<![CDATA[Updates on the story "Robert Pattinson's Brush With Failure" on Celebuzz]]> Though 3,000 near-rioting fans and a whole lot of moviegoers would be inclined to disagree, fans of Stephenie Meyers' Twilight books originally thought 22-year-old Robert Pattinson was too ugly to play Edward Cullen in the film adaptation. Their wholesale rejection nearly caused Robert to abandon the role.

The Vancouver Sun reports that Twilight diehards took to the Internet when Pattinson was first cast for the part, calling him "ugly" and saying he had "the face of a gargoyle."

The vitriol was so bad that Meyers apologized to Pattinson "for ruining his life."

Uh, ugly? With the face of a gargoyle?

But Pattinson learned to take the criticism in stride. "I was happy when it was a 100-percent negative reaction. I was like—thank you." After being called a bum by one particularly upset fan, Pattinson recalls thinking, "Cool! I'm going to be a character actor instead."

Luckily, Pattinson doesn't sweat the little stuff (at least not most of the time). He's set to claim big-screen immortality when Twilight debuts on November 21.

And that's why fans descended yesterday to the Orland Square Mall's Hot Topic store in Orland Park, Illinois, as their icon (pictured here) signed autographs and answered fan questions.

You've got to realize that the guy is prepared for any career eventuality.

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