Taylor Lautner Took a Break From Hollywood After Twilight

“Are you crew Edward or crew Jacob?” If a part of your center faculty and highschool years revolved round asking your mates this controversial query, you are in all probability familar with the movie origins of Taylor Lautner, who cut up the “Twilight” fandom in two when he made his debut as teenage werewolf Jacob Black in 2008. Within the practically 14 years because the movie first premiered, Lautner has remained a cultural icon for his efficiency because the shapeshifting teen. Whereas longtime Twihards nonetheless reminisce about Jella fan fiction and Lautner’s prolonged hair (it was a wig the entire time), the movie franchise took a psychological and emotional toll on the star that pushed him to step again from Hollywood.

“In ‘Twilight,’ I used to be the youngest — I used to be 16 — and so my dad and mom had been an enormous a part of (grounding me), even once I was filming films,” he tells CNN in a current interview. Whereas swarms of followers chased him down with handmade indicators proclaiming their love — at malls, film theaters, and even grocery shops — Lautner struggled to course of his newfound fame, hardly taking time to delight in his onscreen success.

For Lautner’s dad and mom, coping with fame was “uncharted territory,” and seeing him rise to the highest did not change the truth that he was nonetheless their son. “Once I was residence, I nonetheless needed to take out the trash,” he says. “I nonetheless needed to mow the garden.” Joking, he provides that his dad and mom would inform him, “We do not care that you just’re on the large display screen. You continue to gotta do your chores.”

Past ensuring he stayed grounded, Lautner’s dad and mom had been key in serving to him understand his have to separate himself from his overwhelming popularity. “My dad and mom undoubtedly simply put it into perspective. I believe even for them it was uncharted territory for folks which have a 16-year-old going via that,” he says, including that the sudden inflow of consideration from followers — and the stress that got here with it — impressed him to take a break from appearing. “It was a studying curve for all of us as a household. And that is why I believe the step again is only a good refresh and simply to be sure to’re doing issues for the correct causes.”

When filming wrapped on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Daybreak — Half 2,” the fifth installment of the movie franchise, Lautner observed that his fan base quickly started to dwindle. With followers who disappeared as shortly as they’d arrived, he started to expertise imposter syndrome, one other issue which led to his much-needed hiatus. “When that is taken away from you in any respect, you begin to query your self and begin to be like, ‘Oh, do folks not care about me anymore?'” he stated. “It goes away a little bit bit. You discover it, and that is the damaging half, as a result of that may actually mess together with your thoughts.”

After taking a quick break from the leisure business to replicate on his experiences, Lautner returned in roles like Cam in “Tracers” (2015) and Dale Ashbrick Jr. within the British sitcom “Cuckoo” (2014–2018). Most just lately, he appeared as Troy Lambert in “Residence Workforce,” a sports-comedy movie a couple of disgraced NFL participant who returns residence to teach his son’s middle-school soccer crew. In 2018, the star additionally started relationship Taylor Dome, a nurse from California.

On Nov. 13, 2021, he introduced their engagement through Instagram. “Can not wait to spend eternally with you @taydome,” he wrote. “You like me unconditionally. You do not put up with my 💩. You calm me once I’m anxious. You make me snort manner an excessive amount of. You make each single day spent with you so particular. And most significantly, you make me a greater individual. I am unable to thanks sufficient for what you have delivered to my life. I like you eternally.”