'Eclipse' 's Charlie Bewley: Former Stripper Pole Salesman

Before making his major motion picture debut as the Volturi clan’s mysterious vampire Demetri in New Moon, British-born Charlie Bewley was studying acting in Vancouver and spending his free time pursuing his love of sports and adventure.

Now that he’s starring in the box-office hit The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, here are five things you should know about one of Hollywood’s hottest newcomers:

1. He Doesn’t Get Pattinson’s Appeal
Admitting that he was not a fan of Twilight before joining the cast, Bewley, 29, says that he also didn’t “understand” everyone’s attraction to Robert Pattinson. “I had my acting teacher and all the girls around me just swooning on this English dude in this film,” says Bewley. “I was like, ‘He’s not that good looking. What are you talking about? He is white and he’s got funny hair.’ “

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2. He Grew up on a Farm
Pre-vampire, Bewley was a country boy, helping out on his parents’ farm. The future screen star had no problem feeding animals or stacking hay bales. But the one job he hated: “Mucking out a hens’ shed. That’s a fun job,” he jokes. “You only do that when you really want something out of your mom.”

3. He’s an Adrenaline Junkie
Bewley has tried everything from leaping out of planes to jumping into glacial rivers. “It was a wonderful adventure,” he says. “I just like to keep savvy. Get close to death or sort of understand what it is. You feel more alive when you’re doing that.”

4. He Studied Business in School
Knowing that his father, a sock and lingerie salesman, had wanted his son to follow in his footsteps, Bewley decided to travel to France to study business. Soon after, he got a job at an innovation company, where “I was selling stripper polls … I can’t remember at exactly at what point I sort of pulled away from that whole thing, but it just never resonated within me that that was something that I wanted to do,” he says.

5. He Runs Marathons
After competing in three half-marathons and one Ironman competition, Bewley is about to take it to the next level. “I’m going to try and do a 100-mile marathon in October,” he says. You have to [finish] it in a day so we’ll see if I can do it.”

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