Taylor Lautner names his five favourite movies of all time
Some movie stars stay around in the industry for decades, whilst others come. Indeed, the likes of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Patrick Stewart have occupied the highest rung of Hollywood for decades, but not everyone is so lucky. Many actors appear in a couple of big-budget movies before falling off the edge of pop culture relevance forever, just look at the fates of Mark Hamill, Robert Patrick, Rupert Grint, Linda Blair or Taylor Lautner.
After making his feature film debut in the bizarre Robert Rodriguez movie The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D, Lautner quickly became a loveable child star, appearing in Cheaper by the Dozen 2 three years before his big break in Twilight. Alongside Robert Pattinson, the pair sparked a fierce pop culture rivalry in which fans took a side in relation to their fictional characters, were they on Lautner’s side, #TeamJacob, or Pattinson’s, #TeamEdward?
No matter how popular he was at the time, the truth is that Lautner was never able to excel following his time on the franchise, hitting a peak in the early 2010s, several years before he took the time to sit down with Rotten Tomatoes to discuss his favourite movies of all time.
First on his list is the Mel Gibson Oscar-winner Braveheart, starring the director in the lead role. Speaking about the movie, Lautner stated: “That’s definitely an all time favorite. I love Braveheart, I love Mel [Gibson]. I think he’s just an incredible — he’s obviously an amazing actor — but I think he’s also an incredible filmmaker. Braveheart is way up there for me”.
Another Oscar-winner takes Lautner’s second spot on the list of his favourite films, opting for the Ridley Scott period action flick, Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix and Oliver Reed. “I think it’s just maybe the crazy world setting,” Lautner says of the movie, “It is so big and far-fetched and out there, but the characters are just so real and intimate…I think it’s the combination of those two things that was the first thing that stabs me. I remember just the image of the hand in the wheat and how beautiful it is. The whole movie’s really beautiful”.
From one Scott to another, Lautner’s third pick is the Tony Scott thriller Man on Fire, starring Denzel Washington and Christopher Walken. Telling the story of a CIA operative who swears revenge on a bunch of vicious criminals, Lautner states: “I feel like every dude loves that movie…I can watch anything Denzel. Yeah, he can do about anything and I will be there. I would say that’s probably my favorite of his”.
Action movies are clearly Lautner’s forte, also holding a particular love for the 1998 F. Gary Gray movie The Negotiator, with Kevin Spacey and Samuel L. Jackon, a movie that tells the story of a police negotiator and a murderer who take hostages in a government office. “I love this movie and a lot of people that I talk to haven’t seen it,” Lautner stated, “It’s kind of a fun one where it just keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time and questioning what’s gonna happen next”.
The Peter Segal comedy Tommy Boy takes the final spot on his list, a fun-filled flick that tells the story of an underachieving son who tries to save his family business after the death of his father. Calling the movie “one of my favorite comedies of all time,” Lautner adds, “I’ve seen that movie so many times. I’ve become friends with Mr. Spade and it’s just so surreal because I’ve been watching him since I was a kid. I just think he’s so talented”.
Taylor Lautner’s five favourite movies
- Braveheart (Mel Gibson, 1995)
- Gladiator (Ridley Scott, 2000)
- Man on Fire (Tony Scott, 2004)
- The Negotiator (F. Gary Gray, 1998)
- Tommy Boy (Peter Segal, 1995)
