(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Robert Pattinson has been praised for bringing manliness to his Twilight movie role.

The 25-year-old British heartthrob gained international celebrity thanks to his portrayal of mysterious vampire Edward Cullen in the successful film franchise, adapted from the best-selling novels of Stephenie Meyer.

Fans are eagerly anticipating the release of the final two movies in the saga, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 which will be unveiled later this year, with Part 2 following in 2012.

Director Bill Condon has praised Robert for capturing his character's maturity for the final instalments.

"In the beginning, he has this beautiful toast to [Bella] where he talks about, 'You're so lucky if you find that one person who can see you for who you are and still accept you and allow you to move beyond who you've been.' And that's what Rob does in this movie," gushed Bill to MTV News.

"He sort of puts aside Edward's self-loathing and all that stuff and actually becomes a man."

Bill went on to describe some particularly heart-wrenching scenes which involve Edward and Kristen Stewart's character Bella. The moviemaker was especially touched by one sequence where "the camera just holds him for a long time", giving Robert the chance to prove his strong acting skills.

"It's just really powerful," enthused Bill. (C) Cover Media