BEVERLY HILLS – Our day of “Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” press conferences has already included Bill Condon, Michael Sheen (no live-blog, because I’m a man, not a machine), Melissa Rosenberg, Stephenie Meyer and Wyck Godfrey and The Cullens (also not live-blogged because, again, I’m only one man).
Up next on the dais…
11:42 a.m. I’m actually gonna publish early, just so you have this live-blog up and running before it actually starts, rather than after… Taylor’s gonna be here any second.
11:43 a.m. First question… If Taylor could go back to before the first movie, what advice would he give himself? “Oh man,” he begins. “Honestly, I’d probably say, ‘Just soak up each minute,'” he says, explaining that things have flown by.
11:45 a.m. “It’s a fine line and I was worried about it,” Lautner says of the line between caring and creepy with Jacob and Renesmee. “She basically told me, ‘Stop over-complicating it,'” Lautner recalls of his advice from Stephenie Meyer, who explained it as “a life-long bond between two people.” “I couldn’t allow myself to think ahead and go beyond that,” Lautner says of the brother-sister bond between the characters. “I think the fans are going to be happy with it. I think it came together well,” he says.
11:46 p.m. “I remember meeting Kristen for sure. It’s so weird, I don’t even remember meeting Rob,” Lautner says of first impressions. He showed up midway through filming on the first movie and a family had already built up. “I was nervous. I was also the youngest. It was probably a little awkward when we first did meet each other,” Lautner says, recalling his “nasty wig.”
11:48 a.m. What has he learned from the experience and from Jacob? “I’ve learned a lot in the sense that I’ve grown up a ton, because I did start this when I was just 15 years old, so that was bound to happen,” he says. “I love the fact that we had different directors for each movie… That was amazing to play the same character, but be directed differently each time and to have different input,” he says. “It was an amazing experience,” he says. And from Jacob? “I love Jacob. I really respect him in so many different way. He has so many qualities to him that I would love to bring with me — his loyalty, his persistence,” he says.
11:50 a.m. “That’s the biggest thing I’ll take from this is those relationships. We’re so close right now. They’re some of my best friends and that won’t go away at all,” Lautner says of his ties with Stewart and Pattinson. “Our friendships will go on forever. I find it so amazing that this cast meshed so well,” he adds, calling both filming and promotion “a blast.”
11:52 a.m. “It actually was pretty funny in person. I love Billy Burke to death and he’s one of the coolest people alive,” Lautner says of the scene in which Jacob wolfs out in front of Charlie. Of the disrobing, he says… “It’s always uncomfortable when I have to take my shirt off or something, because I’m always the only one doing it,” he laughs.
11:52 a.m. What did he do with that wig from the first movie? After his last scene, they did “a picture wrap” on his wig. Everybody was happy for him and they asked him if he wanted it. “I was like, ‘No. Get that away from me,'” he says. But now he regrets not keeping it. “But no, I don’t have fond memories of that wig.”
11:53 a.m. “That scene was probably my favorite in the movie,” Lautner says of his scene with Kristen after Bella learns about Jacob’s imprinting. “She had a lot of fun with it and I did as well. That scene, I love that scene. It came together,” he says. Regarding his weirdest encounter with a fan… “Man, it’s tough to choose one,” he says. He did, however, sign a girl’s arm and then the next day, he got an email that the girl had gotten the signature tattooed to her arm. “I’m like ‘Man, that’s dedication. And I’m sorry you did that,'” he said. “These fans are passionate and they continue to blow my mind,” he says.
11:55 a.m. Lautner recalls the year he spent proving himself to keep the part between the first and second movies. He thanks the fans, Kristen Stewart and the director for having faith in him. “Thinking back to that day in the gym, every burger patty shoved down my throat, every protein shake, it was worth it,” he says.
11:56 a.m. “I love challenging myself and doing different things,” Lautner says of his future. “Some of the actors I love most, they’ve gone from this to this and they’ve challenged themselves throughout their entire career and that’s my goal,” Lautner says. He’s excited to reteam with the producers of “Twilight” on “an awesome script that I’m excited about.” He says that project is “very serious and dramatic.” He adds, “I love all aspects of film and all genres.”
11:58 a.m. How was it to do the movies back-to-back and together, sometimes going from “Part 1” to “Part 2,” morning and afternoon. “It’s completely different Jacob in ‘Part 2’ and it was tough. I just had to focus and keeping the book on hand was really helpful,” he says. “It was nice to play more of that comedic side to him,” he adds.
11:59 a.m. Last question: What is the greatest thing he’s learned about himself through this process? “Man,” he says again. “Yikes,” he adds, buying time. “That’s a good question,” he hems and haws. “I don’t know if I would be able to choose like one thing,” he continues. “As an actor I’ve learned so much. And the people who have surrounded me, I’ve taken so much from and as a person… You’ve got me stuck on that one. But moving forward, I can’t be more thankful for this franchise and everything it’s given all of us. It’s given us the opportunity to do things we love,” he says.
That’s all for Taylor…