'Were' there's a will - Taylor meats his muscle target for New Moon
Twilight star Taylor Lautner literally did beef up to hang onto his role as Jacob Black in the teen vamp saga.
Just 16 when the first film was released, there were doubts that he would be able to put on enough muscle mass to play a character with a real wild side (hint: you wouldn't like him when he is angry) in New Moon.
So Taylor embarked on an extreme fitness programme which required him to eat every two hours as well as working out at the gym.
"The eating process was actually the most difficult. I had to double or triple my calorie intake per day.
"It was a matter of eating every two hours, disgusting things like meat patties, raw almonds and sweet potatoes.
"I'm really busy, driving downtown to LA for meetings, so it's hard to get that food in me. I'd carry baggies with the meat patties and all kinds of stuff. That was the only way to do it."
Taylor, who studied martial arts as a child and is a four times Junior World Champion, did as many of his own stunts as he could get away with on set.
"I had never ridden a dirt bike before so that was kind of scary at first. I had to go through some training so I could make the five seconds of me on the dirt bike look cool. But the stunt work was a lot of fun."
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Not for director Chris Weitz apparently.
"Taylor does everything he can to endanger his life physically while shooting a movie. Frankly, I was just closing my eyes and praying.
"The only thing he didn't do was what the insurance company refused to allow him to do."
Golden Compass director Weitz was a surprise choice to continue the franchise after the studio and Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke parted ways.
However, as co-director with brother Paul on American Pie and About a Boy, he proved he had some insight into the psyche of hormonally-driven and ostracized high schoolers.
"I was quite unprepared when I was offered the chance to direct," he admits
"I'd never read any of the books and I hadn't seen the movie - like many people with a Y chromosome.
"I thought I'd better do some catching up, so I read the book. I like making movies about depression it would seem.
"There were these wonderful kind of dark tones.
"There were some challenges - the CGI part of making the werewolves and being able to shoot on location in Italy, which I knew was going to be fun."
After the hysteria that greeted the first film, the stars and director were not unaware of the fans' breathless anticipation for the sequel.
"I guess after Twilight we expect anything," says Taylor. "But it is still a constant surprise to me, the fan reactions and amount of support we have behind us."
"I probably should have been scared of the Twihards the whole time," says Chris. "The main question I get is how much pressure did I feel but actually I have found they have been extremely supportive.
"I put myself on complete media blackout while making the film because I am the person who will be up at three in the morning having a heated discussion with a 14-year-old from Norway.
"Since the movie has wrapped I have become a horrible Twitter addict and the reaction has been encouraging."
The increased significance of Jacob in Bella's life and to the plot has left the Twihards divided over who to lust after and they have divided themselves up into Team Edward and Team Jacob.
Robert Pattinson has admitted he would quite fancy trading in his fangs for Taylor's role. But Taylor says that he wouldn't mind taking shape-shifting a step further if he was allowed his pick of the parts.
"I'd love to get inside Bella's mind. A lot of weird things are going on in there. I would love to experience that."
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