At a recent fan convention in Chicago, Twilight actor Kellan Lutz revealed why he turned down the chance to audition for the iconic role of Edward Cullen, a part that ultimately went to Robert Pattinson and helped launch his career. Lutz said he wasn’t in the right emotional place at the time, having just spent seven months filming Generation Kill in Africa, a gritty project filled with intense and heavy material. He explained that after that experience, he “just wanted peace and joy in my life again,” and when the Twilight audition came along, “I just wasn’t in that sort of mindset.”
Lutz, who later became widely known for playing Emmett Cullen across all five Twilight films, said that even his manager tried to convince him otherwise by pointing out that Twilight was the start of a series and could mean multiple movies. Rather than enticing him, that prospect only reinforced his reluctance to take on what he saw as “a depressing character.”
Despite passing on Edward, Lutz’s path did lead him into the Twilight universe: the role of Emmett opened up when the originally cast actor didn’t work out. Lutz read the few lines for Emmett, found them funny, connected with the character’s lighter tone, and ultimately embraced the part, one that became a significant breakthrough in his career.
His comments add an interesting footnote to Twilight lore: that one of the franchise’s familiar faces nearly could have been its romantic lead, but personal priorities and emotional fit steered him elsewhere.
