Robert Pattinson 'almost gave up acting'

Robert Pattinson almost gave up acting because he was unhappy with the roles he was being offered, it has been claimed.

Oliver Irving, who directed the star in How To Be, told People that Pattinson considered switching to a career in music before he was cast in the movie.

Irving said: "He was thinking about giving up acting and maybe doing music solely when this role came along. He wanted to play the roles he wasn't getting.

"He has a playfulness and naivety that he was able to inject into the character. He's very down to earth and unpretentious. I think that's probably what makes him appealing."

The director added that he was impressed by the Twilight star's guitar and harmonica skills.

"He downplayed how good he was. A lot of the time he would turn out to have a really good technique and we told him he needed to play it more simply," he said.