Robert Pattinson opened up about shaving his head for his most recent post-Twilight film The Rover, with director David Michôd calling the haircut “horrific.”

Robert Pattinson's New Haircut In 'The Rover'

Pattinson became an overnight sensation by playing Edward Cullen in the popular Twilight films, but has been slowly breaking out of his teenage heartthrob image with grittier roles – Water for Elephants (2011), Cosmopolis (2012). The Rover, from writer/director David Michôd, marks Pattinson’s first feature film release since the release of the last Twilight film, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 in 2012, and Pattinson appears happy to leave his Edward Cullen look behind.

Throughout the filming of Twilight, Pattinson kept his hair relatively long due to filming and shocked fans when he suddenly shaved his head for The Rover. Pattinson said he loved the look, telling E! News, “It’s like the skin on the back of your neck, it’s nice. I always loved that feeling when you shave your head and you go in the shower for the first time. It’s one of the most incredible experiences.”

In the film, Pattinson plays Rey, a Southern bad boy who finds himself shot and abandoned by his brother in the Australian outback after a robbery gone wrong. Set 10 years after a global economic collapse, The Rover co-stars Guy Pearce as a rogue Australian who enlists Rey to help him retrieve his car from Rey’s brother.

Pattinson and Michôd spoke at length about what Rey should look like, eventually deciding on the shaved head look.

“We talked a lot about the haircut. It says a lot about you that you could make that horrific haircut actually look kind of cool,” added Michod.

In another interview, Pattinson revealed that he knew immediately how he wanted his character to look onscreen.

“[As] soon as I got it, I knew what I wanted the clothes to be, what I wanted the look to be – I knew everything. I wanted someone who couldn’t quite fulfill his emotions. He’s just constantly stuck between two things,” Pattinson explained.

The Rover opens in theaters Friday, June 20.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.