Don’t let R-Patz’s messy hair and five o’clock shadow fool you — the Twilight heartthrob isn’t as much of a dirtball as you all think he is!

He may look like he smells, um, not-so-fresh, but Robert Pattinson, 23, really does go to great lengths for his hygiene. Just ask his someone who’s spent a lot of time with him recently: his Eclipse co-star Bryce Dallas Howard.

“He’s incredibly hygienic,” the actress, 28, who replaces Rachelle Lefevre as villain Victoria in the Twilight series’ third film, told New York magazine on Dec. 10.

Er, how so? Because, though we love him dearly, Rob really does look like he kind of … stinks.

“He told me this story that made me crack up. He was like, ‘Oh, I have to go to the dentist.’ And I was like, ‘Oh no, what happened?” Bryce recalled. “He was like, ‘No, I chipped a tooth.’ And I was like, ‘How?’ And he was like, ‘Flossing.’ Who does that? I don’t even floss. So he’s hygienic. Trust me.”

Bryce, we’ll take your word that Rob brushes his teeth, but that still doesn’t answer whether or not he actually washes his hair … or body. There has to be a reason why rumors persistently popped up on set that R-Patz had a — let’s just say — ‘ripe’ scent.

Do you believe Bryce when she says Rob is “incredibly hygienic?”

Get More on Robert Pattinson:

1. Would You Watch A Reality Show Set In The ‘Twilight’ Town Of Forks, Washington?
2. First Look! Rob Pattinson And Kristen Stewart Get Cozy In Eclipse
3. Robert Pattinson Hides in the Dark to Get Some Privacy!