In 2008, it would have been hard to find a teenage girl who was not in love with Taylor Lautner.

Catapulted to international fame as Jacob Black in the exceedingly successful Twilight franchise, Lautner had reached a level of stardom experienced by few people in this world.

The 2005 vampire sci-fi romance novel by Stephenie Meyer brought its three little-known leads – Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen), Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan) and Taylor Lautner – to a remarkable level of stardom and saleability.

Lautner played the long-haired deadly werewolf, with a soft heart. And he was one half of one of the most famous dichotomies in film history: 'Team Edward' versus 'Team Jacob'.

The respective teams split fans in half, as debates over who should win Bella Swan’s heart remained strife for years after.

Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) and Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). Image: Netflix.

In the 14 years since the firstTwilightfilm was released, Lautner's acting career has slowed down. In 2012, the last sequel of the franchise,The TwilightSaga:Breaking Dawn – Part 2, appeared in cinemas.

In a new interview, Lautner explained that stepping out of the spotlight was by choice; because withTwilight, he became too famous at such a young age.

"I was 16, 17, 18 years old, waking up and trying to just go out for a walk or, you know, go on a date and I have 12 cars waiting outside my house to follow me wherever I'm going or, you know, when you show up to an airport or anywhere and you have thousands of fans screaming," Lautner said.

"In the moment, it got frustrating. Because you just wanted to live a normal life."

Lautner also admitted that after the success of the franchise, he didn't go to a supermarket or movie cinema for a decade.

"I went so many years, either not leaving my house, or, if I did, you know, hat, sunglasses... like, scared," he said.

"It built up something inside of me where, where I didn't know it, but I was scared to go out. I'd get super anxious to go out. So I just didn't."

SinceTwilight, the now 29-year-old has played much smaller roles. In 2013, for example, Lautner appeared inGrown Ups 2alongside Adam Sandler. He played a frat boy who wasn't considered one of the main characters.

In 2015, he starred in Netflix'sThe Ridiculous 6, once again with Adam Sandler. It is one of the few films to receive a 0 per cent rating on the review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes.

In 2016, Lautner appeared in his last film for years, titledRun The Tide. The indie drama has an 11 per cent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and received a plethora of negative reviews online.

Now in 2022, the actor is set to star in the sports comedyHome Team, alongside Rob Schneider and Adam Sandler's wife, Jackie Sandler.

Taylor Lautner was once one of the biggest stars in the world. Image: Getty.

When asked byGood Morning Americaif he sometimes felt "pigeonholed" by theTwilightfranchise, the actor admitted, "That's kind of why I want to choose things that are different."

He also toldReutersin 2016 that his career was not his priority.

"For me the biggest thing is just surrounding myself with people that I love, just spending time, it doesn’t matter what I’m doing as long as I’m with my friends and my family," he told the publication.

"You know, I could be sitting in a cardboard box and that’s where I’m happiest."

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As for his personal life, Lautner was previously in a relationship with Billie Lourd, who he met on the set ofScream Queens, a television series he played a minor role in during 2016. Lautner and Lourd were together when her mother and grandmother, actresses Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, suddenly passed away within days of each other in 2016. After a few months of dating, the couple split up.

Most recently, Lautner has found love with a nurse, also called Taylor. The two, who have been together since 2018, announced their engagement in November 2021.

Lautner shared on Instagram to his 6.9 million followers that in just a moment, "all my wishes came true."

Tay wrote on her own account: "My absolute best friend. I CANNOT WAIT TO SPEND FOREVER WITH YOU."

They first sent dating rumours flying after they were spotted attending a wedding ceremony together in September 2018, but they wouldn't confirm their relationship status until Halloween of that same year - when they both shared to Instagram their matching costumes.

If an engagement couldn't show just how serious the couple are - in July 2021, the two welcomed another dog into their family, named Remi - who follows behind Lily.

Tay, who lives a life relatively out of the spotlight compared to her famous partner, recently announced she had become a registered nurse.

In 2020, she wrote: "I am soo excited to announce that I am OFFICIALLY A REGISTERED NURSE!!! I can not believe all of my hard work has paid off!! I have dreamed of this moment for so long and I still can’t believe it’s here.