Actor Robert Pattinson says he missed out on going to university because he took on the role of student wizard Cedric Diggory in the 2005 movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

"It was so nice to be a part of it. That, more than anything, changed my life. It's the reason I didn't go to university. It went so far over schedule, I couldn't go. It was supposed to be four months, but it ended up being 10 or 11. I'd turn up to set every day but not work for weeks at a time," Pattinson says.

He adds, "I was 17 and I was the only person who wasn't in school. I'd just hang about."

Pattinson is best known for portraying Edward Cullen in the Twilight films. He says he is grateful for the opportunity, but didn't like people 'waiting outside' his house all the time.