Taylor Lautner in “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”.Photo: © Summit
Taylor Lautnerdid everything possible to fight for his role in theTwilightfranchise.
The actor, 31, made a joint appearance with his wife,Taylor Dome, onthe most recent episodeoftheCall Her Daddypodcastand spoke about how he was almost recast for the role of Jacob Black after the first film.
“My character in the first book is supposed to be like a 16-year-old little scrawny boy, and in the middle ofNew Moon, he transforms into this 25-year-old looking built, muscular man. So their plan all along was to cast a 16-year-old, which they did. I was 16 at the time. And then they were going to cast like a mid-20s guy to carry on and be Jacob for the rest of the franchise. I had to fight for my role back,” he explained.
Having the books as a reference point encouraged Lautner to begin hitting the gym after filming the first movie, 2008’sTwilight.“I was ready, so when we got that call, my team was like, ‘Have you seen him recently?'” he said, explaining that he had been “hardcore working out for about nine months” and had gained “20 or 25 pounds.”
Taylor Lautner in “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”.Kimberley French/Summit
Although he had a dramatic physical transformation, he said he still had to reaudition for the role.
Elsewhere in the podcast, Lautner told Cooper, 29, that being a part of the successful franchise and under the public limelight made him reevaluate his self-worth and what he cared about.
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“I dealt in the last five to seven years with a lot of body image issues because in the franchise, not wearing that many clothes, you know. And I also was 17, 18, 19 years old, and it was a lot easier to have a body like that, but that’s what most of the world knows me as,” he said.
Taylor Lautner visits SiriusXM at SiriusXM Studios on May 17, 2023.Jamie McCarthy/Getty
Jamie McCarthy/Getty
When asked where he is with his body image now, Lautner said, “Much better, but certainly not perfect,” and credited his wife and friends for helping him be comfortable in his skin.
“I’m much better at it now, but there’s good days and bad days still,” he added.
source: people.com
