The cast of Twilight: Robert Pattinson (Edward), Elizabeth Reaser (Esme), Kellan Lutz (Emmett), Peter Facinelli (Dr. Cullen), Nikki Reed (Rosalie), Kristen Stewart (Bella), Ashley Greene (Alice), Jackson Rathbone (Jasper), Cam Gigandet (James), Edi Gathegi (Laurent), Taylor Lautner (Jacob), Rachelle Lefevre (Victoria). Photograph by Peggy Sirota.

Robert Pattinson, 22, plays Edward Cullen, a young vampire on a self-restricted animal-blood diet and Bella Swan's love interest. He fights James's coven of vampires in order to protect Bella from being bitten. Pattinson starred as Cedric Diggory in both Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and played a young Salvador Dalí in the independent film Little Ashes.

VF Daily: Had you read the Twilight books before getting the script?

Robert Pattinson: Not in their entirety before getting the script, no. I did my screen test, had the weekend before my next meeting for it, and read all three over one weekend.

What was your impression of the books at first?

Well, I obviously really liked them, but it is always strange reading a book knowing that I am hopefully going to play the part. It's read in a very different context.

Did you go into the auditions wanting to play Edward?

Somewhat, but I was literally embarrassed walking into the audition. I had no idea how to play Edward at all. I thought that even going into the audition was completely pointless, because they were just going to cast a model or something. I felt it was kind of arrogant of me to even go in. I was almost having a full-on panic attack before I went to the screen test.How did the screen test go?

Casting was really easygoing, and Kristen [Stewart] is also very cool, but at the same time there is something very, very serious about her. I really wasn't expecting the girl who plays Bella to be like her at all. Her professionalism made me keep my mouth shut whenever I wasn't acting. It further gave the illusion of being serious.

What did you do to prepare for your role?

I basically spent two months thinking, "O.K., how can I play this character like he is written and be absolutely nothing like him in real life? How can I get away from the most major aspect of his description—his appearance?" As it is written from Bella's perspective, she describes him in this obsessively lustful way. She does not see a single flaw in him at all. It's a very traditional aspect of first or young love. So, it took me ages to think of it, but it ended up being really simple: if you are in love with someone, you can't see any flaw in the other person. So I finally figured out that I didn't have to play the most beautiful man on the planet, but just play a man in love.

Why is Edward so alluring?

What I never really understood about his attractiveness, especially to young girls, is his gentlemanliness. I thought that teenage girls like the dangerous aspect of males, and so I tried to emphasize the danger and make the more gentlemanly side of this character a veil to something else underneath. I really tried to make him an incredibly strong and powerful character, but at the same time self-loathing and extremely vulnerable.

So you saw Edward as sometimes vulnerable?

Yes. When his life is put into basic terms, he has nothing to live for and all he wants to do is either become a human or die. The only reason that he hasn't died is because he is too scared; he doesn't think that he has a soul. Then he meets Bella, who makes him feel like a human and feel alive again. At the same time, her human vulnerability makes him incredibly vulnerable, because even with his super speed and his super strength, he still can't fully protect her. Whenever she is in danger, he is in danger. If she dies or goes anywhere, then he is gone, too.

What was your favorite scene to shoot?

I knew that there were some scenes where I was going to have to look demonic and have a glare that would scare humans. That was difficult to prepare. My favorite scene that we ended up shooting was this little random one near the beginning where I try and intimidate Bella by being a scary vampire and she doesn't back down at all.

Hometown?

London.

Siblings?

Two sisters, Elizabeth and Victoria.

New York or L.A.?

I like them both for different reasons. They are literally opposite sides of the coin, so it's kind of nice to switch between the two. New York is incredibly frenetic, and nothing ever happens in L.A.

Trademark style?

Looking terrible. Truly, I wear the same thing every day. I don't know how to use a washer machine.

What book are you reading?

Dennis Potter's Ticket to Ride.

Celebrity crush?

I don't know. I am sure that if I did say anyone's name, it would be really embarrassing if I met them.

Favorite kind of music?

A lot of different things, but especially blues.

Favorite movie?

A tie between The Exorcist and One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Do you play any instruments?

Yes, the guitar and the piano.

Mac or P.C.?

I used to prefer Macs, and I have a Mac, but I kind of like the dorkiness of the P.C. commercials.

Do you have any piercings or tattoos?

No.

Do you speak any foreign languages?

I speak French, sort of. At, like, a three-year-old's standard.

Significant other?

No.

What are some of your interests outside of acting?

I play a lot of music. That's what I wanted to do before the acting thing accidentally took off—be a musician. All my best friends are musicians and they have all got their albums and deals, and now I am acting.

What type of music do you play?

Van Morrison–ish, Jeff Buckley–ish stuff.

Do you have any upcoming projects?

I don't want to curse them, but I am doing this thing called Parts Per Billion, which is a kind of existential love story set against the end of the world. It's one of the most lyrical scripts that I have ever read in my life. I am quite looking forward to doing it. It's very different.

More Twilight, only on VF.com:

Interviews: "Twilight Mania," featuring interviews with 12 cast members.

Article: "The Twilight Zone," by James Wolcott.

Article: "A Spotlight on Twilight at the Apple Store," by Andi Teran, featuring a video interview with Robert Pattinson and director Catherine Hardwicke.

Video: "Twilight Idols," behind the scenes at the Vanity Fair photo shoot.