Taylor Lautner entered the movie industry with the air of a rising star thanks to his combination of handsome looks and undeniable charisma. From his early film roles to his small television appearances, he showed a clear progression toward top-tier stardom. However, one specific role—Jacob Black in the widely acclaimed Twilight series—was what propelled him to true international fame. Jacob’s emotional journey as the shape-shifting werewolf hopelessly in love with Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) while competing with vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) was compelling.
Contrary to popular belief, another movie, Abduction, rather than his affiliation with Twilight, had a greater impact on his career. In this 2011 action thriller, Lautner played the main role in an attempt to make him the next big action star. This looked like the right course of action when put on paper. However, the truth was quite the opposite.
Taylor Lautner’s Abduction Was a Misfire?
Taylor Lautner rose to fame in the 2000s as a result of his captivating portrayal of the endearing werewolf Jacob Black in the popular Twilight film series. But with the release of the tragic $82.1 million film Abduction, his once-promising career took a dark turn. According to Taylor Lautner, he did almost all of his own stunts for this film.
The Hollywood Reporter claimed that
“Insiders point to 2011’s Abduction, which was critically panned (it earned $82 million worldwide). After that, Universal put Stretch Armstrong into turnaround, and the leading-man offers dried up.”
It would appear that Abduction’s underwhelming performance made studios second-guess investing big money in Lautner to star in a project. The Hollywood Reporter cited a producer as saying:
“His first movie just wasn’t very good, and it didn’t justify what he was asking for at the time.”
Moreover, the Cuckoo actor claimed that his eagerness to perform his own stunts made the movie’s insurance provider uncomfortable. Lautner, 31, informed E! News:
“I slide down this huge glass awning to an escalator, and I actually did that all myself. The insurance company was freaking out the whole movie because every single day I’d show up and the question would be, ‘I’m doing all my stunts, right?’ And 99% of the time, the answer was ‘yes’, which was great…”
Thankfully, there were no significant accidents to note, as the actor told E! News:
“There were some bumps and bruises. Like in the trailer, the big thing is I slide down this huge glass awning to an escalator, and I actually did that myself..”
Why Did Taylor Lautner Choose to Star in Abduction?
In the Shawn Christensen-written movie, Taylor Lautner portrayed a teen (Nathan Harper / Steven Price) who fled after discovering that his entire life had been a lie and his parents were not who they claimed to be. The Cheaper by the Dozen 2 actor once sat down with Reuters to discuss the movie and why he decided to star in Abduction:
“I knew it would be physically challenging because of all the stunts. But I knew it was going to be difficult to dive into this character’s shoes and relate to the emotions he’s feeling during this journey. As soon as Nathan figures out his entire life is a lie, it’s tough to relate to.”
Speaking of the main difficulty in portraying the character, Lautner learned:
“The biggest thing was just dropping Jacob Black, who I’ve played for the past three or four years and living in Nathan’s shoes for three months.”
The movie, directed by John Singleton, received negative reviews from critics who also criticized the pace, cast (especially Lautner), and screenplay. Despite having a $35 million production budget, Abduction made $82.1 million globally.
Lautner was last seen as Troy Lambert in the 2022 biographical film Home Team.
Watch Abduction on Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, or DIRECTV.
