One Nickelodeon Star Was This Close To Freeing Robert Pattinson From Twilight Burden

Summary:

• Twilight was a huge success as a series of books written by Stephenie Meyer, but it became even more popular with the film adaptations.
• The main roles of Jacob, Edward, and Bella, all involved in a love triangle, were portrayed by Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson, and Kristen Stewart. Throughout the filming process and for many years after, Pattinson was very outspoken about his dislike of the franchise.
• Many other popular actors tried out for the role of Edward Cullen, including one of Nickelodeon's biggest stars, Josh Peck.

If you are an aspiring actor entering Hollywood, you have very few options to start your career. While it's possible to live off the money from small commercials and acting gigs as an extra, it's not a lifestyle that most actors dream of. Instead, just about everyone in the industry dreams of making it big with one single breakthrough.

However, not everybody is as lucky as some of the actors who got themselves a name back in the late 2000s.

Back in the day, being a star in Twilight was the equivalent of having your career skyrocket by thousands of very excited teenage girls. Whether the roles were lead or supporting, the actors were instantly praised and admired. Twilight may have been scary, but it certainly opened many doors for many actors.

The most successful, of course, would be the lead trio, Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. And if you were anywhere near the Internet in the early 2010s, you would know just how much love and adoration each of them had received.

While some would enjoy such attention, the Twilight stars found themselves quite intimidated by the public.

Robert Pattinson, in particular, turned against all the media attention and made his true feelings about Twilight very clear: he was mentally done with the franchise long before the day it actually ended. This behavior from one of the biggest stars at the time was both shocking and refreshing, and quickly became a meme.

As much as we all adore Robert Pattinson, his snarky nature, and his vampire-like appearance, there were quite a few other contenders for the role who would have made just as great an Edward as Pattinson. From James Franco to Jamie Campbell Bower, there was one person who stood out from the rest.

Josh Peck’s Twilight Audition

There isn't a single person who doesn't know about Drake & Josh or hasn't heard about the show at least once. As one of the most popular Nickelodeon titles of all time, the series introduced Josh Peck, Drake Bell, and Miranda Cosgrove to audiences and put them on the map for more auditions in the future.

Josh Peck was lucky enough to come this close to becoming the next hot thing when he almost got Robert Pattinson's part. The actor recalled the story behind his audition on an episode of his podcast Good Guys with none other than Taylor Lautner. As it turned out, the two had a great chance of becoming co-stars and on-screen rivals.

“I sent in my tape for Edward. A month later, I’m with my manager, he goes, ‘It’s down to you and three guys.' Really? I hadn't even had a tummy tuck yet. I’m like there’s no way, he’s got to be so shirtless. It’s not going to happen,” he said.

Unfortunately, according to Lautner, the production team behind Twilight wasn't the most careful when it came to the topic of body issues, so Josh Peck's struggles with self-acceptance could have been made even worse. In that sense, we're glad he dodged a bullet.

On the other hand, it's a shame that Josh Peck couldn't save Robert Pattinson from the heavy burden of Twilight-related fame he had to carry for so many years. Although he doesn't come to mind as the most obvious choice, we're sure the actor would have found and hit the sweet spot between romance and drama, and the obvious drama in the story.

Now that the Twilight TV series reboot is being talked about, it's the right time to look back on all the missed opportunities.

However, if you are still a firm believer in Robert Pattinson's supremacy, you can re-watch the original Twilight movie by streaming it on Hulu.

Source: Good Guys Podcast