A high profile breakup, a stalled career, and critical keyboard warriors — Taylor Lautner was just 16 years old when he starred in Twilight. Here's why he's stepped back from the spotlight.
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00A high-profile breakup, a stalled career, and critical keyboard warriors, Taylor Lautner
00:06was just 16 years old when he starred in Twilight. Here's why he stepped back from the spotlight.
00:12Back in October 2009, two incredibly popular Taylors were the talk of the town. The second
00:17Twilight movie, New Moon, was set to be released the following month, which fans knew would
00:22heat up the tension between Taylor Lautner's Jacob Black and Robert Pattinson's Edward
00:27Taylor Swift's album, Fearless, had been a smash hit the year prior, so it seemed to
00:31make sense when the two got together.
00:33At this point in time, Swift was known for brief flings that resulted in iconic songs,
00:38and by the end of the year, Lautner and Swift had split, and a new song was in the works.
00:42When Swift released her 2010 album, Speak Now, it was immediately theorized that the
00:47apologetic track Back to December was about Lautner. It wasn't until 2016 that the actor
00:52confirmed that the song was indeed about his split from Swift.
00:55In December 2023, while Lautner and his wife were on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Lautner
01:00finally admitted that Swift broke up with him. However, the two have made up and are
01:04good friends today.
01:05"...One of the greater things to happen in my life over the last year is the rekindling
01:11of our friendship."
01:13While Kristen Stewart moved on from Twilight to have a successful career, even earning
01:17herself an Oscar nomination for her performance in Spencer, and Robert Pattinson secured his
01:22place as the new face of Batman, Taylor Lautner's career stalled. There are a number of reasons
01:27why his projects never seemed to compare to his co-stars, but it seemed to have all started
01:31with 2011's Abduction, which received abysmal ratings. As one producer told The Hollywood
01:36Reporter in March 2015,
01:38"...his first movie just wasn't very good, and it didn't justify what he was asking for
01:42at the time."
01:43To make it worse, Lautner was dropped by his publicist, then just before the release of
01:47Lautner's highly anticipated Abduction. Robin Baum of Slate PR, who also worked for Johnny
01:53Depp and Daniel Craig, had represented Lautner for just three months when she cut ties with
01:57him, and rumor had it his father was to blame. The publication quipped that he wasn't, quote,
02:02"...the easiest guy to work with."
02:05In 2015, with the Twilight saga officially in Lautner's rearview, the actor had the freedom
02:10to branch out and prove to the world he could be more than just Jacob Black. But whether
02:14it was down to less-than-stellar offers or his poor decision-making, the actor's next
02:19couple of projects were total flops.
02:21Tracers, which was originally filmed in 2013 and released two years later, showcased Lautner
02:26yet again as an action star. Unfortunately, it received just a 24 percent rating on Rotten
02:31Tomatoes. That same year, he starred in one of Adam Sandler's worst-rated movies of all
02:36time. Netflix's The Ridiculous 6 received a zero percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and the
02:40Western comedy came under fire for lazy writing and cheap, sometimes racist, jokes.
02:46Where do babies come from?
02:49Well, son, the mom just poops them out.
02:53Lautner's character in Twilight was known for taking off his shirt, like, a lot. Fans
02:58flocked to witness Jacob Black's six-pack for years, and he had to train like a fiend
03:02to keep up his physique.
03:04In speaking with E! News in November 2012, Lautner raved about being able to finally
03:08relax after being in the role for so many years. He told the publication,
03:11"...I had to eat like seven or eight meals a day, and that was torture. So now I just
03:15eat like a regular person."
03:17Between Twilight and New Moon, Lautner's transformation was notable, as he'd put a lot of muscle on
03:22for the sequel. But the internet wasn't very kind when he went in the opposite direction
03:26to star in 2016's Run the Tide, as his character wasn't meant to be as muscular. He said on
03:32his podcast, The Squeeze,
03:33"...I started having more normal of a body, and I remember one of the first times seeing
03:37it online was very tough."
03:39The star had seen a post with a side-by-side comparison of his current body compared to
03:42what he looked like during the Twilight movies.
03:44"...I was like, oh man, did I really let it all go? I didn't think I looked that bad."
03:53Lautner's love of dogs isn't surprising — he played a werewolf for years, after all. For
03:58over 13 years, the actor's loyal Maltese named Roxy had been a staple in his life. Sadly,
04:03On a February 2018 Instagram post, Lautner shared the tragic news that his beloved dog
04:08had died, writing,
04:09"...you have brought so much joy into my life for the past 13 and a half years. I'll miss
04:13you every day, but I'll take those memories with me everywhere I go."
04:17Fortunately, Lautner can call himself a pet parent again, as he and his wife rescued two
04:22adorable pups, Lily and Remy.
04:25Taylor Lautner might not be one of those celebs who hasn't aged in 20 years, but he's certainly
04:29aged gracefully. Unfortunately, that's not the consensus several internet trolls seem
04:34to have reached back in May 2023.
04:37Lautner shared his thoughts in an Instagram video at the time, saying that he had just
04:40returned from a run and was feeling good about himself when he began scrolling through the
04:44comments section of a post about himself. The actor shared screenshots in which people
04:48had said he was not aging well and looked like old broccoli.
04:52Lautner explained that if he'd read those comments a decade ago or even just a couple
04:56of years ago, they would have sent him into hiding, but that he's in a much better place
05:00today and has learned healthier coping mechanisms. He said,
05:03"...you find value where you put it, and if you put your value in what other people think
05:07of you, that's how you're going to feel."
05:09Despite the negativity he'd read, the star insisted that people should spread positivity
05:13rather than drag others down.
05:16Fearing for the well-being of a loved one is bad enough, but it gets a lot worse when
05:20you have to face a health scare in public. At least three times, Lautner has had to stand
05:24by and hope for the best with two important women in his life, his little sister McKenna
05:29Moore and his wife, Taylor. On two different occasions, McKenna was forced to endure corrective
05:34surgery for heart conditions, both of which thankfully worked out.
05:37In 2018, Lautner shared an imaged Instagram of his sister in the hospital, writing,
05:41"...second heart procedure is finally a massive success. Couldn't possibly look up to this
05:46little not-so-little girl anymore. You are much braver than I, McKenna."
05:50Later in 2024, he stood by his wife's side as she went through a cancer scare. A lump
05:55was found in her breast, which thankfully turned out to be benign.
05:58"...I was terrified, but trying not to show you that I was terrified."