Taylor Lautner is looking back on his time as a star of the Twilight franchise. In an interview with Today, the actor discussed how becoming famous at 16 years old affected his life. He was a significant part of the five-movie series, where he played Bella Swan's friend and werewolf Jacob Black. The Twilight films were based on the popular Stephanie Meyers books and were a massive success. In total, the motion pictures grossed over $3 billion at the worldwide box office. During the franchise's popularity, Lautner said, "The fame would become overwhelming, and he couldn't live a normal life without being followed or recognized."

While speaking to a reporter for Today, Lautner explained, "Not many things in life can come and happen overnight. Fame can. It also can disappear overnight. When I was 16, 17, 18 years old, waking up and trying to just go out for a walk or go on a date and I had 12 cars waiting outside my house to follow me wherever I'm going or show up to an airport or anywhere, and you have thousands of fans screaming."

Even everyday places, like a grocery store, or mall, were difficult for the actor to visit. He was scared of being discovered by the public at the previously mentioned locations. When he mustered the courage to go to a grocery store, he described, "It felt like freedom. I went so many years either not leaving my house, or if I did, hat, sunglasses, and just like, scared. It built up something inside me where, I didn't know it, but I was scared to go out. I'd get super anxious to go out. So I just didn't."

What Is Taylor Lautner Doing Now?

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Breaking Dawn: Part 2, the last installment of the series, released in 2012. Lautner would later have a recurring role in the comedy-horror tv show Scream Queens. After the final part of the Twilight franchise came out; however, the actor's fame began to decrease. As his recognition went down, Lautner discussed his realization that stardom can quickly slip away. He said, "In the moment, it got frustrating because you just wanted to live a normal life. But then when that's taken away from you at all, you start to question yourself and start to be like 'oh, do people not care about me anymore?' When it goes away a little bit, you notice it, and that's the dangerous part because that can mess with your mind."

His personal life right now feels better than it did years ago. While speaking about his current feelings, Lautner talked about how he feels "so much better today than I have in the last 4-5 years." A significant part of his happiness comes from his fiancé. However, he did joke that she was a "diehard Team Edward fan," making reference to Jacob's rival Edward Cullen.

Jason Kennedy, who works at Today, asked Taylor Lautner if the fame felt worth the hardships. Lautner's response was, "If you ask me now, now I say 'no.' I am happy because of what it's taught me. It's made me who I am right now and for that I'm thankful."

Taylor Lautner stars alongside Kevin James in the film Home Team, which is debuting on Netflix on January 28.