Each morning as Taylor leaves his house, before he opens the door, he lets out a big sigh... another day to face the world with a smile on his face. Although his confident megawatt smile has become one of his signature trademarks, on the inside Taylor is fighting feelings of insecurity - for years he's been secretly batting his shy feelings, trying to figure out who he is as a person.
Growing up in a Grand Rapids, MI, all Taylor knew was karate - he live and breath martial arts, often choosing characters over hanging out with friends. "I fell in love", Taylor says about the first time he went to karate camp. And after becoming a gold medal champion, his karate instructor presented Taylor with another opportunuty ACTING. Conclicted on wich path to take, Taylor left his passion behind and stand his new identity as an actor.
Taylor quickly began living a double life, flying back and forth from Michigan to California for auditions with his dad and eventually friends behind when the Lautners permanently moved to the West Coast. "My family moved from Michigan to California, just for my acting and they're very suportive," Taylor tells. But the pressure mounted and Taylor felt he had to define himself as an actor, especially to his family.
When Taylor starts his new schoolin Santa Clarita, CA, he had a hard time finding wich crew he fit into: "Iwas one of those guys who really didn't have a clique and wouldn't hang out with a certain group of people." Taylor admits.
Never being one to speak out in a crowd, it became difficult from Taylor to make a name for himself in the halls. "I'm often shy and silent - soemtimes I want to be more extroverted." In fact, he was so introverted that he wouldn't stand up for himself when kids bullied him for being an actor. "Not physical bullying, but people making fun of what I do," Taylor says, I just had to tell myself that I can't let this get to me".
Then Taylor gets his big break in THE TWILIGHT SAGA, he took on yet another identity- Jacob Black. Instantly he became the object on girl's affections- not for who he is as a person, but for his buff body and character he workes so hard to portray. Yet again, Taylor has taken on a new person rather than being know for himself. "I try not to pay attention to it."he says. "That stuff just comes with [the job]."
But at the end of the day, at only 18 years old, Taylor knows he still has time to figure it all out- he's just enjoying the ride. "I'm no different that anyone else," he says. "Acting is what I do and I'm going to continue to do it!"
GREAT FOR YOU TAYLOR!!
