Kellan Lutz Talks ‘New Moon,’ Robert Pattinson, & Freddie Krueger

When Kellan Lutz decided to join the Cullen family for their Twilight saga, he couldn't have possibly predicted the magnitude of the hurricane he was about to get swept up in. Now, whether he's leaving the gym or a BlackBook photoshoot, he's followed by a pack of photographers looking to satisfy that insatiable Twilight bloodlust. Lutz, who plays the bulky big brother to Robert Pattinson's Edward (and appear later next year in the Nightmare on Elm Street remake), is currently in Vancouver filming Eclipse, the follow-up to New Moon, out this November (like you don't know). We called him up the day before he was scheduled to head up north and spoke about what it's like being a young actor on the rise in Los Angeles and the madness that is Twilight and its fans.

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Does going to auditions make you nervous?
No, I love them. I always fight for them and hate when some agents make us put ourselves on tape and send it to the casting director. I like winning the room, if that makes sense; hanging out with the casting directors and talking with them. An audition is 50% knowing your lines and the other 50% is being personable.

So what’s it like being a young actor in Los Angeles?
It’s been an eye-opener, for sure. I really don’t like LA. I don’t go to the beach, I don’t use the amenities that are in LA , I don’t really go out to the clubs.

Why don’t you like going to the beach?
I live in the Valley, so it’s kind of a trek to go there. And for me, whenever I go traveling I just throw everything in a suitcase. I don’t really plan outfits or anything like that so I’ll throw a bunch of stuff in, and when I go to the beach I’m like, “Okay, I need a bunch of balls, towels, sandals, I need to bring my lacrosse stick in case I want to play, and a volleyball.” You know, it takes an hour finding everything and then you have to drive there. It’s just exhausting. And no one really goes in the water in LA, unless you surf. There’s only a month to two months where you can actually go in the water without a wetsuit.

So do you avoid the flashiness of LA’s nightlife?
There’s some things you should go to. Last night I went to the InStyle party and it was very beneficial for myself to meet the editors and hang out with them. It’s all about making relationships—real relationships, you don’t need to be fake. You just talk and build that bond for future endeavors. It’s really weird seeing other actors who go to every single thing, every party out there. It doesn’t appeal to me.

Is it a game you feel you have to play?
No, not really. Again, being in L.A. is kind of like school. You go to math, then you go to geometry and then algebra. It’s changed so much from when I first moved out here. Now it’s a depressing city.

So I hear you’re pretty cool with the Twilight fans, who I hear can be a little much.
I am extremely blessed to be a part of this franchise. I didn’t know this series and I didn’t know it had such a following. I love going to conventions. That’s why I love Will Smith. He goes to every premiere in every country. I really admire that because his fans are the ones going to his movies, and it doesn’t take much to show your appreciation. The Twilight moms made dog tags and engraved really cool things on them.

What’s a Twilight mom? I’m assuming it’s parents that take their kids to these things?
Well actually most of the time it’s the opposite. It’s funny because the mom’s are like, “Oh, we need a picture for my daughter, can you get a picture for my daughter.” And I’m like, where is she? And she’s like, “Oh, uh, she’s grounded this week.” There’s groups of Twilight moms that go to every convention. That’s the amazing thing about Twilight. It’s for everyone.

But what happens when the fans get to a Robert Pattinson-level where it’s just insane? 
Well, it’s crazy because with all this attention, all of us are handling it extremely well. We still have our head on our shoulders and our feet on the ground. Rob’s handling it so well. I can’t fathom being in his shoes. I believe I could handle it, but being cooped up in Vancouver and not being able to leave the hotel room or the apartment without having a driver and having to hide out—especially when he was shooting Remember Me, I talked to him a lot in New York and those fans were just crazy. I can’t imagine trying to act when you have all these people yelling your name and you’re doing an emotional scene.

You have some fight scenes in New Moon. Did you have to put on weight?
That’s the thing that’s really hard for me. I did a couple movies after New Moon and before Eclipse where I had to play a high school kid, like Warrior and Nightmare on Elm Street, and it’s one of those things where I love my size—I love being a big kid and having my muscles. So having someone tell you, “Hey, can you not work out until we shoot so you don’t tower over the other actors?” I’m really happy to take the time out and just work out. That’s what my character is, he’s a big guy and it makes me happy being able to eat and just put that weight back on. 

So you’ve actually been forced not to work out?
Yeah, I mean they didn’t really say it that blatantly.

Do you like doing your own stunts?
I love doing my own stunts. I try and fight the producers to allow me to do stuff and of course there’s insurance reasons why we can’t, but again, I want that to be my face on screen. I don’t want them to have to blur it out if there’s a cool fighting scene. And a lot of times I can do the stunt better than the stuntman. I once had to fall ten feet from a tree and I go the wind knocked out of me. The stuntmen were like, Let all the air out before you hit the ground. It’s a learning process but I just love doing all my own stunts and I’m an action junkie. I love anything action and being on rigs and falling from buildings. I kind of want to be a stunt man too.

So I imagine you’d love to top line a big action film.
Yeah, I mean, my team and I really are focusing on that genre. I feel like there aren’t that many American action heroes. You got Daniel Craig who’s overseas and Matt Damon’s awesome. I love his career choices. He does comedies, to dramas to big action movies, like the Bourne franchise.

So what was it like filming the Nightmare on Elm Street remake?
Freddie scared me growing up. I watched a lot of horror movies with my dad and my brother. There’s something about Freddie Kruger attacking you in your sleep that terrified me. I mean, that’s probably why I only get four hours of sleep a night, I hardly dream. And having the chance to be a part of this movie, and it’s a psychological thriller versus some bloodbath, I’m blessed. I’m the guy that you want to root for in this because he’s a good guy having these problems because he can’t sleep, and he sees Freddie when he sleeps, so he just stays up.

Do you hang out with your cast mates from Twilight when you’re not filming?
Me and Ashley Greene are kind of not—the kids of the group, but we like playing games. I went to Toys R Us and bought Wii Fitness and tons of other games to play in the hotel, because we are always in the hotel and it’s tough to leave and not be followed by paparazzi or fans.

So people stalk you at the hotel?
Well the thing is, we can’t rent out the whole hotel, so fans will come up that know we are shooting there to have a chance to see all of us in one place. They’ll get rooms and every time one of us leaves, they’re there. It’s great to talk to them but you really can’t sneak away.

What is their reaction when they see you?
They’re very nervous and shy. They’re shaking, they shake and shoot the camera, and it’s all fuzzy so they have to do it again. Then there’s paparazzi who have flown from LA to Vancouver just to shoot a bunch of us. So it’s not just the Vancouver paparazzi, it’s LA as well. So it’s great just to feel like you’re at home and to play games. I bought the Twilight game which we never played until we were up there. It’s a fun game!

You started your career as a model, but when exactly were you bit by the acting bug?
I fell into the modeling world by luck, but I did it because I found photography to be a passion of mine, and being in front of the camera was really cool. So doing different stuff and learning who I want to shoot with as far as photographers was great I got a scholarship to go to Chapman University for chemical engineering in Orange County, and my father’s always lived in LA, so I just wanted to pack up and go there, but my mother didn’t want me, so I did it anyway. It was just something I had to do. When I was in LA, it was extremely lucrative with the modeling—the money, the opportunities—it’s LA so it was fast-paced and I was making more money and traveling all over the world. I just kind of fell into acting as a way to show off my personality.

What’s your favorite restaurant or place to eat in LA?
Katsuya is a great place, one of my favorite sushi places.

Kellan Lutz, along with two other New Moon stars, appear in our upcoming October issue.