When you think of actors who have similar vibes and could probably have swapped careers, the first two that come to mind are not typically Henry Cavill and Robert Pattinson. And yet, here we are. It is a well-known fact that Henry Cavill was author Stephenie Meyer’s ideal pick to play Edward Cullen in the Twilight saga. Maybe you’re wondering what is happening now for this to come up yet again and, well, it’s the internet, so everyone is always thinking about this. It’s me. I’m everyone.
More recently, the what-if quality of this story has resurfaced because Cavill himself spoke about what could have been. Cavill recently did the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, where he talked about his filmography quite a bit. “I didn’t know about them wanting to cast me and the internet wasn’t quite the tool that it is now, and so I only found out afterwards. I was like, ‘Oh okay, that would have been cool,'” Cavill shared. While Cavill apparently had no idea that Meyer thought he’d make for a great Edward, most of us who are perenially online have known about this for more than a decade. Meyer wrote in a 2007 blog post prior to the franchise’s film casting, “Indisputably the most difficult character to cast, Edward is also the one that I’m most passionately decided upon. The only actor I’ve ever seen who I think could come close to pulling off Edward Cullen is Henry Cavill.” The part ultimately went to Robert Pattinson.
This was an intriguing trip down Twilight memory lane—and then Horowitz spoke about how Cavill was also in the running to play the tragic Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter franchise, a role that went to Pattinson. And frankly, it now has me thinking about the universe could be in.
Batman vs. Superman: Clash of the Filmographies
I love Robert Pattinson and I love Henry Cavill. They’re two very different types to me but I love them just the same, and so thinking about either of their career trajectories swapping does make my brain hurt. Still, it’s fun to consider for a moment. Imagine Henry Cavill in Good Time. Imagine Pattinson in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and if you think about all of this for two long, you’ll just scream out into the void. Whether it’s a good scream or a bad scream is up to you.
Things work out for a reason, but now I will be dreaming of a world where Cavill was a brooding Edward Cullen. The casting is a bit wild given how Cavill has a smile that can light up a room but hey, I wouldn’t have minded it. His Geralt of Rivia on The Witcher has plenty of humor but also does a grumpy brood quite well. It did eventually work out because Cavill’s worldwide fame came with Superman (and before that, his role in The Tudors) and he got to understand the screaming fans in the same way that Pattinson did with Twilight.
It is funnier now given Pattinson’s role as Bruce Wayne in The Batman, and while the two are not in the same part of the DC universe, it still is just wild to think about how Batman and Superman have constantly been up for the same roles. What would the world look like if Pattinson had been Superman and Cavill became a latter-day Batman? Oh, now I want to know what Henry Cavill opposite Colin Farrell’s Penguin would be like.
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There is definitely an alternate timeline out there where Cavill has starred in Water For Elephants and Robert Pattinson is Geralt of Rivia, and that is where I would go in the multiverse just for a day. Because oh boy oh boy would that be a fascinating thing to see play out.
(image: Summit Entertainment/Warner Bros.)
