Robert Pattinson has shrugged off any remnant of Twilight vampire Edward Cullen with his most recent role of arrogant, sex-mad billionare Eric Packer in David Cronenberg's Cannes Film Festival entry, Cosmopolis.

It’s a far cry from Twilight and his fans might struggle to identify with him in this new role, though Pattinson isn’t the least bit phased because he wants to break out of the Twilight mould.

"This is a real person, with a history and a past. And the history and the past is not Twilight. It's Cosmopolis. "

The movie centres on Packer on his way to a haircut in Manhattan and having to deal with the crumble of his empire in one day and a threat to his mortality.

Though there are some similarities between Cullen and Packer in that the character’s has a monstrous appetite for wealth.

"It is very easy to say that this character, Eric Packer, is vampire or a werewolf of Wall Street, but really that's rather superficial," explained Pattinson. "He's a real character and a real person in the movie."

Cosmopolis is based on the novel by Don Delillo and is currently on circuit in the US.

Check out the trailer for Cosmopolis below: