Pattinson? Who else falls into this line of grungy Hollywood heartthrobs?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love Reality Bites! And I could totally see Rob in movies such as the great Before Sunrise/Before Sunset. There is something very 'real' about those movies

Suz said...

Wait!!?? Is there really a Hobo Mag?

Holy Shizzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

We got the cover for from Jan-Dec right here!

Unknown said...

Oh GAWD I hope not! I never liked Ethan Hawke..........

PhinPhan said...

I absolutely loved Realty Bites and Ethan Hawke (SMART IS SO SEXY in his case). In fact I think the Ethan/Wynona kiss in that movie is one of the BEST movie kisses ever. And you are so right, Ethan Hawke & Robert Pattinson have much in common, although I think Ethan was a little more worldly & real-life brooding then Rob seems to be. Both are sexy, musical, attractive, but Rob seems to be way more cheerful and open than Ethan. Love them both.

rpattzgirl survived Rob! said...

I hate comparisons, but I like Ethan Hawke (or used to anyway) loved him in training day...

but, yeah, the hobo likeness..yep, except Rob way more sexy hobo

Karina said...

Ew, Ethan Hawke is a pretentious twat. He always talked crap about his wife--WHEN THEY WERE STILL MARRIED. It was awful, Uma Thurman would say the kindest things, and he'd say crap about how hard it was to be married to a woman who stole his spotlight. And then bonus points for knocking up their nanny, classy.

He's a good actor, I know he's written books and sorta multi-talent, but he's a serious twat. Robert's way more likeable and not arrogant like him.

lane said...

i, for one, am totally stoked to hear that rob loves 'reality bites'. that's where i got my nickname, "lane", after winona's character, lelaina.

*jots down brownie points for rpattz*

RPLover said...

yeah, I'm not sure about Ethan Hawke as a person, but I do think he's a great actor and Reality Bites is truely one of my favorite movies...it is soooo cool that Rob likes it, too! I loved Janeane Garofalo and Steve Zahn in this movie, and the sex scene is so hot, even though it's just a close up of their faces...

I would lovelovelove it if Rob were to do something similar to this, I know that it's really 90's but I really think it's still a relevant movie, and so funny!

 
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...