Twilight Star Says Edward/Jacob Fan "Competitiveness" Had "An Impact" on Making the Franchise

The cast of Twilight has come a long way since the final film of the franchise was released back in 2012, and now Robert Pattinson is the latest actor to play Batman, and Kristen Stewart was nominated for an Academy Award last year. However, their time in the spotlight during Twilight's peak popularity wasn't always easy. Taylor Lautner, who played Jacob Black in all of the films, recently visited The Toast podcast (via Entertainment Weekly) and talked about how hard it was to live through the Edward vs. Jacob ship wars.

"I was so young," Lautner explained. "I was 16 when Twilight came out, 17 for New Moon and Eclipse. I finished the franchise by the time I was 19." He went on to say that he wished the onscreen rivalry between his character and Pattinson's Edward Cullen didn't bleed into real life. "Like, we're a team. We're both just trying to make the best movies," Lautner shared. "But it was a little bizarre, the competitiveness. There wasn't a competitiveness between me and Rob, but having that constant reminder, it definitely had an impact."

"As I was watching it, I was like, 'I kind of get it. Jacob's a little annoying,'" Lautner admitted. "Like, I love Jacob and his heart, but he's a little annoying." 

Was Taylor Lautner Afraid To Leave His House While Making Twilight? 

Last year, Lauter also talked about the intensity of hit Twilight days while on Today (via The Hollywood Reporter).

"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."

Do you have any stories about the days of Team Edward vs. Team Jacob? Tell us in the comments!