Twilight’s Taylor Lautner Was Scared To Leave His House Due to Films’ Popularity

Taylor Lautner says he was afraid to leave his house during the height of Twilight‘s popularity. Twilight took fandom to a new level when the first film in the saga opened in theaters in 2008. The movie featured Taylor Lautner’s first appearance as Jacob Black, a small role that grew larger in the sequel, New Moon. After nearly being recast, Lautner bulked up for the sequel and reprised the role for all five Twilight movies, his profile rising those of stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. Speaking recently on Today (via The Hollywood Reporter), Lautner confessed that things got intense during peak Twilight mania. 

“Not many things in life can come and happen overnight. Fame can. It also can disappear overnight. When I was 16, 17, 18 years old, waking up and trying to just go out for a walk or go on a date and I had 12 cars waiting outside my house to follow me wherever I’m going or show up to an airport or anywhere, and you have thousands of fans screaming,” Lautner shared with Jason Kennedy.

Lautner revealed that he didn’t even go to the grocery store, movie theater, or mall for ten years because he didn’t want to be recognized. When he finally went to the store, “It felt like freedom.” He added, “I went so many years either not leaving my house, or if I did, hat, sunglasses, and just like, 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.”

“In the moment, 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 question yourself and start to be like ‘Oh, do people not care about me anymore?’ When it goes away a little bit, you notice it, and that’s the dangerous part because that can mess with your mind.”

Now, Lautner says he feels “so much better today than I have in the last 4-5 years,” adding that his fiancée played “a large part” of that. Although, he joked that his fiancée was a “diehard Team Edward fan” when the Twilight movies were coming out. “I converted her,” he quipped.

“If you ask me now, now I say ‘no,’” he explained when asked if the fame was “worth it.” He added, “I am happy because of what it’s taught me. It’s made me who I am right now and for that I’m thankful.”

Lautner is currently starring alongside Kevin James in Home Team, which is streaming on Netflix.