For a while, there were rumours the Twilight character of Jacob Black would be recast for New Moon, but actor Taylor Lautner is back in the role. It’s a juicier one this time, with more for the actor to get his teeth into. Not only does his relationship with Bella — played by Kristen Stewart — develop, but Lautner also went through an impressive physical transformation.

Q. How is it back on set?
A. It’s good. I’m really excited to be back with the whole team again and our new director, Chris Weitz. It’s been a lot of fun so far and the movie’s looking great, so I couldn’t ask for more.

Q. And you have a huge role this time…
A. It’s a little bit bigger, yeah! It’s exciting because I’m excited to bring alive the new Jacob Black for the fans.

Q. You look like an '80s rock star with your long hair!
A. Sometimes I look in the mirror and I don’t recognize myself. It’s an actual wig. It’s glued to my head in the front and it gets itchy sometimes. You can see the lace if you look close, but it doesn’t come across on camera. It gives me a totally different look. I don’t even look like myself. But it’s fun.

Q. The biggest change is in your body though. You gained 30 pounds of muscle for this role, is that right?
A. I did, yeah. When I was filming Twilight, I knew where my character was going in the rest of the series, so obviously I knew I had some work ahead of me! So as soon as I stopped filming Twilight, I got back home, hit the gym and worked very, very hard, and here I am filming New Moon, 30 pounds heavier.

Q. And doing your own stunts.
A. So far. Let’s not jinx it, but basically you get an evaluation at the beginning of filming. They took me to a gymnasium to see what I could do. They put me on some dirt bikes to see how well I can do. I think they’re just ...[next page]