Robert Pattinson Gets Real About Almost Being ‘Turned Off’ From Acting Amid The Hollywood Strikes And More, And Why He’s Feeling Hopeful Again
Robert Pattinson’s upcoming sci-fi movie Mickey 17 looks to be an absolute must-see this year. Based on the arrival of the first trailer, the Bong Joon-ho movie already appears to be a riot. It sees the British actor dying again and again from each space mission, all while donning a quirky, offbeat American accent. However, Mickey 17’s suffered multiple release date delays, which caused Pattison to get almost “turned off” from acting, but filled with renewed hope later.
Hollywood and audiences suffered when the entertainment industry went through many pauses. Starting in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to major movie release delays and early digital releases. Then, the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes majorly messed with movie release schedules , such as Mickey 17, which was supposed to be released in March 2024. With all of the frustrating pauses Hollywood was hit with, Mickey 17’s lead Robert Pattison got real with Vanity Fair about how his 2025 movie release’s multiple delays almost had him “turned off” from acting:
It’s strange because the last few years for the film industry, starting with COVID and then the strikes, everyone was constantly saying cinema is dying. And quite convincingly. I was literally almost turned off. It actually started to get a little worrying.
I can understand where Robert Pattison was coming from at the time. As movie theater chains like Cinemark were closing down during the pandemic and films were quick to release on streaming services, it made being an audience member less fun. Plus, I’m sure plenty of actors faced upsetting challenges during the confusion of the pandemic and the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, such as job losses, productions put on hold and uncertainty about the future. It’s no wonder all of these pressures caused The Lighthouse actor to be “turned off.” You can’t help but ponder if this was the new world of cinema where the slightest interruptions that affect the masses can negatively affect an acting career in an instant.
Fortunately, Robert Pattinson has not hit early retirement just yet. He continued telling Vanity Fair what it was in 2024 that gave him hope that his future is bright in the entertainment industry:
Then looking in the last few months, there’s this flurry of very ambitious movies. I feel like the stuff that’s going to get nominated for Oscars this year is going to be really interesting, and it seems like there’s suddenly a new batch of directors who the audience is excited about as well. Hopefully Mickey will come out in a period of enthusiasm for cinema.
As for what movies Robert Pattison is looking forward to this year, he recalled the Norwegian thriller Armand about parents and school staff getting together to discuss an alleged fight between two boys. Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel’s directorial debut has already won the Caméra d’Or for Best First Feature Film and is a Norwegian entry for Best International Feature at this year’s Oscars. Pattinson also mentioned the Golden Globe winner The Brutalist, directed by Brady Corbet and another big awards season nominee, Anora, directed by Sean Baker. The Good Time actor made a great point about new directors shaping a new meaning of cinema through each of their attention-grabbing projects. I’m certain that Mickey 17 will achieve that same effect from the Parasite director.
With the insurmountable talent Robert Pattinson has, it’s a huge relief he hasn’t given up on acting despite the Hollywood pauses that have occurred. After all, I believe Mickey 17 will continue to show the Remember Me actor’s range that’ll further remind audiences what star talent is and that cinema is still alive and well. The upcoming book-to-screen adaptation makes its long-awaited big-screen debut in theaters on March 7th.
