He made early screen appearances in supporting roles, including in Vanity Fair (2004), and played Cedric Diggory in the fantasy film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005).

He secured his first role in a play titled Spell for a Rhyme, written by one of his teachers, and later appeared his school's adaptation fo William Golding's Lord of the Flies.

[12][13] In his free time, he enjoyed playing football, computer games and watching television shows, with his favourites including Sharky and George, Doctor Who and Hammerman.

[19][20][21] In his late teens, Pattinson performed acoustic guitar sets at open mic nights in pubs across London where he sang his own written songs.

[22][23] At the age of thirteen, Pattinson joined the Barnes Theatre Company, a local amateur theater group, after his father encouraged him to participate to help overcome his shyness.

[45] He played a World War II pilot who is shot, left paralyzed, and suffers from severe shell shock, eventually descending into madness.

[46] His performance received positive reviews, with The Stage noting that he portrayed "the airman of the title with a perfect combination of youthful terror and world-weary cynicism".

In the film, Robert portrayed Daniel Gale, a shy young man who develops feelings for Charlotte, a girl struggling with issues after being dumped by her boyfriend and experiencing difficulties with her mother.

[49][50] In the film, Art, who, after being dumped by his girlfriend, moves back in with his parents and convinces a Canadian self-help guru to relocate to London to help him rebuild his life.

[53] The film mostly received negative reviews; the Toronto Star's Greg Quill stated that "even cinematographer Adam Suschitzky's richly textured and resonantly toned cityscapes and rural scenes can't make up for a flawed script and weak performances in what might have been a powerful historical drama".

The New York Times's Manohla Dargis described Pattinson as a "capable and exotically beautiful" actor,[62] while Roger Ebert noted that he was "well-chosen" for the role.

[73] Bill Goodykoontz of the Arizona Republic mentioned that "Pattinson's actually not in the film that much, but he does his best when he's around",[74] while The Washington Post's Michael O'Sullivan praised his acting as "uniformly strong".

[78] Directed by Allen Coulter and co-written by Jenny Lumet, the romantic drama follows a young couple navigating their relationship in the aftermath of a family tragedy.

[79] Pattinson's role in the film received mixed reviews; Associated Press writer Jake Coyle stated that he "indeed [had] an indecent level of movie charm" but "pour[ed] it on thickly and self-consciously".

Richard Corliss of Time described Pattinson as "shy and watchful" and noted that he "radiates a slow magnetism that locks the viewer's eyes on him", ultimately referring to him as having "star quality".

[85] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle commended Pattinson for holding his own as the lead in a major feature, calling him "endlessly watchable".

[89] On Rotten Tomatoes, only 24% of the 188 reviews were positive, with the site's consensus stating that while the film had its "slow, joyless, and loaded with unintentionally humorous moments, Breaking Dawn – Part 1 [...] is strictly for fans of the franchise".

Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph hailed it as a "sensational performance", stating that Pattinson portrays the character Eric Packer "like a human caldera; stony on the surface, with volcanic chambers of nervous energy and self-loathing churning deep below".

[97] Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman noted that Pattinson, "pale and predatory even without his pasty-white vampire makeup", delivered his lines with "frigid pensées" and "rhythmic confidence".

Scott Foundas of Variety said that "Pattinson who turns out to be the film's greatest surprise, sporting a convincing Southern accent and bringing an understated dignity to a role that might easily have been milked for cheap sentimental effects."

"[124] In late 2015, Pattinson appeared in Brady Corbet's directorial debut film The Childhood of a Leader, alongside Bérénice Bejo and Stacy Martin.

Guy Lodge of Variety described it as his "career-peak",[138] Eric Kohn of Indiewire called it "his Career-Best"[139] and David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter drew comparisons with Al Pacino's Sonny Wortzik in Dog Day Afternoon, and ultimately noted it as "his most commanding performance to date.

[162][163] He played Louis, The Dauphin, who served as the nemesis of Henry V. For the role, Pattinson adopted a French accent, which he based on the fashion industry people of France.

[167] Boyd van Hoeij writing for The Hollywood Reporter called his character as "a rather flat supporting role", while The Guardian described his performance as "stiff" and "over-articulated".

[168][169] Pattinson starred as a spy handler in Christopher Nolan's Tenet (2020), alongside John David Washington, and it marked his return to big-budget films.

Collaboraters included directors Romain Gavras, Frédéric Sofiyana, and The Blaze, and photographers Peter Lindbergh, Nan Goldin and Mikael Jansson.

[198][199] In February 2016, he was also announced as the first ambassador of Dior Homme menswear and appeared in multiple of the brand's print collection campaigns, photographed by Karl Lagerfeld, Peter Lindbergh and David Sims.

[206] The songs were included in the film after director Catherine Hardwicke added Pattinson's recordings into an early cut without his knowledge, and he agreed that "one of them specifically, it really made the scene better.

[239] During the first lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020, Pattinson donated to GO Campaign emergency funds, that were used to provide food and hygiene products to vulnerable families in London and Los Angeles.

[280][281] Pattinson along with his Twilight co-stars, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner put his signature, hand and foot prints in wet concrete at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on 3 November 2011.