LOS ANGELES — Taylor Lautner may have spent countless hours in the gym in order to hang onto his Twilight role, but that doesn't mean he wants to flash his abs in every film.
"Originally I was supposed to take off my shirt [in Valentine's Day]," the 18-year-old actor tells GQ magazine for its July issue. "The script said we were walking into school and Willy takes off his shirt. I said, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa. Time out. He's gonna take off his shirt in the middle of school? No, no, no. The reason I took off my shirt for New Moon is because it's written in the book that way. And there's reasons behind it."
Lautner famously beefed up after Twilight executives expressed doubt over his ability to handle the role of Jacob Black after the franchise's first film.
"I'm in the gym," Lautner recalls, "and I'm doing reps, and I'm reading the books, and I'm studying the character. I'm just saying to myself, 'I want this role. I love this role. I'm not gonna lose it. And I'm gonna know it better than anybody, and I'm gonna do that extra rep, because I'm gonna be Jacob Black.' "
All the hard work has certainly paid off as Lautner is now one of Hollywood's most sought-after young stars. One of his biggest rewards to date was his first car, a 5 Series BMW with tinted windows to shield him from the paparazzi.
"There's some things you just have to live with," he says of the media attention. "Like twelve cars camping outside your house, and when you wake up in the morning, they're going to follow you wherever you go. It helps that I live in Valencia. It eliminates some. But they're still here."
Ah yes, Lautner's California home in Valencia, where he still lives with his parents. "There's really no point. I'm so busy. I really haven't thought about it," he says when asked about the prospects of moving out and getting his own place.
"The thing I love is that my home life hasn't changed," adds Lautner. "I still help out with the garbage. I still help out with the lawn."
Also see: Taylor Lautner Photos
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