Taylor Lautner landed his breakout role as Jacob Black in Twilight, but following the conclusion of the saga with Breaking Dawn: Part 2 in 2012 the actor seemingly disappeared from the public eye. Lautner found fame thanks to Twilight, but he had actually been working in Hollywood for several years prior. He starred in 2005's The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava Girl and Cheaper by the Dozen 2 as well as making small appearances in television shows. With successful jobs under his belt, landing the role of a lifetime in Twilight, and a highly publicized romance with pop star Taylor Swift, it seemed like Lautner's career could only go up.
However, in the years since, Lautner has been unable to maintain his star power to the same extent as Twilight co-stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. While Lautner's acting career certainly saw a dip after the frenzied success of Twilight, he by no means stopped working in the industry. Here's everything Taylor Lautner has done since Twilight ended, including what he is up to now.
What Taylor Lautner Appeared In After Twilight Ended
After Twilight, Lautner hoped to transition to more mature roles, leading two films that clearly aimed to position him as Hollywood's next big action star. However, both 2011's Abduction and 2015's Tracers were critical and commercial failures. Both films, but particularly Abduction, were criticized for being obvious attempts to cash in on Lautner's Twilight success, failing to impress critics or audiences.
Lautner then starred in Adam Sandler's Western action-comedy The Ridiculous Six. Unfortunately, the venture proved even less successful than Lautner's previous action films, becoming one of the 2010s movies to score 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. Following this, Lautner changed tack by starring in the low-budget indie vehicle Run the Tide in 2016, aiming to flex more of his acting talents and show a different side to the star, but this too attracted criticism from critics.
What Recent Movies & Shows Has Taylor Lautner Been In
With a string of disappointing film roles after Twilight ended, Lautner's most successful role was arguably Dale in the BBC sitcom Cuckoo. Replacing Andy Samberg, Lautner starred alongside British comedian Greg Davies in seasons 2-4, and the two formed an unexpected comedy duo, with clips of the pair promoting the show together going viral (via YouTube). Ending in 2018, Cuckoo was Lautner's last major role until 2022 when he starred as Troy Lambert in the movie Home Team.
Home Team is a biographical sports comedy telling the story of New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton. Produced by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison production company, Home Team reached the top spot in Netflix's most-watched chart in the days after its release. This signals that there's still an audience for Taylor Lautner's work, and while the actor has been open about his struggles with fame and a want to be pickier about future roles (via ABC News), it could signal a big-screen comeback for the Twilight star.
Sources: YouTube, ABC News