Robert Pattinson refuses to be typecast. Crowned “one of the last movie stars” by The New York Times, he’s mastered the art of defying expectations. Since his start as a heartthrob in the Twilight era, Pattinson’s gone off the grid, only to re-emerge in every type of leading role imaginable—from the blockbuster hero in The Batman to the art-house eccentric in The Lighthouse, and the unhinged antihero in Good Time. This spring, the actor will show us yet another side of himself in Mickey 17, a satirical science-fiction feature from Parasite’s Bong Joon-ho. Otherwise, Pattinson has been gravitating toward stability, with 12 years as the ambassador for Dior Homme and a cozy family life with Suki Waterhouse and their baby daughter. To toast the launch of the new fragrance, Dior Homme Parfum, a warm and sensual re-interpretation of the classic, 20-year-old Dior Homme, Pattinson shares his highly organized and carefully structured nighttime routine.
When do you start getting ready for bed?
I’m becoming more and more of a lame ass—it’s getting earlier and earlier. Like 9 or 10 P.M.? I used to be fine with five or six hours of sleep, and now I’m … not … at all.
Take us through your nighttime skin-care routine.
I didn’t even really realize until two years ago that you have to wash your face. I’m sure a lot of people would disagree with me about this, but I think there’s something in the ritual that’s quite nice. Especially if you’re getting bouts of facial dysmorphia where you’re like, “Oh, my God, I look like Haggard.” Doing it just before bed, it’s like a prayer—you put on some magic cream and hopefully you’ll wake up the next day and things will be different.
Are you particular about your sleep conditions?
It kind of depends. I used to live in a pigsty all the time, and now I’m hyper-organized. I need to have everything tidy before I go to bed. It’s so strange—I don’t understand what’s happened. It’s like I have a completely different DNA to what I had, like, three years ago.
How about your bed?
I like sleeping with two pillows wedged on either side of my head. But for the sheets and stuff like that, I don’t really care.
What’s one thing you do before bed?
I like working out late at night, at 8:30 or 9:00 P.M., and going to bed immediately after.
Do you watch TV?
I never really do, because I find it too distracting. I like listening to audiobooks, or to things that are at a very particular point of difficulty, like nonfiction that’s just out of my level of understanding. That way I’m kind of interested but my brain can’t quite process it properly, so it eventually just knocks me out. I sort of need to feel like I’m in college.
Do you eat or drink anything?
I don’t really eat past six, especially when I’m working.
How about supplements?
I can’t even believe I have to do all this stuff now. I take Lypo–Spherics. It tastes sort of like you’re drinking rotten carcass or a little rotten oyster … it’s delicious … a really nice thing to do before bed. But they really work.
Do you add any steps when you’re shooting a project?
I very much can’t deal with change. If I’m working, I feel like I want to know exactly how I’m going to feel the next day. I eat the same thing every day. I go to bed at the same time. I literally live the same day every single day. And then when I’m not working, I have no structure for a while. I used to really like not having structure, and now I’m obsessed with it. Especially since having a kid, I want to maximize as much time as possible.
How do you decompress?
I don’t really believe in decompressing until the end of a job. I think it’s much more important to be prepared for the next day. I want to stay in a certain mindset. It’s such a luxury—the nature of the job is that you’re by yourself in a hotel room, and you can really, really focus. When I was younger, I would think, I’ve gotta experience the city and go out and do stuff. Now I’m very regimented and my only focus is the job, which is nice.
Where’s your favorite place to sleep?
Next to my kid. When I’m in bed and she’s in her crib near me, it’s the best.
What’s the best night’s sleep you’ve ever had?
I was shooting Tenet in Mumbai. We’d had a wrap party the night before and been out really late. As I was setting my alarm, I just knew I wasn’t doing it right and that it wasn’t going to go off. I had a flight in the morning and somehow woke up out of nowhere. I didn’t know how to get a taxi or anything, and it was like a billion degrees. There was so much traffic, but somehow I got to the airport. I had missed the flight, but the woman who worked at the airport was a Twilight fan and she was like, “I’m gonna help you.”
I got on a plane and passed out. I had never felt more relieved because I had to work the next day. This is probably not the best night’s sleep … but I slept from Mumbai to L.A., and I woke up as the plane was landing in L.A. Whenever that happens, it’s the greatest thing. It feels like you teleported.
Jeanne Malle is an Associate Editor at Air Mail
