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Four years ago Robert Pattinson's vignette in Vanity Fair hit the cutting room floor. Now he's set to become one of the actors of the decade, taking the lead in the phenomenally successful vampire love flick, Twilight, and playing Cedric Diggory in the upcoming Harry Potter. It's all happened so fast, he tells Donald Clarke

HERE IS a sad story. Four years ago, Robert Pattinson, then just 18, secured a role in Mira Nair's lavish adaptation of Vanity Fair. When the night came for the premiere, he slapped down his unruly hair, polished his shoes and stepped out proudly for Leicester Square.