Robert Pattinson believes the Twilight movies are a metaphor for sexual abstinence.

The 23-year-old star’s character, vampire Edward Cullen, is unable to have a sexual relationship with a human because he fears that if he goes further than a kiss, his emotions and the power of his body may injure his beloved.

But the British actor thinks the abstinence makes the films even sexier, because the central characters are unable to do anything about their lust for one another.

“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.”

The books which the films are based on were written by Stephenie Meyer, a Mormon who does not believe in sex before marriage. The latest film in the series, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, has already taken over $230 million and has turned Robert, the leading man, into a global heartthrob.