Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Before They Were Twilighters

Before They Were Twilighters

Sure, now they rule the box office, but before the stars of the "Twilight" movies sprouted fangs, they were little unknowns who could actually walk down the street without having their photo taken. Imagine! Have a look back at Bella, Edward, Jacob and the rest of the

"Twilight" clan in their younger, doughier, less-famous days.
Taylor Lautner
Role: Jacob Black
After "Breaking Dawn" hits theaters, we'll see if Lautner
moves onto more serious, less ab-centered work. But this photo -- taken of a 13-year-old Lautner back in 2005 -- shows that he was all about flashing the six-pack even as a lad. Long live the baby face.
Robert Pattinson
Role: Edward Cullen
If only we could show you photos of baby-faced kid-actor R-Patz. Unforch, Pattinson made his big debut to American audiences in 2005, looking almost fully grown-up as Cedric Diggory in "Harry Potter and the
Goblet of Fire." But don't worry; he's grown up plenty, having transformed from a supporting player in one book-series-turned-movie franchise to the romantic lead in another.
Kristen Stewart
Role: Bella Swan
Today, she pits vampire against werewolf, but in 2002 she pit Jodie Foster against Jared Leto in "Panic Room." Only 11 when "Panic Room" was filmed, Stewart looked like a whole different person -- a boy, in fact. Today,
K-Stew looks like a young lady, but she seems to have forgotten how to force a smile.
Dakota Fanning
Role: Jane
Of the entire series cast, Fanning was probably the most famous before "Twilight" mania hit. The 16-year-old also has probably been famous the longest, since she was only seven when she won acclaim for her role opposite
Sean Penn in "I Am Sam."
Kellan Lutz
Role: Emmett Cullen
Lutz has maintained healthy levels of hunkiness ever since he debuted as a 19-year-old on "The Bold and the Beautiful." Just a year later, he made his first big-screen appearance in the gymnastics drama "Stick It" (pictured
here). And it's been teen angst and rippling muscles ever since.
Ashley Greene
Role: Alice Cullen
Whereas many Twilighters had scored high-profile roles before the first film, "Twilight" marked Greene's big break, since she'd only made guest appearances on "Punk'd" and "Crossing Jordan" beforehand. But based on this
senior high school yearbook photo of Greene, it's clear she's always had a face that would get her noticed.
Nikki Reed
Role: Rosalie Hale
At 15 years old, Reed was introduced to Hollywood when she starred in and co-wrote the girls-in-middle-school drama "Thirteen," only to reach greater fame five years later (but looking much the same) in "Twilight." Bonus
trivia: Reed's costar in "Thirteen," Evan Rachel Wood, also moved on to play a fangbanger in that other vampire saga, "True Blood."
Jackson Rathbone
Role: Jasper Hale
He went from junior high to all-grown-up overnight. The 25-year-old Rathbone smolders in a very grown-up way in the "Twilight" movies, but we can't get over how teen-tastic he looked just four years ago when he
guested on "The O.C."
Bryce Dallas Howard
Role: Victoria
Perhaps best known to Twihards as "Not the Victoria" after the role was passed from Rachelle Lefevre to Howard in "Eclipse," Howard has been getting credited movie roles since 2000, when she played a Who in "How
the Grinch Stole Christmas." She has to give a big thanks to her pops, Ron Howard, for jump-starting her acting career. As you can see, Howard looked gorgeous even back in 2002, when this photo was taken, but we feel like her nose looks a little more slender today. Hmm ... maybe becoming a vampire makes your nose cuter?
Peter Facinelli
Role: Carlisle Cullen
We can't hardly believe that Facinelli starred in "Can't Hardly Wait" a full ten years before the first "Twilight," in which he plays the Cullen clan patriarch. Even weirder: He actually looks hunkier today than he did when he
played Jennifer Love Hewitt's dumb jock boyfriend.
Anna Kendrick
Role: Jessica Stanley
A cutie pie even while attending Deering High School in Portland, Maine, the now-25-year-old may have come the farthest of all the "Twilight" kids. Though she plays a small role in the series as Bella's chatty human friend,
Kendrick is the only one so far to score an Oscar nomination, which she earned for her role in the fang-free "Up in the Air."