Robert Pattinson Dating Elvis' Granddaughter? 5 Things to Know About Riley Keough

24-year-old actress also happens to be rock 'n' roll royalty in addition to Kristen Stewart's rival (professionally speaking)...

By Natalie Finn Jul 03, 2013 12:02 AMTags
Robert Pattinson, Riley KeoughGetty Images

Robert Pattinson has known Riley Keough for some time, so it's unclear just how much their recent hangout means in the romance department.

But regardless of whether Pattinson has more-than-friendly eyes for the model-actress, Keough has ensured just by being mentioned in the same sentence as the Twilight heartthrob that rabid R.Pattz fans (not to mention disgruntled Robsten diehards) are going to want to know more about her.

Here's a freebie for starters: Her real first name isn't Riley. It's Danielle. She goes by her middle name.

And without further adieu, here are five more things to know about Riley Keough:

1. She's a Princess of Rock 'n' Roll: If Pattinson could choose another profession over acting, he's given every indication that it would be music-related—and Keough is as close to rock royalty as it gets. Her mom is Lisa Marie Presley and, news flash, that makes her Elvis Presley's granddaughter. (Oh, and Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage were both briefly stepdads.) Born in 1989, she never met her granddad, who died in 1977. But while she's not one for singing like her mom, you can easily see her iconic genes—especially in that precious pout of hers, which she showed off alongside Lisa Marie and grandma Priscilla Presley on the August 2004 cover of Vogue when she was 15. She's not without her musical talents, though. "It's never really been something I've been drawn to, but I played piano growing up. But not professionally. It's more something I enjoy," she told E! News at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. 

2. She's Kristen Stewart's Pal, Too: You may also recognize her from The Runaways, the 2010 indie film in which Stewart channeled Joan Jett. Keough, in her feature-film debut, played Marie Currie, the twin sister and sometimes-recording partner of Runaways frontwoman Cherie Currie.

3. She's Also Kristen Stewart's Rival: Professionally, anyway. Keough told The Hollywood Reporter last June that she invariably has had to go up against the likes of K.Stew, Lily Collins and Jennifer Lawrence for film roles. "It's definitely challenging," she admitted.

4. Her Modeling Days Are Behind Her: She walked the runway for Dolce & Gabbana as a teenager and was the face of Miss Dior Cherie fragrance (Hey, isn't Rob the face now of Dior's men's fragrance?). But she's all about acting now. In addition to playing a stripper last year in Magic Mike and starring the tom-boyish Jack in Jack & Diane, you'll see her next opposite Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult and Tom Hardy in Mad Max: Fury Road. She plays a character named, fittingly enough, Capable. "Riley is one of the most talented people I've come across," her Magic Mike costar Alex Pettyfer—whom she was also rumored to be engaged to at the time—told THR about her.

5. But About That Badass Lineage...: "I didn't want her to have that shadow where she felt competition and intimidated by anything," mom Lisa Marie said during a joint appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show with her daughter in 2007. "I wanted [my children] to be able to do what they wanted to do." Sure enough, Keough agreed that her family tree wasn't made into "this huge thing" when she was growing up.