Body talk with Taylor Lautner

Its clear the Taylor Lautner is going to blow us away in New Moon. The young actor has generated buzz not just about his body but also his acting and dedication to his craft most especially for his character Jacob Black in New Moon. With the release of New Moon a few days away, how is Taylor handling all the attention and the fame?

He talks to Movies Online during the press junket and here are what he has to say:

Q: Did it ever feel like you were really in danger of not getting this role in this movie, and were you on steroids for those 30 pounds you gained?

TAYLOR LAUTNER: Definitely not, on your second question.   And honestly, I knew where my character went in New Moon and that’s all I tried to stay focused on.  I couldn’t control things outside.  I couldn’t control the media.  But I could control what I was doing to portray Jacob Black correctly. So that’s what I stayed focused on the whole entire time.

Q: Did that start with going to the gym and gaining 30 lbs.?

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

Q: Can you talk about those changes?

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.

Q: You have a lot of opportunities in the film to show off your new physique. My favorite was when you take your tee shirt off…

TAYLOR LAUTNER: And wipe her blood?

Q: 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? OK, 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.

Q: Can you be more specific, mainly because I want to do what you did—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 inthe 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 inthe 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 3200 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.

Q: Did you have a personal trainer?

TAYLOR LAUTNER: I do.  I definitely had one that helped me out.

Q: Having not read the Twilight books, seeing the movie I’m thinking this girl is retarded, why is she not going for Jacob? So 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.

Taylor also talked about his character and his rivalry with Edward Cullen. Please click on the link above to read more about his interview.

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