Twilight star Taylor Lautner's rippling 8-pack abs motivated co-star Robert Pattinson to hit the gym, but he admits getting muscular took a lot of work.
People Constantly Reminded Me to Eat
"I had people bringing me food and shoving it in my face, saying 'Eat Taylor!' They sort of had to force me," Lautner tells Parade. "Then I had to get my butt in the gym and that’s difficult because we were filming 12- to 15-hour days.
Taylor, who famously gained 30 pounds of muscle for Twilight sequels New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, stopped working out for a few days and indulged in some yummy desserts after shooting wrapped.
"I can definitely say that after my last shirtless scene, as soon as I wrapped, it was a huge celebration," says Lautner, 19.
"I went out and had dessert for the first time in a while and I took few days off from the gym."
'I've Always Been Healthy & Super-Active'
Taylor, who says working out up to 2 hours a day was easier than constantly eat, has always been athletic.
"I’ve pretty much always been a pretty healthy eater and I don’t pig out," says Lautner, a former junior world karate champion.
"If I occasionally want ice cream or something, I can have it. I’ve always been really active. I grew up playing sports, so I’m always shooting hoops or throwing the football with my friends. I’m super-active in that sense."
Thanks to the global popularity of the Twilight franchise, Taylor is now fodder for tabloid gossip. How does he feel about that?
"It’s tough because sometimes you’ll just be on the web and things pop up or you get emailed something from a friend," he says. "It is definitely impossible to avoid stuff about me sometimes, but it’s pretty important to try.
"It’s very rare that things are true about yourself that are on the Internet. It’s just sad sometimes. So you definitely try and stay away from it as much as possible."
'Looking Forward to Waking Up In My Own Bed'
Lautner, who has spent three years filming the Twilight series back to back, has developed close friendships with his co-stars, especially Kristen Stewart, 21.
"We’ve become closer throughout the years and we are extremely good friends now," says Taylor.
"Sometimes on set, we’d catch ourselves just being Taylor and Kristen, laughing and being ourselves, and there just happens to be a camera rolling, and then that makes it in the movie and that becomes Jacob and Bella. It was great to just be able to mess around with each other on set and have fun."
Lautner also has fond feelings for his on-screen alter ego, Jacob Black.
"He’s come a long way and he takes a huge step in this film (Breaking Dawn)," says Taylor.
"He really grows up a lot and he has to make some tough choices. I don’t know if I could fill Jacob’s shoes.
"When he’s in a tough spot, sometimes he doesn’t handle it so well, but I feel for him because I don’t know how I would handle it. But while I’ve loved playing him and appreciate all the attention I’ve gotten, I’m the same person I always have been."
Lautner, who has has been working nonstop since 2008, is looking forward to relaxing a bit in the near future before starting new projects.
"When you’re working so hard, the No. 1 thing you want to do is wake up in your own bed and do absolutely nothing," he says.
"You just want to sit on the couch all day. I have not been on vacation I think in, like, four years."
Breaking Dawn, which co-stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene, hits theaters Nov. 18, 2011.
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