Whether you loved it or hated it, there’s no denying that the Twilight Saga took over the world in the 2010s. It was a pivotal part of many people’s childhood and adolescent years and is still considered one of the biggest franchises to ever hit the film industry (the Edward, Bella, Jacob love triangle is still talked about today). Although the films came out years ago, they’re still near and dear to many people’s hearts, including the cast.
On Dec. 13, Alex Cooper, host of the Call Her Daddy podcast, sat down with Taylor Lautner (who played Jacob in the franchise) and his wife, Tay Lautner, to discuss their relationship, as well as how the Twilight era changed the actor’s life. While chatting about the fan-favorite saga, Lautner revealed that he almost didn’t play the coveted role of Jacob Black after the first Twilight film.
Tay was the one who initiated to conversation, informing Cooper that her husband wasn’t supposed to play Jacob after the first film. Lautner then chimed in to spill the tea. “They called me and said, ‘Thank you for your participation, but we are recasting you for the rest of the franchise,’” he said., “My character in the first book is supposed to be this sixteen-year-old little, scrawny boy and in the middle of New Moon, he transforms into this twenty-five-looking built muscular man.”
So who would have potentially played Jacob in the remaining movies? “Their plan all along was to cast a sixteen-year-old, which they did—I was sixteen at the time—and then they were going to cast like a mid-twenties guy to carry on and be Jacob for the rest of the franchises,” he said. Fortunately, Launter was able to successfully keep his role as Jacob by hitting the gym the second filming for the first movie wrapped. “I read the books, so if I want to continue playing him, I gotta do something,” he told Cooper. When casting called to deliver the news, Lautner’s team had his back and said, “‘Have you seen him recently?…You may want to take a meeting with him or something,’” he said. “I had been hard core working out for nine months at that point and had gained like twenty-five pounds.”
Despite all that hard work and dedication, casting didn’t make it easy and made him reaudition for the part. Kristen Stewart even read line with Lautner during the audition process.
“Thankfully, [Stewart] was like, ‘You’re not reading with any casting director. You’re doing that with me,’ Lautner recalled. How sweet of her?
Needless to say, this new information came as a complete shock to Twilight fans, new and old.
Many people couldn’t picture anyone else play Forks, Washington’s resident werewolf. “They would have fumbled the bag if they recasted him! The Jacob vs Edward craze made the franchise!!,” one person commented. ”Wait this is so interesting. I was such a Jacob black lover, if they recasted I probably wouldn’t have watched the rest wow,” another TikTok user wrote.“I feel like the franchise wouldn’t have done as good if they recast Jacob. They would have had a riot on their hands 😭,” someone else commented while another user mentioned, “It’s so sad he had to fight for HIS role back. i don’t think it’d be as big as it was if any of them got recasted.”
I don’t know about you, but my nine-year-old self is overwhelmed by this new piece of Twilight information. It seems like the perfect time to rewatch the films and see how things could’ve been different if Lautner had been recast. Whether you were Team Edward or Team Jacob, Lautner made the character and the movies what they are today and I’m glad he fought for his role.