Kellan Lutz Interview

Kellan Lutz Interview

There is good reason that 25-year-old Twilight star Kellan Lutz is photographed shirtless so often. Who wouldn’t go around half naked with a body as perfectly cut as that? Not that we see much of it in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Emmett Cullen tends to be covered up, but it’s hard to mistake that fighter’s physique. Emmett is a protector vampire; he looks the part and plays the part as the Cullens battle the dark creatures coming for Bella (Kristen Stewart).

Eclipse is the most action-packed of the three Twilight films; it’s physical, hormonal and emotional. AskMen spoke with Lutz during a recent swing through Toronto and asked him what makes Twilight so damn popular.

Q1: AskMen.com : Twilight seems to capture the feeling of being teenagers. It's incredibly passionate. Kellan Lutz : The first one was all about Edward and that type of love, and Jacob -- in the second -- with werewolves, the guy who is always, "Come one, date me! Date me!” Will she pick the good guy or the bad guy? It’s a good love triangle, a good mix, something we all encounter, at different points in time.
Q2: AM : The series plays up so many aspects of love but it’s never explicit. KL : It’s really quite unique. My sister’s starting high school, and it’s taught her a lot. It really teaches the lessons that mothers and fathers don’t have to -- the birds and bees. It teaches you that you can wait for sex. Go for love and patience. Each story grows in maturity on different subjects. It’s really nice how it brings everyone in. Even the Twilight mums get all giddy again like schoolgirls; it brings them back to those days of being lovestruck and uncertain. It’s really cool what Stephenie Meyer has created.
Q3: AM : You transformed yourself physically, even the way you speak. Did you work from anything beyond the script to make Emmett your creation? KL : Yes, I try to do something different with my voice and just tap into Emmett. I made my own backstory and having Stephenie there is nice -- she’s the best backstory ever. I read different fans remarks -- they know so much about Twilight. It’s great to just do the homework... I step into the big brother role which I haven’t played too much, but I’m one of eight, and have six brothers and I was a big brother to my twin younger brothers, so it’s great to step in those shoes again. It’s fun. It is really fun.
Q4: AM : This is a very body conscious part of the saga; you and Taylor are totally buff and big. How does it reflect what’s inside your characters? KL : They are the protectors. That’s a tough question. Emmett is naturally that big -- I have to work out to be that big. A lot of times bigger people might be super huge for security purposes. It’s not that way with Taylor [Lautner]’s character or my character. We are just born that way and have the inner strength that lets us be the protectors.
Q5: AM : Funny, it’s not politically correct to talk about women’s bodies in the same way we talk about yours. KL : How so?
Q6: AM : Well, can you say the female stars in the films have awesome bodies? KL : My best friend Ashley Greene did an interview that blew my mind because she was so honest. Someone asked her if she cared to be really skinny. I think this is the biggest hoopla in our industry; people have to conform to a certain image. But Ashley’s response was, "No, I want to look like a woman. I’ll be toned, but I don’t need to be super skinny. I love my body.” And I was like, “Thank God, you’re fighting for the cause!” The industry can be fickle, and it’s nice for people to be themselves.
Q7: AM : Have you had those issues? KL : I have been asked to lose weight. And I’ll do projects I would otherwise lose out on because I’m playing a high school role and I’m 25 and I’m playing with actors who are smaller than me. Sometimes I have to lose the weight, but most of the time I like being the big guy. I’d love to do a movie like The Machinist. It’s an extreme movie but it takes you to a place that is quite impressive.
Q8: AM : The Twilight Saga is a one in a million proposition for a young actor. You must be incredibly grateful. KL : One in a billion! I was working steadily before and I had no idea what Twilight was going to be. I was like, “Okay, fine. I’ll do this job,” and I got a slow, steady pace. I don’t care to be famous and in every magazine, like, “Oh look! Kellan’s in there."
Q9: AM : Well, too late for that! KL : Yeah I know! But I’m fine with it. But I never cared to have paparazzi outside my house and now they are. But it’s definitely a golden ticket. Actors strive to be part of something like Twilight and what Twilight is, is unbelievable. And to see how the fans react to Taylor and Rob [Pattinson], it’s when I’m grateful that I’m like the third guy in the tier.
Q10: AM : How did you like working in those remote wooded areas of the mountains in British Columbia where it’s always dark and misty? KL : I love it. I’m such an outdoor freak. I love being in nature, especially in the first movie -- there was rain and hail and we’d have to stop and start again. I was always outside -- the kid with his mouth open trying to catch hail. It was cool to be in the woods.
Q11: AM : What will your fans think if you go against the Emmett image and play a bad guy? KL : Girls love the bad boys. I am very picky with my career. I don’t need to do it for the money or the fame. I’m very choosy, which is why I haven’t played the typical role that people expect to see from someone of my stature and size, as the mean jock or the preppy. It’s very easy to see me like that. That’s why I go against it in different roles. I love playing the bad guy getting away with stuff. I was that kid who learned from my older brothers who got away with everything by smiling.

People are fans and there are people who don’t like me as Emmett. If you like some of the roles I’ve done, thank you. If you don’t, well, thank you for your opinion. I’m doing the best I can. I’m happy with where my career is going and grateful for everything.
Q12: AM : Do you ever think about the fact that your life is changed forever? Your face will always be known, you’ll always be Kellan. KL : Well, that’s nice! I am glad I made a name for myself. Every actor’s dream is to be part of something and I am really blessed. It was just my presence -- my fans got to put a name and face to the character and I love it! It’s such a great honor.
Q13: AM : It’s good to be so happy in your job! KL : It really is. But I don’t view acting as a job. It’s a hobby. It’s great to be super excited about your hobby.
Q14: AM : Do you think the series can go on indefinitely? KL : Well, no. The last book is already out and we’re starting the last movie soon. It would be great of Stephenie wrote more. I’d like to see some Emmett chronicles because my character’s not in it that much. It’s great to still reap all the benefits, and it allows me to do other movies where I have more than four lines. I just don’t know where else it can go, like Harry Potter, there are just so many books. But Stephenie told us she made little excerpts, like Midnight Sun. I would love it. I really would.