London, Nov 28 (ANI): Twilight star Robert Pattinson believes the reason behind the success of the vampire saga is that it teaches that abstinence can be sexy.

Written by Stephenie Meyer, the tale of a girl who falls in love with a vampire started out as a series of best-selling books, but later turned into a movie franchise that is raking in loads of money at the box office.

In the film series, Pattinson plays vampire Edward Cullen and Kristen Stewart, a schoolgirl.

The British actor said the chaste relationship between the two lead characters is the secret of Twilight’s appeal.

“The success of the Twilight books comes from the fact that fans can lust after Edward and yet, certainly in the first book, there’s no actual sexual contact between him and the series heroine.

“Twilight is a big metaphor for sexual abstinence, and yet it’s erotic underneath. There are so many elements in the story which are sexy,” Pattinson told The Daily Telegraph. (ANI)