Taylor Lautner was only supposed to play Jacob Black in the first ‘Twilight’ film, according to the actor.
During an appearance on Alex Cooper’s ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast, Lautner revealed that the ‘Twilight’ team wanted to recast him for the rest of the franchise.
“My character in the first book is supposed to be like a 16-year-old scrawny little boy, and in the middle of ‘New Moon’ he turns into this 25-year-old built, muscular man,” he said.
Lautner, who was cast in the first film when he was 16, said they planned to “cast a guy in his mid-20s to carry on and be Jacob for the rest of the franchise”. “I had to fight to get my role back,” he said.
Determined to keep his role, Lautner began “about nine months of hardcore training” and gained 20-25 pounds. “I was ready, so when we got the call, my team said, ‘Have you seen him lately? Still, Lautner had to re-audition for the role.
Later in the podcast, Lautner talked about how growing up in the spotlight affected his body image.
“I’ve been dealing with a lot of body image issues for the last five to seven years, because in the franchise, I don’t wear a lot of clothes, you know. And I was also 17, 18, 19 years old and it was a lot easier to have a body like that, but that’s how most of the world knows me,” he said.
Lautner thanked his friends and wife Taylor Dome, who also appeared on the podcast, for helping him with his body image issues.
“I’m much better at it now, but there are still good days and bad days,” he said.
