These Internet Boyfriends are turning Cannes (and the Internet) upside down!
A burst of laughter, a knowing glance… and the Cannes Film Festival enters a new mythology. It wasn’t the haute couture gowns or the films in competition that set the networks ablaze in May 2025. But an unexpected phenomenon: the almost cinematic appearance of four actors who have become the ultimate “Internet boyfriends”. Austin Butler, Pedro Pascal, Robert Pattinson and Harris Dickinson did more than pose: they embodied a collective dream.
When virility becomes vulnerable (and viral)
What fascinates? Their chemistry, palpable, almost scripted. They laugh, brush against each other, listen to each other. On the Croisette or at confidential dinner parties, their natural closeness breaks with the ultra-mastered veneer of Hollywood glamour. Pedro Pascal, the affectionate “daddy” par excellence, seems to watch over the group. Robert Pattinson, always halfway between sarcasm and tenderness, is effortlessly amusing. Austin Butler distills a golden Old Hollywood elegance, while Harris Dickinson seduces with an almost savage authenticity.
Together, they don’t just represent a generation of actors – they embody a new masculinity: sensitive, expressive, complicit.
Cultural… and emotional figures
The term “Internet boyfriend” is not just a compliment. It expresses a deep digital attachment, an intimate projection onto public figures perceived as accessible and reassuring. These men, each in their own way, tell us something about ourselves: our emotional expectations, our romantic narratives, our need for icons that are both powerful and human.
At Cannes, this quartet transformed simple stolen moments into emotional short films. Their presence created a parallel narrative, fed by social networks, TikTok montages and emotional hashtags. A narrative that goes beyond cinema.
When Cannes becomes living fan fiction
More than a buzz, this encounter became a collective experience. And in this overexposed world, their fleeting complicity reminded us of something precious: spontaneous emotion hasn’t disappeared. It can still arise, between two flashbulbs, in the blink of an eye.
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