Image Source: TellyLover, Pinkvilla
Taylor Lautner recently spoke about being ‘scared’ to step outside the house after the Twilight series hit it off.
In his recent interview with Jason Kennedy for NBC’s Today show, the actor who starred as Jacob Black in Twilight opposite Kristen Stewart in 2008 shared that the audience got almost borderline obsessed with the cast as soon as the movies were out which almost scared him while stepping outside his house.
Taylor shared, "I went so many years either not leaving my house, or if I did, hat, sunglasses, and just like, [feeling] scared. It built up something inside of me where, I didn't know it, but I was scared to go out. I'd get super anxious to go out. So I just didn't." The actor who was in his late teens when the movies were out (16 when the first movie was released) detailed that there were about 12-15 cars parked outside his house waiting just to follow him wherever he’d be going. He shared that there would be thousands of people screaming and waiting for him.
But, things started to change for the actor when the last part of the Twilight series titled, Twilight: Breaking Dawn — Part 2 was released, and the fans started to go away really soon than he expected. Although Taylor Lautner did continued acting and appeared in a couple of movies and series, nothing was as big as the Twilight series. The actor shared with his friend and host that the way he saw the fame and noise disappearing he realized that fame can disappear as soon as it arrives.
Taylor said to Jason, "In the moment, it's like, it got frustrating because you just wanted to live a normal life. But then, when that's taken away from you at all, you start to start to question yourself and start to be like 'Oh, do people not care about me anymore?' And it goes away a little bit. You notice it and that's the dangerous part, because that can really mess with your mind."
But the saying ‘everything happens for a reason turned out true for the actor as when he decided to take a step back from the spotlight, he had time to reflect on his life and the people around him. In that process, the actor found the love of his life who is now his fiancé Taylor Dome. About Taylor Dome, the actor said that she has helped him a lot to reach where he is today and he is forever grateful for her presence in his life. Taylor Lautner shared, "She was not Team Jacob, so she is marrying the other team. She was Team Edward all the way. She was a die-hard Team Edward but, you know, I converted her."
A few months ago, Catherine Hardwicke, director of the first movie shared during a podcast interview that the cast and crew had no idea how things would change for them after the movie was released. Catherine said, “I remember the day that Kristen came to me and said, 'Hey, I walked out of my house this morning to go eat breakfast. And there was paparazzi out there.' This is before the movie came out, long before. I think my life is really going to change. She's very much an… indie spirit person, likes indie music, likes to do her own thing. Rob also. They really weren't the kind of people that wanted to be or planned to be superstars. So I was feeling guilty, oh my god, I didn't predict this either." Catherine also added, “They've both been able to green-light incredible, interesting films — indie films that would never have gotten made if they hadn't signed on, and if they didn't have that sensibility. So they've helped the whole Sundance movies and indie films and indie filmmakers. Huge applause for them."
Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan in Twilight. Image Source: The Independent
Executive producer Erik Feig also shared that he hugged Robert Pattinson before he walked on the red carpet realizing that after this, there is no turning back. Erik said, "He was literally trembling. It was like, Oh my god. This is it. You're going to step on that carpet. And that's it. It just was so clear. That was then. This is now and never, ever going back."
Taylor Lautner is not the only one who dealt with the fame that came after the first movie was released, Kristen Stewart who played Bella Swan also had some similar experiences and she shared with Variety, “I was so guarded. And that really doesn’t provide a fully- lived life. There are ways to interact with media and there are ways to interact with the public and, beyond that, just human beings. Because those are all very different things.”
When she was finalized for the role of Princess Diana for Spencer, there was a huge backlash but she clarified, “I know what it’s like to feel backed into a corner. I know what it’s like to feel defiance, and then kind of regretful of that, because then suddenly, you are being defined as rebellious. You have no idea how many times people will go, ‘So you don’t give a fuck, huh?’ Are you kidding? Is that really the impression? Because it’s the opposite of that. It’s so desperately the opposite. It’s a convoluted idea, but I definitely understand what it feels like to want human connection and actually, ironically, feel distanced by the amount that’s thrust at you.”
Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen in Twilight. Image Source: Entertainment Weekly
Similarly, Robert Pattinson who played Edward Cullen (The Vampire) also shared how he struggled with fame post Twilight stating, “I had people sitting outside my house every single day, and it drove me crazy. But now I can go in and chat to the guy who’s working there about his kids, or where he’s going on holiday, and not be thinking, ‘Is he gonna sell me out?’ I just don’t have to think about that stuff anymore.”
