Now I know I’m not the only one who gets a huge kick out of identifying the prior roles actors have played when watching a movie…much to the annoyance of the people I’m watching with.
There’s always that one know-all person who thinks they are the human equivalent of IMDB, shouting “THAT GUY WAS IN (insert TV show here)” whenever a new character appears on screen.
It’s annoying, but it’s also me.
…Well there’s one film franchise that kick-started the careers of many A-list actors that we’ve probably all forgotten about.
The cringey tween franchise that we secretly love to watch when hungover: Twilight.
The first Twilight film was released ten years ago this week, and full disclosure: I totally forgot Rami Malek was in Breaking Dawn: Part 2.
I am ashamed, but at least I’ll know for when Bohemian Rhapsody hits our cinema screens.
Here are all the celebrities you also (probably) forgot were part of the franchise:
Michael Sheen
Michael Sheen played creepy Volturi leader Aro, who had the ability to read minds and access people’s memories by touching them. He also rocked a pretty badass cape.
The Welsh actor went on to appear in HBO’s Masters of Sex, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe. He previously portrayed British ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair in a number of biopics, as well as appearing in Tron: Legacy and Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris.
Lee Pace
Arguably the best thing about Breaking Dawn: Part 2 (maybe even of all five films), Lee Pace also starred in Guardians of the Galaxy and The Hobbit.
Before Twilight, he appeared in dark comedy series Pushing Daisies.
In the Twilight film he played... a long-haired vampire called Garrett ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Bryce Dallas Howard
The Jurassic World actress and star of The Help played Victoria - the original Twilight baddie - in Eclipse.
She replaced Rachelle Lefevre, who played the character in the first film.
Here Bryce is practising her scared face in preparation for Jurassic World:
Noel Fisher
In Breaking Dawn: Part 2, Noel played Vladimir... a vampire (in case you hadn't guessed) with a nondescript Eastern European accent that we think could have been Romanian.
He's best known for starring as Mickey Milkovich in Shameless since 2011.
Anna Kendrick
Before she was sipping cocktails opposite Blake Lively in A Simple Favour, singing her heart out in Pitch Perfect, and just being generally awesome in every interview she's ever done, Anna Kendrick was Bella's slightly-jealous bestie at Forks High School.
How could we forget Anna's comic relief in the angsty franchise?
"I was the sassy, awkward friend who broke up the relentless succession of intense stare-downs with musings on boys, tanning, and various school gossip. It was a sweet gig," Anna reflected in her book Scrappy Little Nobody.
Jamie Campbell Bower
No stranger to the fantasy genre, Jamie managed to hop into two very different magical worlds as both a vampire and a wizard. You may remember he played young Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as well as in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
In Twilight, he played Caius, a member of the Volturi, along with Michael Sheen, in New Moon and Breaking Dawn: Part 2.
Maggie Grace
Fear of the Walking Dead star Maggie Grace popped up in Twilight as Irina in both Breaking Dawn films. This was before she was taken (for the first time) in Paris and needed to be rescued by Liam Neeson.
Rami Malek
Years before he was cast as Freddie Mercury, Rami Malek donned orange contact lenses instead of false teeth in Breaking Dawn: Part 2.
He played a powerful Egyptian vampire who was able to manipulate the four elements: earth, wind, water, and fire.
Rami is also known for playing Elliot Alderson in TV series Mr. Robot.
Dakota Fanning
Child star Dakota first appeared as Jane in the second instalment of the franchise, New Moon.
Her terrifying character had the ability to induce pain in people's minds as a method of torture.
...She wasn't a fan of Bella.
Booboo Stewart
Booboo was team Jacob in Twilight, playing werewolf Seth Clearwater.
Now, the actor is best known for starring in the Disney Channel's Descendants movies.
He also has long hair now.
Wendell Pierce
Meghan Markle's former on-screen dad was in Twilight, too.
He played a minor role in the final film as a lawyer before appearing in Suits as Robert Zane - a high powered attorney and father of Rachel Zane, played by Meghan. We sense a theme here...
He's also starred in Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan and The Wire.
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Top Comments
Michael Sheen was about the only decent thing in the whole damn series. (And maybe Anna Kendrick.) He seemed to realise how ridiculous it was, and was hamming it up for all he was worth. (I’m still annoyed that the big battle scene at the end of the last movie turned out to be a fake-out.)