'Twilight' star Robert Pattinson bites back at criticism movies 'ruined the vampire genre'

Robert Pattinson isn't letting the haters get under his (sparkly) skin.

The British actor, who starred as vampiric heartthrob Edward Cullen in the "Twilight Saga" franchise, weighed in on continued criticism of the films in an interview with GQ Spain published Tuesday.

"I love that people keep telling me, 'Man, 'Twilight' ruined the vampire genre,'" Pattinson told the Spanish outlet in a translated interview.

Based on Stephenie Meyer's young-adult series and starring a then-unknown cast, the supernatural love story of Cullen and teen girl Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) roared to a stunning $70 million weekend box-office debut when "Twilight" swooped into theaters in November 2008.

The Catherine Hardwicke-directed film spawned four additional blockbusters — 2009's "New Moon," 2010's "Eclipse," 2011's "Breaking Dawn — Part 1" and 2012's "Breaking Dawn — Part 2" — that raked in $3.4 billion at the global box office.  The star-crossed romance of Cullen and Swan, which included an angsty love triangle with werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), inspired legions of "Twihards" to declare their allegiance as members of "Team Edward" and "Team Jacob."

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But the franchise also drew intense criticism for its reimagining of vampire lore. Unlike the gruesome, bloodthirsty creatures of classic films and literature, Cullen and his family abstain from drinking the blood of humans. Additionally, Cullen's ageless skin sparkles when exposed to sunlight.

On the silver screen, this pop cultural rebuke took center stage in the 2010 horror comedy "Vampires Suck," which parodied the franchise. The film, helmed by 20th Century Fox, grossed $80.5 million worldwide.

Pattinson told GQ Spain he is baffled by the vitriol the franchise continues to attract: "How can you be sad about something that happened almost 20 years ago? It's crazy."

Despite its critics, the "Twilight Saga" has experienced a resurgence in recent years. All five of the franchise's films cracked Netflix's top 10 most-watched list in 2021 when they were added to the streaming platform. Meanwhile, an animated series based on the Cullen-led spin-off "Midnight Sun" is in development at Netflix.

"I find it a fascinating phenomenon. I mean, I can't believe it," Cullen said. "I think this renaissance has emerged in Korea and has happened a bit like with K-pop, which has taken off in Korea, but then has seduced a young Western population. I have a hard time believing the cultural relevance that these movies maintain because they are so old."

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Pattinson, who has spoken about the anxiety he faced during the height of the films' popularity, reflected on this renewed interest in a 2019 interview with USA TODAY.

"It's lovely now that the mania is not so intense," Pattinson said. "People come up (to me) and just have very fond memories of it. It's a really sweet thing. I think the only scary part was right in the thick of it all, when it was very, very intense. Now the intensity has died down and it's just very warm memories."

Contributing: Bryan Alexander, Jenna Ryu and Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Robert Pattinson on criticism 'Twilight' movies 'ruined' vampire genre