Robert Pattinson opens up on male beauty standards: 'I once ate nothing but potatoes for two weeks'
From dreamy Twilight vampire to hunky emo Batman, Robert Pattinson has long been seen as an onscreen heartthrob – now, the actor has spoken out against “insidious” beauty standards.
In an interview with the Evening Standard magazine, the 36-year-old got candid on beauty expectations faced by men and young boys, revealing he has “basically tried every fad you can think of” – including a diet entirely of spuds.
“I once ate nothing but potatoes for two weeks, as a detox. Just boiled potatoes and Himalayan pink salt. Apparently it’s a cleanse… you definitely lose weight,” Pattinson said.
“And I tried to do keto once. I was like, ‘Oh, there’s a diet where you just eat charcuterie boards and cheese all the time?’ But I didn’t realise that you can’t have beer as it completely defeats the purpose.”
While the Brit claims to have never struggled with his own body image, he told the Evening Standard that trying to conform to beauty standards is a “very, very easy to fall into that pattern as well, even if you’re just watching your calorie intake.”
“It’s extraordinarily addictive – and you don’t quite realise how insidious it is until it’s too late,” Pattinson said.
In the past, Pattinson has talked openly about his refusal to buff up for film roles – a decision that has landed him in hot water.
“I got in so much trouble for saying that I don’t work out, even from my trainer, who was like, ‘Why would you say that?',” Pattinson said.
In March 2022, the actor told People magazine he had counted his sips of water before filming shirtless scenes in The Batman.
“You just cut down and cut down and cut down [food] before the couple of scenes with your shirt off, and you're counting sips of water,” Pattinson said.
