Over a decade ago, a then-unknown writer by the name of Stephenie Meyer managed to sell her vampire young adult novel, Twilight, to publishers. No one knows quite why it became the massive success it did, but one thing was clear – within a short span of time, it became evident that fans around the world were absolutely Twilight-crazy. Each subsequent release in the series was met with more and more fanfare, and eventually, someone realized that the insanely popular book might just make a good movie.
Like with most trilogies, the studio split the books into their own separate films (splitting the last book into two films) to fully showcase Meyer’s plot and characters. And, the studios cast a film of relative unknowns. Sure, everyone in the movie had had prior acting roles, but none were quite A-List superstars. That is, until the first Twilight film was released. After that, every cast member became a household name – at least while the buzz around the films was still going on. Now, many of them have taken a step back from the limelight, working in Hollywood but not on mega blockbusters like Twilight.
Curious to see where your favourites from Forks are nearly a decade after the first film? Here are 11 of the main Twilight cast members now.
11 Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan)
Of all the Twilight cast, Kristen Stewart has probably remained the most well-known after the films wrapped. Not only was she the romantic lead in the film – over the past few years, she’s snagged roles in films like The Runaways, Clouds of Sils Maria, On The Road, Still Alice and more. Whether you love her or find her a bit too deadpan, there’s no denying that Stewart has been fearless when it comes to selecting meatier roles post-Twilight. If her face wasn’t so distinctive, you may also have trouble recognizing her nowadays – while she had long, flowing brunette locks for her role as Bella Swan, nowadays she sports a much more androgynous look.
10 Anna Kendrick (Jessica Stanley)
Okay, Anna Kendrick really needs no introduction. She wasn’t even a main cast member in Twilight, just playing the slightly ditzy, mean girl Jessica Stanley. However, since Twilight wrapped, she’s unquestionably achieved the most success – arguably even more than the leading duo, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. Kendrick has shown off her comedic chops, acting skill and vocals in movies like Up In The Air, Pitch Perfect, 50/50, Drinking Buddies, The Last Five Years… need we go on? Kendrick is no longer a rising star – she’s a definite A-Lister who likely has her pick of roles coming at her, 24/7.
9 Kellan Lutz (Emmett Cullen)
While the world was constantly arguing over Team Edward vs. Team Jacob, they overlooked one detail – one of the dreamiest actors in the Twilight film was beefcake Kellan Lutz, who played Emmett Cullen. Given his crazy physique, it only makes sense that the majority of roles Lutz has taken on post-Twilight have been action-centric, playing literal gods like Poseidon in Immortals and Hercules in The Legend of Hercules. The North Dakota-born boy is also a big fan of the outdoors, and can often be found participating in adventures in the wild. He briefly hosted the game show Bullseye, and we have a feeling a hosting gig would be prefect for this gregarious hunk. Perhaps if Jeff Probst ever retires from Survivor, Lutz can take over.
8 Nikki Reed (Rosalie Hale)
Apart from perhaps her first ever film role as bad girl Evie in the indie film Thirteen, Nikki Reed is best known for her role as ice queen Rosalie Hale in the Twilight films. In fact, it was her relationship with director Catherine Hardwicke (who directed both Thirteen and Twilight) that initially got her in the door for the part of Rosalie. Nowadays, Reed is one half of one of Hollywood’s most gorgeous couples, having married The Vampire Diaries bad boy Ian Somerhalder last year. She continues to live and work in Hollywood, although the majority of her projects have been direct-to-DVD films, and is well known for her activism.
7 Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen)
Robert Pattinson’s first big acting role was in the Harry Potter film series as Cedric Diggory, but let’s be honest – he became the international superstar he is today thanks to Twilight. Hundreds of thousands of fans around the world were crazy for Edward Cullen, and Pattinson responded by being, well, Robert Pattinson. While his bone structure and lanky frame mean he can easily be cleaned up to look like he just walked off a high fashion runway, in real life, he prefers a more hobo chic look. He’s appeared in several more independent films since Twilight wrapped, and after a high profile scandal involving then-girlfriend Kristen Stewart having an affair, Pattinson eventually moved on with English musician FKA twigs.
6 Peter Facinelli (Carlisle Cullen)
You may not recognize Peter Facinelli in some of his other roles if all you’ve seen him in is Twilight – while he rocked a bleached blonde hairstyle to play Dr. Carlisle Cullen, the patriarch of the Cullen family, he’s a brunette in real life. Facinelli has been acting since the mid 1990s, snagging roles in films of all kinds of genres, but his bread and butter gig came with Nurse Jackie, a television show he was a part of for seven years. Nowadays, you’ll find him on the new television series Supergirl – it seems like Facinelli likes the pace of television more than film!
5 Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black)
Partly due to his storyline, Taylor Lautner was the cast member who underwent the most insane transformation during the Twilight films. He started as a fairly regular-sized teen and trained until he packed on an admirable amount of muscle mass to play werewolf Jacob Black. Since the films wrapped, Lautner hasn’t transformed into a mega A-List actor, although he’s still regarded as a sex symbol in Hollywood thanks to his carefully sculpted physique. He’s gotten gigs in action films like Abduction as well as a BBC Three comedy series, Cuckoo, now available on Netflix. Oh, and despite not having an endless list of credits to his name yet, Lautner became one of the highest paid teen actors in history right around the time he was in Twilight, so he can afford to be picky about the roles he takes on.
4 Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen)
In the Twilight films, Alice Cullen had a very distinct look, with her short, styled hair. In real life, Ashley Greene looks like an entirely different person, thanks to her flowing brunette locks and California sun-kissed tan. While the paparazzi love getting shots of Greene leaving the gym after her workouts, she doesn’t exactly pop up on every single red carpet – she’s been keeping a fairly low profile since Twilight, doing some voiceover work for video games and the odd film role here and there.
3 Jackson Rathbone (Jasper Hale)
Of all the Twilight cast, southern charmer Jackson Rathbone has probably been the one to appear on the least red carpets, and to stay the furthest from the film industry. It’s not because Rathbone isn’t a good actor – it’s because he’s been pursuing his other passion, music. While he appears in one or two films a year, he’s also toured extensively with his former band 100 Monkeys. And, in case you were wondering, Rathbone has become quite the family man – he had his first child in 2012, married girlfriend Sheila Hafsadi in 2013, and is now expecting his second child with Hafsadi.
2 Elizabeth Reaser (Esme Cullen)
The Cullen family matriarch, played by Elizabeth Reaser, hasn’t limited herself to blockbuster movies following her success on Twilight. In fact, she’s been all over the map in the entertainment industry, snagging roles in more independent films like Liberal Arts, on hit television shows like Grey’s Anatomy and The Good Wife, as well as several theatre roles. Safe to say, Reaser has been a busy woman! Oh, and we’re also a little curious about whether she’s a real life vampire, because she’s looked the same for about twenty years – maybe it’s just good genes, but the brunette bombshell is definitely blessed in the beauty department.
1 Billy Burke (Charlie Swan)
Of all the Twilight cast, Billy Burke is the most unrecognizable. It’s simply because, in his role of Charlie Swan, he had a very distinct look – moustache, ball cap, flannel, jeans. It makes it absolutely puzzling to see Burke on the red carpet, clean shaven in a tux. He’s worked steadily in the film industry since playing Charlie Swan, but is perhaps best known for his recurring television roles – he played a main role on both Revolution and the recent show Zoo. Quite frankly, it’s a bit startling to see him out of his Charlie Swan attire – but hey, that just proves he did a great job in his Twilight role.
