Taylor Lautner Has 'Swag' In 'Abduction,' Director Says

'They're gonna see a whole different Taylor Lautner from what Jacob is in the 'Twilight' pictures,' John Singleton promises.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Vanessa White Wolf

Taylor Lautner in "Abduction"
Photo: Lionsgate

Taylor Lautner will surprise people in his forthcoming film "Abduction," according to John Singleton. The renowned director says that Lautner has abandoned his onscreen "Twilight" werewolf alter ego to play a butt-kicking teen in the film, due out in September.

"I put him through his paces and I can say this to the MTV audience: They're gonna see a whole different Taylor Lautner from what Jacob is in the 'Twilight' pictures," Singleton told MTV News. "My goal as a director was to work with him as an actor, for him to have something that's a different character."

So, what did Singleton draw out of his actor? Singleton said he wanted Lautner's character to be "strong and charismatic. I've done some stuff that I'm sure all the young ladies will really love ... and it's beyond taking his shirt off. It's about him having a different kind of swag than he does as Jacob. In this movie, he's Nathan Harper and he's a kickass dude in this movie."

The director explained that while Lautner plays tough in the flick, he was quite the softie on set, taking the time out to thank his fans for stopping by to watch him in action. "Taylor's the most famous actor I've ever worked with in my whole career," Singleton said. "When we were shooting this movie, we had 500 to 600 girls and their mothers off the set, trying to get on the set, trying to be around, which was cool."

Singleton said that the star handled all the attention like the seasoned pro that he is. "It was really funny because, you know, after we worked all these hours, he'd go out and he'd graciously shake peoples' hands and sign autographs," he said. "He's phenomenal. I call him a trooper; he's a real soldier."

Check out everything we've got on "Abduction."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1667178/taylor-lautner-abduction-john-singleton.jhtml

Alice Dodd Alicia Keys Alicia Witt Amanda Bynes