10 Twilight Actors That Found Fame (10 Who Are Stuck With Vampires)
James Holden Quick Links
The vampires in Twilight may have been able to live forever but the careers of the actors who played them died pretty quickly after the movie series ended. It's been ten years since Twilight hit theaters and the last movie, Breaking Dawn: Part 2, was released six years ago. Since then, many of the actors' careers have stopped dead in their tracks but some have actually managed to make a name for themselves outside of the franchise.
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson may have been able to find fame outside of Twilight but many of the other actors were not so lucky. Even though Twilight was incredibly popular, it wasn't taken seriously and neither was anyone involved in the movies. As beloved as the franchise is, it's not exactly Oscar-worthy. It's silly, campy, and doesn't make much sense but all of the movies were big moneymakers. Once the movie series ended, so did many of the careers. The actors who managed to break out were lucky to survive.
Kristen Stewart: Indie Darling
Kristen Stewart had been a working actor in Hollywood for years before she landed the role of Bella Swan in Twilight. When she was 12, she gained recognition for her role in David Fincher's Panic Room in which she played Jodie Foster's daughter. She went on to star in Zathura: A Space Adventure and Into the Wild before she starred in Twilight which made her one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood. Despite her success, she was often ridiculed for her performances but she went on to work in movies with smaller budgets such as Camp X-Ray, Equals, Still Alice, and Clouds of Sils Maria, all of which showcased her acting abilities.
Taylor Lautner: Career Abduction
Taylor Lautner became a hunky teen heartthrob after he played the werewolf Jacob in the Twilight series and he was on his way to becoming an action hero. With multiple big action vehicles lined up for him, he first starred in Abduction which flopped (it earned 4% on Rotten Tomatoes). With that, Lautner lost his one chance to become a leading man and now he appears on various TV shows such as Cuckoo and Scream Queens but it's unlikely that he will return to his former glory. We had such high hopes for the star of Sharkboy and Lava Girl.
Robert Pattinson: A Sparkling Career
Robert Pattinson landed his first big movie role by appearing in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as Cedric Diggory and his good looks got him some serious attention. In 2008, Pattinson landed his biggest role to date: Edward Cullen in Twilight. For the next four years, Pattinson would be known as a heartthrob for teens everywhere but it was obvious that he was not very interested in the spotlight. After the Twilight series wrapped up, Pattinson went on to appear in low-budget movies such as Remember Me and Cosmopolis -- though he has established himself as a force to be reckoned with when he starred in the indie hit Good Time.
Kellan Lutz: Expendable
Before he got his first big movie role in Twilight, Kellan Lutz appeared in TV shows such as The Bold and the Beautiful, CSI: NY, CSI, and 90210. After Twilight, Lutz and his impressive physique appeared in action movies such as Immortals, Java Heat, The Expendables 3, Extraction, The Osiris Child, The Legend of Hercules, and Speed Kills. Though he's starred in quite a few movies, few of them had wide releases in the U.S. and most of them were bombs. Lutz may still be starring in movies but the quality of his movies have only decreased with time.
Stuck: Breaking Down
Billy Burke had been a working actor in Hollywood for years before he appeared as Bella Swan's father Charlie Swan in Twilight. His first role was in a movie in 1990 called Daydreamer and then went on to appear on 24, Gilmore Girls, Law & Order, and Monk. Eighteen years after he landed his first movie role, he appeared in one of the biggest franchises of all time. However, after the Twilight movies, he didn't have much luck. He managed to land a few roles in TV shows like Revolution, Zoo, Major Crimes -- but none of them lasted longer than a few seasons. His most recent role was in Breaking In alongside Gabrielle Union.
Jamie Campbell Bower: Villain to Hero
Jamie Campbell Bower had only been a working actor for two years before he got the role of Caius in The Twilight Saga: New Moon and soon after that, he nabbed the role of young Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. He was also briefly engaged to Bonnie Wright who played Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter films. He went on to appear in Camelot, Anonymous, and the TV series Will as Christopher Marlowe. His biggest role to date was The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones which established him as a heartthrob.
Edi Gathegi: First Class
Before Edi Gathegi landed the role of the vampire Laurent in Twilight, he appeared in shows such as House, Veronica Mars, and CSI. Gathegi only appeared in three out of five Twilight movies: Twilight, New Moon, and Breaking Dawn: Part 2. Considering that his character was a minor one, he was able to branch out and appear in other movies including his biggest project, X-Men: First Class in which he played Darwin. He also appeared in the music video for Jay-Z's Legacy.
Michael Welch: In The Middle
Michael Welch has been a working actor since he was just 11 and landed small roles in some of the biggest TV shows of the 90s and early 2000s including Frasier, 7th Heaven, Malcolm in the Middle, The X-Files, Touched by an Angel, Law & Order, and NCIS. In Twilight, he played Mike Newton who goes to school with Bella and ultimately gets rejected by her because she's in love with a vampire. After Twilight, he continued to get small roles in TV shows like Grimm, CSI: NY, Bones, Scandal, Bones, and Another Period but hasn't managed to land another big role in a mainstream movie.
Mackenzie Foy: On Her Way To Fame
Mackenzie Foy may not have found fame yet but she is about to. The 17-year-old is the star in the upcoming Disney movie The Nutcracker and the Four Realms which is her biggest role to date and will surely launch her into stardom. Foy played Edward and Bella's daughter Renesmee when she was 11 and it was one of her first roles. She has since appeared in Christopher Nolan's Interstellar and lent her voice to a main character in The Little Prince. She may not have had many roles but she is definitely on her way to becoming a major star.
Nikki Reed: Vampire Love
Nikki Reed's first ever role was the lead in Thirteen alongside Evan Rachel Wood in 2003. The movie was co-written by Reed and she won an Independent Spirit Award for best debut performance. After Thirteen, however, she didn't manage to make a splash in Hollywood like Evan Rachel Wood did and only landed a few roles before she got the role of Rosalie in Twilight and reprised her role in all five movies. After Twilight ended, she nabbed a few small roles but she's best known for marrying fellow vampire actor Ian Somerhalder of The Vampire Diaries.
Ashley Green: The Grass Is Greener
Though she appeared on several TV shows, Ashley Green's first movie role was as "McDonald's Customer" in King California in 2007. A year later, she appeared in one of the biggest movies ever as Edward Cullen's sister, Alice. Besides appearing in a string of canceled TV shows such as Pan Am and Rogue, she landed roles in a few low-budget movies like LOL, Accident Man, Staten Island Summer, and Burying the Ex. Unfortunately, she hasn't appeared in anything as big as Twilight and it's possible that she'll be a vampire forever.
Jackson Rathbone: Jasper The Friendly Vampire
Like his Twilight costar Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone had a short stint on The O.C. back in 2006. Two years later, the pair played vampires, Reed as Rosalie and Rathbone as Jasper. Unfortunately for Rathbone, he nabbed a role in the ill-fated M. Night Shyamalan movie The Last Airbender which got 6% on Rotten Tomatoes. After Twilight, he appeared in a few low-budget movies and some short-lived TV shows such as Finding Carter and Aim High. However, he has not landed a role that was as big as his role in the Twilight series.
Anna Kendrick: Breakout Star
Of all of the breakout stars in the Twilight movies, Anna Kendrick has proven to be the most mainstream. After playing Bella's snarky classmate Jessica in Twilight, Kendrick went on to land major roles in movies such as Up in the Air, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 50/50, and her biggest hit to date: Pitch Perfect. With huge mainstream movies like Into the Woods, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, Trolls, and The Accountant, Kendrick has shown herself to be a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood.
Cam Gigandet: Villainous
Cam Gigandet played the villain James in the first installment of the Twilight series and was killed off at the end of the movie. However, it remains his biggest role to date though he did appear in several episodes of hit shows such as The Young and the Restless and The O.C. (along with costars Nikki Reed and Jackson Rathbone). Gigandet went on to appear in Easy A, Priest, The Roommate, The Magnificent Seven, and Burlesque alongside Christina Aguilera and Cher. He still hasn't been able to shake his vampire role despite only appearing in one movie.
Booboo Stewart: From Vampire To Disney Star
Booboo Stewart may only be 24 years old but he has nearly 100 roles under his belt. He got his start in Hollywood when he was just 9 years old with roles in ER, Everybody Hates Chris, and CSI: Miami. In 2010, Stewart played the role of Seth in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and reprised his role in the following two films. After appearing in the final movie, Stewart landed the role of Warpath in X-Men: Days of Future Past and a role in the wildly popular Disney Channel movie series The Descendants.
Rachelle Lefevre: Replaced
Before she played the vampire Victoria in the first two Twilight movies, Rachelle Lefevre appeared in Bones, Veronica Mars, The Class, How I Met Your Mother, The Closer, Boston Legal, and CSI. Despite her impressive resume, Lefevre was replaced in the third Twilight movie with Bryce Dallas Howard who continued to play the role of Victoria in the final film. After Twilight, Lefevre went on to appear in several short-lived TV shows such as Under the Dome, A Gifted Man, and Off the Map.
Jack Huston: Hollywood Royalty
Jack Huston has made a name for himself in Hollywood but it helped that he had an already famous last name. Jack Huston is the grandson of director John Huston and nephew of Anjelica Huston. He played a small part as Royce King in the third installment in the Twilight series who appears only briefly but after his stint in Eclipse, he went on to play Jack Kerouac in Kill Your Darlings and landed a significant role on Boardwalk Empire. He landed his biggest role to date in the 2016 remake of Ben-Hur as the title character and is set to appear in The Romanoffs, a new series from the creator of Mad Men.
Rami Malek: Mummies and Vampires
Rami Malek only had a few roles under his belt before he landed his first big breakout role as Ankmenrah in Night at the Museum and went on to build his resume with roles in 24, The Pacific, Larry Crowne, and Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master. In 2012 he landed the role of Benjamin in the final installment of the Twilight series. After completing the final movie in the Night at the Museum movies he landed his biggest role to date, the lead in the acclaimed TV series Mr. Robot. This year he is starring in Bohemian Rhapsody as Freddie Mercury.
Peter Facinelli: Twilight Years
Peter Facinelli played the patriarch of the Cullen family, Dr. Carlisle Cullen and though he's been a working actor since the early 90s, he hasn't been able to fully shake his vampire persona after starring in the franchise. Before Twilight, Facinelli appeared on Law & Order, Six Feet Under, and Damages and after Twilight, he hadn't managed to land a major role but has had small roles on Glee, Nurse Jackie, Supergirl, and S.W.A.T. His next project is a movie called Running with the Devil which stars Nicolas Cage.
Angela Sarafyan: Robots and Vampires
Angela Sarafyan may have nabbed a role in the Twilight series but she also nabbed a boyfriend while she was at it. After the pair appeared in Breaking Dawn: Part 2, Sarafyan and Rami Malek were romantically linked--though they never confirmed that they were dating. Sarafyan was no stranger to vampires-- her first roles were on Buffy the Vampire Slayer but, unfortunately, she didn't play a vampire that time. She may have had a small role in the movie, Sarafyan made it big when she appeared on Westworld which launched her into fame.
Sources: Rotten Tomatoes, Vulture
