The “Twilight” movies are iconic for an entire generation, from the bright red vampire eyes to the idea that the wolf shifters could imprint on anyone, no matter how old they were. Bella Swan’s (Kristen Stewart) love story spoke to both readers and audiences as she continually asked Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) to make her a vampire and he repeatedly said no. It was only after she promised to marry him that he agreed, but that just opened a new can of worms for the couple.

Bella’s other love interest, Jacob Black, played by Taylor Lautner, made an impact of his own. Fans had their own opinions on who Bella should choose, especially during the events of “New Moon.” While Edward is the shiny new guy she meets at school, Jacob is someone she grew up hanging out with before moving to Arizona. They have history, and a childhood friends-to-lovers arc always makes for a great story.

Unlike many of the actors playing teen characters today, Lautner was actually 16 years old when he was cast as Jacob. He was the same age as his character, growing up with him as Jacob takes on a larger role within his community. With filming happening in quick succession through 2011, he spent his late teens portraying the wolf shifter.

By the time filming ended for the film saga in early 2011, Taylor Lautner was 19 years old, but that wasn’t without fighting to keep his role for all five films. The actor has been incredibly open about the fact that he was nearly recast after the first “Twilight” movie, and not because of his performance. Jacob goes through a significant physical transformation during “New Moon,” the second book and film, as his wolf gene activates and he gains the ability to shift. This process accelerates puberty, giving him a much more muscular appearance. It means instead of being the lanky young guy audiences are introduced to, he becomes more fit seemingly overnight.

“They called me and said, ‘Thank you for your participation, but we’re recasting you for the rest of the franchise,'” Lautner said in an episode of “Call Her Daddy.” “I was 16 at the time. And then they were going to cast like a mid-20s guy to carry on and be Jacob for the rest of the franchise. I had to fight for my role back.” He was told early on, so he was able to start working out and putting on the muscle he’d need for “New Moon” right after filming for “Twilight” ended. Within nine months, he put on between 20 and 25 pounds of muscle. This didn’t guarantee his return, though — he had to audition again.

Taylor Lautner became a bit of a sex symbol between his new physical appearance and the shedding of the wildly mocked Jacob wig. His character, along with the other Quileute wolf shifters, were known for walking around shirtless, wearing just denim cut offs or gym shorts. Many older “Twilight” fans were already sexualizing Edward with the first movie, and the depiction of Jacob post-transformation, along with Lautner’s physical appearance, caused many to sexualize the 17 year old as well.

This fed into the Team Edward vs. Team Jacob marketing, but also resulted in Lautner experiencing issues related to his body image. “When I was in it, when I was 16 through 20 years old, starring in this franchise where my character is known for taking his shirt off every other second, no, I did not know that it was affecting me or going to affect me in the future with body image,” the actor said on an episode of his podcast “The Squeeze.” After “Twilight,” people would compare his “Jacob body” to how he looked in other films. Lautner had a difficult relationship with the gym after the series because of how much it had dominated his life. The continued conversations around his body impacted his mental health, though he discusses in the podcast that his loved ones helped him at the time.

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