Robert Pattinson only signed up for acting classes to meet girls.

The 'Twilight Saga' actor - who played Edward Cullen in the vampire franchise - admits he was ''horribly shy'' as a youngster, but his father convinced him to train as an actor to overcome his nerves and meet a potential girlfriend.

He said: ''I was horribly shy. One day in a restaurant, my dad overheard a group of pretty girls talking about their acting classes.

''He told me, 'Sign up, you might meet someone!' I did it ... and it worked pretty well!''

Despite starring in one of the biggest film franchises of all time, the 27-year-old hunk - who was previously in a relationship with his 'Twilight' co-star Kristen Stewart - admits he still has to fight for the roles he wants and he cannot rely on his reputation.

He added to French magazine Madam Figaro: ''I still have to do castings to convince some directors that I'm the man for the job. Even six months ago, I was rejected.

''For 'The Rover', I had to fight to land the role. I hope it'll be a success because I loved filming it.

''I owe a lot to chance. I never thought it would happen, but I never doubted good things would happen.''

Pattinson stars in Australian crime drama 'The Rover' with Guy Pearce, Scoot McNairy and Gillian Jones.