You may know Taylor Lautner best from his being married to Taylor Lautner, or possibly from being one of the ex-boyfriends Tayor Swift doesn’t absolutely tear to shreds, or maybe even from doing all of those flips in Sharkboy and Lava Girl.
But let’s face it, when you first see his face, it is far more likely that you make an immediate connection to his role as the werewolf Jacob in the critically despised, yet universally beloved Twilight franchise.
Lautner was cast in the role of Jacob in the first installment of the movie franchise when he was just 16, according to Variety. He shared on his podcast, The Squeeze, that he even had to fight to keep that role for the next movie, saying that they were going to recast someone older to account for Jacob’s transformation in New Moon. Lautner worked out religiously between filming so that he could exemplify the buff twenty-something that they were trying to achieve in the second movie.
Jacob, and all of the werewolves in Forks, Washington, were canonically meant to be part of of real-life Quileute Nation, which is native to La Push, Washington, according to Screenrant. The Quileute people are a very much present group of about 2,000 Native Americans whose culture, history, and existence were heavily featured throughout both the Twilight movies and books, much to the chagrin of actual Quileute people.
Despite playing a member of the Quileute tribe, Taylor Lautner himself has no recent Native American genealogy. He told MTV in 2008, that the majority of his ancestry is mostly French, Dutch, and German, although he reportedly did find out he has some connection to Potowatomi and Ottawa Native people.
Although he has no relationship to the Quileute Nation, young Lautner did attest to doing some research when it came to his character’s culture and heritage, especially since Quileute legends, art, and culture were featured and adapted so heavily throughout the franchise, according to Screenrant.
Lautner has since moved on to high slate 2000s, early 2010s dreamy teen fame. He now has a podcast with his wife, Tay, called The Squeeze, where they chat with each other and other celebrities about mental health and what to do when life gives you lemons. He also seems to be on excellent terms with his ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift, even appearing in a recent music video, and on her tour over the summer.
So, really, as far as former teen heartthrobs go, he’s kind of winning.