Lautner Comments on his Struggles to Grow Into Physique for "New Moon"

It was revealed throughout the promotional tour for the highly anticipated "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" film, which has a theatrical release date of Friday November 20, 2009, that Summit Entertainment had considered replacing actor Taylor Lautner in favor of a more muscular performer. However, the actor displayed admirable perseverance and dedication for his craft by adding 30 pounds to his frame through strenuous workouts at the gym as well as a significantly increased daily caloric intake.

Lautner was able to maintain his role in the film as a result of his impressive transformation from a 17-year-old teenager to fully grown 19-year-old man and all indications are that he will be the breakout star of "New Moon". He commented on the struggles that he experienced throughout the weight gaining process during an interview with MTV News. The actor clarified that the weight that he put on was predominantly muscle due to the elimination of ‘junk food' and other unhealthy aspects from his diet.

The actor singled out the alterations that were made to his daily caloric intake as the most difficult aspect of his weight gain. Lautner said, "[I was] doubling the amount of calorie intake I had before, which was just really tough, eating every two hours. It was the hardest part for sure. Sometimes my trainer, when we were filming, [would] wake me up at six in the morning and be like, 'Hey, have a protein shake.' And then I'd go back to sleep for a couple hours."