Taylor Lautner Interview - New Moon

New Moon Movie Trailer - Taylor Lautner



Twilight was all about the budding relationship between high school student Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and brooding, eternally-teenaged vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). Bella's childhood friend, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), was no more than a tiny blip on the radar. But with the second installment of the Twilight franchise, New Moon, Jacob moves into the spotlight, comforting Bella after Edward and his family leave the area, leaving Bella devastated and lonely.

Taylor Lautner packed on 30 pounds of mostly muscle to fill out the role of Jacob, a member of the Quileute tribe who transforms into a wolf in order to protect his people from vampires. And when he pulls off his shirt to wipe away Bella's blood, it's sure to send female hearts racing. At the LA press conference for New Moon, Lautner talked about tackling a leading role this time around and playing a part of the wolfpack.



Taylor Lautner Interview

Can you talk about the changes Jacob goes through in New Moon?

Taylor Lautner: "When he transforms, basically my job was to continue what I started in Twilight, which was this extremely happy, friendly, outgoing guy, best friends with Bella. I had to continue that for the first half of the film, but as soon as I transform I snap and I become a completely different person. I’m dealing with my issues and it’s really hard for me."

Did that start with going to the gym and gaining 30 pounds?

Taylor Lautner: "Absolutely. Jacob transforms a lot in New Moon, not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well. So it was a matter of getting to the gym and eating the right food and a lot of it. But also reading and studying the book and the character over and over and over again so I could have his character down as well because he changes in many, many different ways."

You have a lot of opportunities in the film to show off your new physique, including taking off your T-shirt...

Taylor Lautner: "And wipe [Bella's] blood?"

Can you talk about that scene and any others like that?

Taylor Lautner: "I start laughing so hard every time I see that scene. 'You’re bleeding? Okay, let me fix it.' It’s so embarrassing. Yeah. I mean, here’s the thing: there’s a reason that he’s not wearing clothes all the time. One, when he transforms, all his clothes get shredded. He can’t help it. And when he goes into the woods to get something to put on so he’s not naked, it’s just a ripped pair of jean shorts. He’s also hot. He’s 108 degrees. So that’s another reason. The thing is, I love this character, I love this story, and putting on the weight and not wearing much clothing was required by the role. A year from now, if I love a story and I love a character that requires me to lose 40 lbs. I’m ready to do it."

Can you be more specific? What did you eat, how did you exercise? Can you give a little more of a rundown?

Taylor Lautner: "Oh boy. You’re putting the pressure on me now. I was in the gym about five days a week, because it’s important to get your recovery time and not overworking yourself, because if you’re overworking yourself… I was trying to put on weight and if I was in the gym too much I’d be burning the calories I’m trying to take in. The most important thing was the eating side. Everybody thinks it was the actual getting in the gym. That was easy—I was motivated. So getting in the gym was easy for me. But the eating was pretty hard. It was just eating a lot. I found out that I had to consume at least 3,200 calories a day just to maintain. And I’m not trying to maintain, I’m trying to gain. So I had to eat more than that, and putting something in your mouth every two hours. And I’m busy. I’m downtown L.A., I’m from meeting to meeting. There’s not time for me to be eating. So I literally would have to carry a little Baggie of beef patties, raw almonds, sweet potatoes. So it’s not like every two hours I’m eating ice cream. It was difficult."



Did you have a personal trainer?

Taylor Lautner: "I do. I definitely had one that helped me out."

Some moviegoers who haven't read the books might wonder why Bella's not going for Jacob. Was there any concern about overshadowing Edward? Was that something you had to temper in your own performance? Because you were very winning.

Taylor Lautner: "Thank you very much. I think it depends on what kind of girl you are, what kind of guy you like. Edward and Jacob are complete opposite guys. They’re hot and cold. Literally. So yeah, I mean it’s just, I personally love Bella and Jacob’s relationship, how they begin with best friends and it starts to grow into something more and more. Both guys are in love with Bella. Both guys are always going to be there for Bella, and they’re protective. I just think it’s what kind of guy you like."

Can you talk about the stunt and wire work? How difficult was that to get used to?

Taylor Lautner: "The physical side was really fun. Some of it was challenging. I’d never ridden a dirt bike before. And yes, I rode the dirt bike for a total of about five seconds in the film, but for those five seconds I had to look as cool as possible. So it did require a lot of practice just, for safety-wise, so they’d let me do it. And the wirework, like when I run up the side of her house, that whole thing, the wires were there so if I slipped and fell I didn’t face plant into the ground. But it was definitely challenging. That stunt was really complicated. You need to be on. I’m using a little plug in the side of the wall to take off from and jump, so it’s really complicated and it required a lot of practice. Every single weekend I would practice that stunt for three hours a day. It was the last thing we filmed."

How was bonding with the other Wolf Pack guys?

Taylor Lautner: "The bonding with the werewolves was very fun. Those guys are characters. They’re a lot of fun to…did they just talk to you?"

Yes.

Taylor Lautner: "Oh my. I’m sure this was a fun room. They’re great guys. What’s so great is that they each fit their character perfectly. So on set we just had a blast, we had a blast when we were on set. They just made that so exciting."

They were talking about getting the wolf pack tattoo, are you in?

Taylor Lautner: "I don’t know, I’ll have to think about that. I’ll have to discuss it with my pack."

What is the strangest thing that has ever been written about you and also how do you balance letting the public and fans know who you really are outside of Jacob but also keep your private life private?


Taylor Lautner: "Honestly I try to stay away from what has been written about me because if you let that stuff get to you and it’s not true, it can drive you crazy. One thing that I have heard recently, which is not true, I definitely didn’t say it, I was quoted as saying I will never take my shirt off for a movie again. I didn’t say that. If I have to, if the character requires it, I will. Who knows, in 10 years I might do that. And like I said earlier, if a character requires me to lose 40 lbs. I’ll do it. It’s just what the character requires. So that was interesting to see. What was the second part?"

How you balance letting the fans know who you really are outside of Jacob but also keep your private life private?

Taylor Lautner: "Right. It’s difficult. It is. It’s definitely important to stay true to yourself and stay close to those people you were close to before, your family, your friends, and just not let that outside stuff get to you."



This movie is going to make you a bigger star. You’ve already got a lot of teen girls who idolize you. Going into this movie with a bigger role, how did you think about that and how did you prepare yourself for that?

Taylor Lautner: "I don’t think there’s any way to prepare yourself for this phenomenon, just because none of us expected it. When we were filming Twilight, we didn’t expect anything. We were just filming a movie that we wanted the fans to enjoy, and then it kind of just blew into this whole other world. So I don’t think that there’s a way to prepare for that. You could definitely say I felt a little bit of pressure trying to bring Jacob’s character and Jake and Bella’s relationship alive for the fans, because this movie definitely develops their relationship and sets up the love triangle. So it’s a very important story."

What is it like for you to see all the posters and billboards with your face on it? Is it kind of strange for you?

Taylor Lautner: "Yeah, of course. Yeah, I don’t think there’s a way to ever get used to it. It’s not normal to drive down the street and see your face up there. But it’s Twilight. It comes with the job."

We’ve talked about how the fans can be invasive in your life but what’s a touching and really sweet fan encounter you can tell us about?

Taylor Lautner: "Man, we have fans all the time that will just burst into tears, and that’s just moving. Like it must mean so much for them to meet us. It’s an amazing feeling to know that you can touch somebody that way. It also makes you sad. 'Don’t cry. Stop crying.' You don’t know what to do. You’re like, 'It’s okay.' It is, it’s hard, we feel bad for them but you’re also happy at the same time."

When would it help in your real life to turn into a werewolf?

Taylor Lautner: "Oh boy. I don’t know. I guess when you’re younger and you’re in school and you’re being picked on by some bullies, get in a fight with your little sister…I don’t know, that’s a good question. I don’t think that it would be a good situation. It could get very, very ugly."

Who would win between Shark Boy and Jacob?

Taylor Lautner: "That’s a good question. At the moment I’d have to say Jacob. We’re pretty strong and fast."

Last year you were teamed up with Edi Gathegi and Rachelle Lefevre to do the press rounds and you really showed what good friends you were. What’s it like to say goodbye to both of them and who else are you close to in the cast? Have you gotten to know Bryce Dallas Howard very well?

Taylor Lautner: "Yeah, it was definitely sad to see both of them go. All of us, the whole entire cast, loves both of them. They were great people. But Bryce is amazing. She’s extremely talented and a great girl as well. So we’re definitely lucky to be surrounded by an amazing cast.What was the middle part of your question?"

Who else are you close to?

Taylor Lautner: "Right. I wouldn’t be able to pick one. If I were to start I’d end up listing the whole cast. I do spend a lot of time with Kristen because all my scenes are involved with her. So Kristen and I are very close. I guess I’m close with Rob, too, because we spend a lot of time together as well. But the great thing about this series is the whole entire cast is so close, and it would be a nightmare if we weren’t. it would be impossible to make this series because the characters are so tight. So we’re really thankful that we all get along so well."

You know, there’s practically an international countdown for your 18th birthday.

Taylor Lautner: "Oh boy."

Have you even thought about making any plans for that day, how you might celebrate?

Taylor Lautner: "I haven’t even begun. We are so busy, it’s taking one day at a time. I don’t even know what room in this hotel I’m going to after this. No, that’s very interesting and I wasn’t aware of this countdown. It’s a big day, so yeah, as soon as I finish this maybe I’ll think about that."

Can you talk a little bit about working and now living in Canada, and tell us a little about the next movie?

Taylor Lautner: "Canada is great. I’ve spent a while there. I’ve spent six months out of this year. The first time we were there it was really rainy and dark and cloudy. It was snowing. And that was difficult weather-wise. But filming Eclipse, it was beautiful. It’s just one of the most beautiful cities and I’m definitely going to miss it a lot. Filming Eclipse, Eclipse was my favorite book so I was really excited to start filming the movie. I just love that it’s the height of the love triangle. Twilight develops Edward and Bella’s relationship, New Moon develops Jacob and Bella’s, and in Eclipse the three of them are physically together. It has one of my favorite scenes ever in that movie. The tent scene, where Edward is forced, and I guess it was a choice of his, to let me sleep in the same sleeping bag as Bella just so she doesn’t die, because she’s shivering to death and I’m warm. I’m the only thing at that moment that can keep her alive. It’s a funny scene. There’s a lot of ribbing going on between Jacob and Edward. It’s going to be a really good movie and visually stunning. David Slade is incredible visually."

In the movie you show up half-naked in the rainy forest. Can you talk about behind the camera how cold it was and how challenging it was not to shiver?

Taylor Lautner: "Yeah, the challenging thing is Jacob is supposed to be extremely hot, so he’s not supposed to feel cold at all. And the worst scene for that was the rain scene, the breakup scene where Bella first sees Jacob after his transformation. We’re standing on this little hill right behind Jacob’s house and it was 35 degrees and it was pouring rain on top of us, not regular rain, rain tower rain, which comes straight from the springs. And the scene was very long. It took four minutes to film the scene. And we filmed the same scene all day long. So it was really, really rough. It was hard. And as soon as we’d call cut, we’d run over to a heater quick and wrap ourselves in blankets and we’d have like two minutes off before we’d have to go do another take. So the weather was definitely extremely challenging. I just had to take myself to another world so during the scene I wasn’t sitting there shivering. It was hard. Sometimes I’d catch myself and I’d have to stop."

In the movie you speak a little Spanish to Bella. Do you speak any Spanish at all and are you going to speak more Spanish in Eclipse?

Taylor Lautner: "I don’t speak much Spanish. I took it in school; yeah, that was about it. I think it’s just Jacob’s personality. He’s really outgoing, he’s random, and it definitely doesn’t have anything to do with his character, just the fact that he’s friendly and you never know what to expect. I didn’t speak any Spanish in Eclipse. That was a bummer. But at the end of this one I did speak a little bit of Quileute, when I was leaning in to kiss her in the kitchen, and I’m not gonna tell you what I said. I’ll leave that to you to figure out. But it was really cool. There’s only like four people left in the world that actually speak Quileute so we were able to talk to one of these ladies. It was really interesting."

What did you think of your wolf when you got to see it on screen? And with you being so busy and this being the end of your teenage years, how are you trying to sort of relish and make sure that this all isn’t a blur in five years?

Taylor Lautner: "I must say I’m having the time of my life. It couldn’t be a better end to my teenage years. I’m doing what I love and I’m spending time with the people that I love. So it’s great. I’m definitely never, ever going to forget this. What was the first part? The wolf. I was blown away. I was really excited. Because when I’m filming, the famous trailer shot when I’m running through the field and I jump up and try and fly in midair, I’m attached to wires and I’m running and I let the wires pull me up in the air and jerk me to a stop and I just have to freeze there and let them convert my body into a CGI wolf. The whole time I’m like, 'I hope I look cool.' And yeah, after I saw the final version last week, after I saw the wolves, it was amazing. And the fight scene that comes right after that, the fight between Jacob and Paul wolf, was so cool. I thought they were extremely powerful and looked very real."

Aside from the physical, how has being part of this phenomenon transformed you?


Taylor Lautner: "Really, I’d have to say the biggest transformation would be my schedule. I’m really, really busy but it’s a lot of fun. I just got back from South America yesterday and here I am today for three days. And then I go to Europe. So I’m really, really busy, but it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a great experience. I’m really excited to be part of this thing."

You’re filming a movie with Taylor Swift. Has she written a song about you? Do you want her to write one for you?

Taylor Lautner: "That’s a scary thing. I don’t know if she has. I have no idea. That movie was a lot of fun and it comes out pretty soon after New Moon does. It’s going to be fun, there were a lot of fantastic actors in it. I got to work with legendary director Garry Marshall and Taylor was great as well so I’m excited for everyone to see that."

What’s it called?


Taylor Lautner: "Valentine’s Day."



Was it hard to squeeze that in with your schedule?

Taylor Lautner: "It was hard, yeah. We had a very short break between New Moon and Eclipse and I knew that I wanted to be part of this film somehow, just to work with Garry and the entire cast. So I was able to squeeze a short thing in, quickly."

What about you and Taylor Swift?


Taylor Lautner: "What about us?"

Is it a publicity thing because the film is coming out, or are you really dating?

Taylor Lautner: "The very funny thing is that all of you have seen every single move I make so I guess I can leave it up to you to decide."

Resource: Movie About.com