Robert Pattinson may be all set to be one of the most profitable Batman actors in DC history, but that doesn’t mean he had always picked up the roles he auditioned for. Recalling one particular audition experience, Pattinson recently told GQ about his tryout for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which didn’t go that well when he decided to turn up talking in a fake American accent. While many critics would say not being in a Transformers movie is a bonus for any actor, there is no denying the popularity of the franchise, having grossed over 4 billion dollars to date, and Pattinson probably would not have said no to having his name in the cast list.

Having made his name in the Twilight Saga, Robert Pattinson has spent the last decade trying to escape the clutches of the franchise, with many not wanting to think of him as the serious actor he is. To rectify this, Pattison has spent a number of years choosing to steer clear of big blockbusters and has instead starred in more low-key movies like The Lighthouse, The Devil All The Time and Good Time, which have led to a wave of critical praise and helped him break the chains of Edward Cullen.

Just a few years before his Twilight days came to an end, Pattinson attempted to audition for the sequel to Michael Bay’s Transformers. Rather than going into his auditions with his regular British accent, Pattinson would usually attempt different American ones to stop casting directors who believed he could not pull off roles that required American accents. By the audition, he was just well-known enough that all his vocal adjustment did was confuse the Transformers producers. He told GQ:

“They’d always question it: ‘We’re worried about the accent…’ So I used to always come in as a different person, an American. I’d say, ‘Hi, I’m from Michigan.’ But then I was doing an audition for Transformers 2, right after Twilight had come out and I went in as some guy from Denver. And they called my agent and were like, ‘What’s wrong with him? Why was he doing an improv? A really boring improv?’ ”

The Batman Will Help Robert Pattinson Shake Off The Last Of His Teen Idol Image

Many actors worked against public opinion of them to become a success, such as pop stars Lady Gaga and Harry Styles, who had their fair share of critics following the announcement of their first big film roles, and The Batman seems set to be the movie that finally breaks Robert Pattinson’s ties to Twilight and his teen idol status.

While it is currently unconfirmed whether the film will get a sequel, there is no doubt that is the way The Batman is heading if the opening weekend predictions of $150 million are to be believed. On a worldwide scale, it is looking increasingly likely that The Batman could well become the highest-grossing DC movie of all time. If the predictions are correct, then it is quite possible that Pattinson could become an idol to an entirely different set of fans.