Actor Taylor Lautner certainly became a worldwide sensation in the late 2000s thanks to his work as Jacob Black in The Twilight Saga. Initially, everyone predicted that Lautner would become a huge Hollywood star, including the ex-president of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, Joe Drake, who compared the actor to Tom Cruise.
However, Lautner’s career slowed down and made only a few appearances in movies and TV shows. In retrospect, Lautner’s first movie as the lead character, Abduction (2011) was a failure, somehow predicting Lautner’s career. Having the looks of Cruise is certainly a plus point, but having the acting skills of Cruise would’ve certainly worked out well for him.
Taylor Lautner was compared to Tom Cruise at the peak of his career
The late 2000s and early 2010s were the golden years for actor Taylor Lautner since he became a well-known name around the world due to his performance as Jacob Black in The Twilight Saga. In 2011, the ex-president of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, Joe Drake, compared the actor to Tom Cruise in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter despite the failure of Lautner’s 2011 movie Abduction. Drake said,
“When you watch Taylor, he’s like a young Tom Cruise. The way he handles his business, he’s such a pro,” adding, “He’s a big star. I’ve just never seen anybody handle their business the way he does… He knows how to sell, and he’s a hell of an actor.”
There is no doubt that Lautner was a talented star, but comparing him to Cruise is far-fetched. At the peak of his career, Lautner became a teen idol and s*x symbol thanks to his looks and physique but his popularity slowly dipped.
Taylor Lautner is a huge fan of Tom Cruise
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lautner acknowledged Drake’s compliment, stating that he is a huge fan of Denzel Washington, Matt Damon, and Tom Cruise,
“That’s quite the honor – I’ve always been a huge fan of Denzel Washington, Matt Damon, Tom Cruise. I think what it is that I respect about their career[s] so much is how they’ve continued to do different things throughout. Their careers are enormous, and they’ve done so many films and played so many characters, but they’ve never done the same thing over and over and over again. You just look at their choices and it’s unreal. They’re very, very smart and incredibly talented.”
Although Lautner isn’t as active as he once was, he still has several sources of income. From The Twilight Saga alone, Lautner earned an estimated $45 million. In 2023, Lautner made an appearance in the music video of his ex-girlfriend, Taylor Swift’s song, I Can See You.
