Robert Pattinson reveals his favorite meme of himself but admits he still doesn’t get it
LOS ANGELES, CALIFONRIA: Robert Pattinson has been the subject of countless memes since his breakout role in 'Twilight,' but one particular image continues to leave the actor both amused and confused.
While promoting his new film 'Primetime,' Pattinson opened up about the meme he still does not understand and explained why it makes him feel like a “boomer.” The actor also reflected on the broader culture of memes surrounding his career.
Robert Pattinson recalls the 'Good Time' tracksuit meme
Pattinson told Entertainment Weekly that his personal favorite is "one from a fitting from Good Time, which I still to this day do not understand. It’s one of those things where it makes me feel very, like, boomer, where I’m like, I don’t get it.”
'The Batman' star was referring to the meme commonly known as 'tracksuit Robert Pattinson,' which was first posted on Instagram by 'Good Time' director Josh Safdie in 2017. The image shows Pattinson wearing an Adidas track jacket and camo pants while standing alone in a kitchen and looking awkwardly at the camera with his hands at his sides.
Safdie has since deleted the Instagram account. The image became popular several years later after a Twitter user shared it with the caption, “my bf came over LOL he’s so crazy!!”
The post has since received more than 101,000 likes. Pattinson remains confused by its popularity. Referring to the Gen Z “6-7” trend, he said, “I don’t understand. It’s literally nothing; nothing is happening. And yet, that picture became this weird thing.”
He previously referenced the image during Vogue’s 'Off the Cuff' video with Zendaya in March, when she asked him to name a viral meme or conspiracy about himself.
Robert Pattinson's 'Primetime' role embraces meme culture
In 'Primetime,' Pattinson plays 'To Catch a Predator' host Chris Hansen, another pop culture figure associated with meme culture. Director Lance Oppenheim told Entertainment Weekly that Pattinson discovered Hansen through a meme shortly after moving to America, just before 'Twilight.'
Even before 'Primetime' reached theaters, clips and still images of Pattinson from trailers and promotional material became viral memes. Many featured him delivering the same lines that had previously made Hansen a meme decades earlier.
Oppenheim acknowledged the connection between Pattinson's role and the film's meme-driven identity. “I’m happy that there’s this mimetic sort of existence,” he said, adding that people seemed to quote movies less frequently in recent years.
He pointed to Pattinson’s now-famous line from Christopher Nolan’s 'The Odyssey,' “Somebody get these beggars out of here,” which has become another signature meme for the actor.
“I’m happy that it’s happening again after enduring for so long people saying movies were dead and pop culture has moved on,” Oppenheim continued. “I think it’s good that we actually have embraced the meme, so to speak. And in order to make a movie about a guy who’s turned himself into a meme, you have to sort of absorb and create your own memes, too.”
