Robert Patterson doesn’t play your average vampire in this month’s highly anticipated film Twilight. By J. Rentilly

Though his wizard-in-training character, Cedric Diggory, suffered a tragic fate in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,the truth is, 22-yearold actor Robert Pattinson leads a pretty charmedlife. As if having scored a role in the hugely popular Potter serieswasn’t fortunate enough, this month, Pattinson will play angst-riddenvampire Edward Cullen in Twilight,which is based on a hit fiction series of the same name by young-adultnovelist Stephenie Meyer. Pattinson modestly attributes his success todumb luck. But we think his dashing good looks, talent, and charm --the latter of which he showed loads of when we spoke with him recently-- have a little something to do with it too.

Inthe past two years, you’ve taken major roles in the film adaptations oftwo blockbuster literary series: the Harry Potter series and the Twilight series. What’s the strategy there? Do you hang out in libraries? I wish I could tell you. I mean, I do like books, but I think it’s just luck.

Are you a lucky guy?I think I am kind of a lucky guy. I remember that when I was younger, Iused to write in my diary, “I want my luck to be spread. Never give meanything too lucky all at once. I’ll take a little luck now and then,but spread it for 70 years.” [Laughs] Now that all of this ishappening, I’m sure the rest of my life will be ruined.

Twilight is a really hot property. Are you getting a lot of public affection these days?I do have a lot of 12-year-old fans. It’s funny because I’ve actuallydone more films that aren’t for kids, but no one’s ever seen them. [Laughs] So I have a very young fan base.

Tell us about your character, Edward.The vampire I play doesn’t really enjoy anything. He’s kind ofmanic-depressive. He doesn’t like being a guy. He doesn’t like being avampire. He can’t really handle anything.

Edward is different from standard cinematic vampires. Where did you find inspiration for the character? You’re right -- there’s very little about Twilightthat’s really vampire-ish. It’s about vampires, I guess, but they’renot the same vampires you’re used to seeing in other movies. I foundmyself looking to real iconic figures and characters, those timeless,attractive figures, for inspiration: James Dean; Jack Nicholson; thatold French film, Breathless.Edward’s an outsider, mysterious, a bad boy -- all the things girlsfind attractive. I wanted to find the qualities that made those actorsand those performances so appealing, so charismatic. I can’t say Imodeled the performance on anything or anyone, but I was looking forcharisma and chemistry and trying to figure out what’s worked before inthe movies.

You’re anaccomplished musician. There have been rumors that the film version of“Bella’s Lullaby,” a critical love song to the story, is a song youwrote. I improvised a piece on the day we were shooting. It obviously wasn’t very good, because they didn’t end up using it. [Laughs]We ended up shooting the scene again with a song that the composer,Carter Burwell, wrote. I do actually have a couple of my songs in themovie, which I completely don’t understand. It’s very bizarre. Thedirector, Catherine Hardwicke, was listening one day to one of my CDs,I guess, and when she showed me an early cut of the film, I realizedshe had used, without my knowledge, one of my songs in the movie. Notin the end credits as some sort of joke but in a key moment in themovie. It all matched perfectly -- the music, the lyrics, the scene. Ihad no idea. More luck, I guess.

Vampirestories are always, fundamentally, about characters that cannot havewhat they most want. Is there anything you want that you can’t get? Nothing. I’m lucky, you know. [Laughs]Really, I don’t mind being unsatisfied. That, in and of itself, is kindof satisfying. But the truth is, I usually get what I want.