For Twilight fans, Jackson Rathbone became a household name as soon as he appeared on screen as Edward Cullen's adopted brother, Jasper Hale. While the same amount of media attention was not put on Rathbone as Robert Pattinson, who had problems memorizing his lines, from 2008 through 2012, Rathbone was a bonafide teenage heartthrob. A fact that did not come as a surprise given The Last Airbender star's good looks and his desire to embrace the Twilight fanbase, which has served Rathbone well in the years since portraying a vampire able to control people's emotions over a decade ago.
Before signing onto the Twilight series, Rathbone had been in the industry for several years and was the definition of a working actor. While he was able to land roles to pay the rent, the Cowgirls 'n Angels star had yet to get a proper foothold in the industry. Instead, Rathbone guest starred on several popular television series and even landed a starring role on the television drama, Beautiful People.
But when that did not get picked up for a second season, it was back to auditioning for Rathbone. Fortunately for him, one of those auditions was for Twilight. And while Rathbone was initially "short-listed" to play Edward Cullen, who would eventually be a part of the "Team Edward" or "Team Jacob" hoopla, his casting turned out to be spot on.
In the years since the phenomenon of Twilight, some of the actors have been blessed to have incredible careers. Others have chosen to have quieter lives. Since the chaos that was the hit vampire four-part series, where is Jackson Rathbone, aka Jasper Hale from the Twilight cast now?
Jackson Rathbone Played Jasper Hale In 'Twilight'
When the script for Twilight was circulating through Hollywood, no one had an idea that the movie would be successful, let alone become a phenomenon of a movie series.
However, this did not stop thousands of actors from trying out for roles in the film and screen testing with Kristen Stewart, who reportedly hated working on Twilight, one of which was Rathbone.
He may not have been cast in the role auditioned for, but given his background, playing Jasper Hale proved to be a perfect fit.
While Rathbone was born in Singapore, a good chunk of his life was spent growing up in Texas. As such, he became very much a Southerner at heart and adopted the values of what that means.
And it is the influences of being a Southerner that was brought to the role of Jasper Hale, specifically because of the Civil War backstory the character had in Texas before he became a vampire.
"I did a bit of research about the Civil War. I was always interested in it, and I did spend a bit of time [living] in Texas, so whenever I took Texas history, I learned a lot about the Civil War," Rathbone explained.
"I was lucky enough to have that background around me already. What I've focused on was the stoicism. ... I never really grew up in the South, I grew up all over, but for my family values and all the Southern values: You don't speak unless you're spoken to; you keep a very calm demeanor; you try to keep everything as light as possible, but if things get heavy, it's not like you're not going to step up."
Between the research Rathbone did and the Southern charm he possessed, his character development of Jasper Hale from Twilight through Breaking Dawn proved to be spot on.
This same commitment to his role in Twilight is what has led Rathbone to be successful in the entertainment industry today.
What Is Jackson Rathbone Doing Now?
From 2008 through 2012, Rathbone's career was almost exclusively tied up with the Twilight franchise. But once the hoopla of the series died down, Rathbone moved on with his career and his personal life, both of which have been more successful than the Condor's Nest star ever imagined.
Since Twilight ended, Rathbone has been staying busy acting. He starred in several television series such as Finding Carter, Aim High, The Last Ship, and The Guardians of Justice. In addition, Rathbone's name still appears in lights, with having starred in films such as WarHunt, Justice, and The Condor's Nest, among the newer titles in the last two years. With four more projects in the can, Rathbone's acting career is not slowing down.
In addition, one of the lesser-known things about Rathbone's career is that he is a musician. He and his band 100 Monkeys released three albums together before calling it quits. In addition, Rathbone released his first solo album in 2012, and several EPs as a solo artist between 2016 and 2018, eventually putting out a second full-length solo album, American Spirit Blues, in 2018.
The most important job that Rathbone has had since nearly wrapping Twilight was becoming a father. He and his wife, Sheila Hafsadi welcomed their first child, Monroe Jackson Rathbone VI, in 2013. This was the same year the last Twilight film was released.
Their second child, Presley Bowie Rathbone, was born in 2016. And the newest addition to the family, Felix Valleau Rathbone, was born on New Year's Eve 2019. Needless to say, Rathbone has not been sitting on his laurels since his days in one of the most popular movie series to date.
Is Jackson Close With Other 'Twilight' Cast Members?
There are times when films wrap that the cast goes their own way. And while friendly in social settings, happy to catch up with one another, the same bond that existed while filming fizzles out once no longer being called to set. The same cannot be said for many of the stars from the Twilight cast, who have a "text chain" they use to remain current on one another's lives.
"We're really, honestly, a big giant family," co-star, Ashley Greene explained. "It's really beautiful to see all these years later—and all these life stages later—that we're so supportive of one another."
When it comes to what the group talks about, which consists of Greene, who has essentially left acting to raise a family, Rathbone, Kellan Lutz, who is still acting on the small screen, and Peter Facinelli, who would love to be in a reboot, Greene said the conversations range between "trying to get together when we all get back to L.A. to have all the kiddos meet" and "Peter's cooking ...because he's Italian," according to People.
While not all the cast has remained in contact, it is a testament to how close the actors were while filming Twilight over the course of several years that not only have they remained friends, but that the next generation is getting to know one another as well.
With Comicon dates in several countries, more of the cast is confirmed to appear at in 2023, perhaps more of those friendships can be rekindled as well.