Non-Native cast as Quileute werewolf

An article in the Peninsula Daily News apparently was the first to reveal a key casting decision in the upcoming movie Twilight.

'Twilight' to film one or two days in LaPushOne of the critical scenes involves a Quileute teen, Jacob Black, telling Bella of the legends of "the cold ones" or vampires—thus exposing Edward as a vampire.

The teen actor set to play Jacob is Taylor Lautner, who recently starred in "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl."

The fans were quick to react to this news:

Taylor Lautner is Jacob Black!

I’m a bit disappointed that they didn’t find a Native American but I was very impressed with the video on YouTube of this boy’s martial arts abilities.

okie ppl need to stop saying “oh…im soo mad they didnt get a Native American as jacob…” well, seriously, they probably didnt find anyone that was good enough, that was native american for the part. so of course they went for the next best thing..which was taylor lautner.

I don’t think people get why Taylor not being native is insulting to is that actually are. We finally get a move that makes Natives (first nation guys) look cool and breaks the stereotypes that the only movies we can do are westerns where we are either killing some poor family or dying from the blankets we received from the government. So to have a non-native casted as a Native role? That is an insult in a sense. If a girl of native, hispanic, african-american or asian descent was casted as Bella than people would riot! Yet we are supposed to be happy they found a guy who looks to have dark skin and hair?

The auditions were held in Oregon, quite a bit away from the reservations where the bulk of the Native American community has been banished by the U.S. government. I seriously doubt the production stopped to wonder if the real Native Americans of this country could AFFORD to fly/drive all the way to Oregon, just for a large possibility of being turned away. (Maybe they missed the memo that most of the economies suck down there…)

I may not be full-blooded, but I know a Native when I see one, and honestly, Taylor Lautner looks like an English American mutt who just happens to be brown. Sorry if that offends anyone.

Maria, thank you for explaining. Honestly, I feel that if an Asian or African American had been casted as Bella, the Caucasian community would have freaked out. Native Americans are a serious minority in this country, and when a big role comes along in which the actor is supposed to be Native American, and ends up not being so, it’s a huge insult to our community.

Well, here am, going against the grain. I am full blooded NA and it doesn’t bother me that he isn’t actually native. It is the idea that they are Native. There aren’t many Natives in Hollywood….the main one being Adam Beach (and there as heck is no way that he will be Jacob). I see Steven Strait playing this role and he isn’t Native. Big fricken deal…I am not insulted by this at all. I saw pictures with his wig on and I think things will be fine. Don’t get your nose bent out of shape until you can point out some people who are better. Meyers said she only wanted actors to play the roles…no singers, models, etc… And perferably actors who are not “newbies”…so what can ya do? Again, I don’t think it is a big deal.

Having a non Native American playing a Native American role really is insulting. I’m not Native American and one of my good friends a Native American and she could tell that he wasn’t.

I also understand the whole holding auditions away from the reservations but then they should have held them closer to the reservations. To me, that is kinda saying that they don’t really care if that get a true NA or a fake one.

and yea, they really could’ve pulled off an actual native american here (almost forgot to rant about that!). who the f— was the casting director? they probably havent even read the books.

i think he’ll do a good job with that face. and don’t forget, he’s wearing a wig which makes him look really native.

They actually are making good choices and I think this guy wil be great in the role. Him being or not being Native American has nothing to do with why people want to see the movie. Most people I know could care less about that kind of stuff.

ok people who are angry about them not casting jacob as a native american i respect that but, you have to understand that there aren’t alot of native american actors and i’m sorry this has to be said (I AM SOOO NOT RACIST, I DID A PROJECT ON IT) most natives are currently to busy drinking, or trying to get there land back and getting their land back is more important than a movie…………..BELLA AND EDWARD 4EVER!!!!(couldn’t resist hehe)

Taylor Lautner IS Native American…. Do your research.
What difference does his ethnicity make, as long as he fits his role and doesn’t insult the culture in any way?

Well, i agree… It’s not fare that a non-Native american is playing this roll.. i have nothing against Lautner, but…. seriously… He is not a NA….
When i read the book i imagined a gorgeous NA with long black hair…
*sighs*

Comment:  You gotta love all the stereotypes in these comments. There are no Native actors who could play a Quileute teenager. Any Native actor would be a "newbie." They're all too busy getting drunk or fighting for their land. They all have long, black hair.

Of course, the original character--6'7" with a ponytail--also sounds a bit stereotypical. In terms of height and hairstyle, Lautner is much more typical than the fictional Jacob, who sounds like someone's dream of a Native hunk.

A note to the person who said "I AM SOOO NOT RACIST, I DID A PROJECT ON IT": I don't care if you're a full-blooded Indian. Your statement is sooo racist.

"Do your research"

So what's the story about Lautner's ancestry? Is he or isn't he part Native?

A Google search reveals that everyone who claims he's Native has referred to his Wikipedia entry. Since people can edit Wikipedia, I don't know what it used to say. But at present it says nothing about his ancestry. All it does is link to a Native actors page, which links back to the Lautner page. That's not exactly conclusive evidence.

Someone referred to an MTV interview that Lautner did. Here's part of it:In the “Twilight” novels, Jacob Black is a 6’ 7”, newly 16-year-old of Native American descent who spends equal time consumed by his love for Bella and his newfound power to transform into a werewolf. In real life, Taylor Lautner is a 5’ 9”, newly 16-year-old who recently discovered his own Native American heritage and is spending equal time learning to drive and developing the look for his new movie. “The wig is very interesting,” Lautner told us Friday when we caught up with him on the Portland, Oregon, set of “Twilight.” “I’m definitely going to have to get used to it.”

Lautner, who told us that some recent research into his family history revealed that he shares Jacob’s Native American ancestry, arrived in Portland last week to spend some time behind the wheel of a “Twilight” vehicle and assure filmmakers he’d be OK to drive on camera with his newly received license. He was also eager to slip into his character—although his new costume did leave him scratching his head.So this kid had zero exposure to or knowledge of his alleged ancestry when he was growing up. Nor does he seem to care about it now. Being Native isn't as cool as getting a driver's license.

This genealogical find seems a little too convenient to me. Here's what I think happened. When it became clear people were going to protest his casting, someone dug up some "Natives" (I use the term advisedly) in his family tree.

So who are Lautner's Native ancestors? Are they even remotely connected to the Indians of the Pacific Northwest? Anyone want to bet he discovered his great-great grandmother was a Cherokee princess?

No, wait...I know. He has a Latino in his background, and Latinos are part Native, so that makes him part Native. Just ask Robert "Chakotay" Beltran if you don't believe me.

Without anything resembling evidence, Lautner's Native claims are dubious at best. And even if he has a Native ancestor, that doesn't make him Native. Unless he has strong cultural or biological ties to tribal people, he's just a non-Native with a drop of Native blood.

Final answer

Let's sum it up. Lautner doesn't look remotely like the character Jacob. He doesn't look remotely like an Indian. His biggest role to date is a juvenile hero named Sharkboy.

Raise your hands: How many think Lautner was cast because he's part Native and has the depth and background to play a Native character? And how many think he was cast because he's "cute" and "hot" and "awesome"?

I'm going to go with the person who said:We finally get a move that makes Natives (first nation guys) look cool and breaks the stereotypes that the only movies we can do are westerns where we are either killing some poor family or dying from the blankets we received from the government. So to have a non-native casted as a Native role? That is an insult in a sense.Yes, it's insulting in a sense. It's also unfair, discriminatory, and racist in a sense. You know, the sense that says Anthony Quinn, Rock Hudson, and Audrey Hepburn are all close enough to play an Indian. The sense that says Indians are the same as non-Indians with brown skin and a wig.

Yeah, that's the racist Hollywood sense that makes Lautner the best choice to play Jacob Black.

For more on the subject, see our past discussions about who's an Indian. Also see The Best Indian Movies and The Best Indian Books.

Below:  "I'm an Indian warrior! I don't have a shirt on!"