Vampires and werewolves have been around for centuries. Well, maybe not in real life, but certainly in the pages of books and movie scripts.
Vampires and werewolves really became popular with Universal Studios classic monster movies Dracula (1931) and The Wolfman (1941).
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Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr. set the tone for vampire and werewolf movies up until Stephanie Meyer’s book called Twilight came out in the Summer of 2007.
Whether or not you appreciate Edward Cullen and Jacob Black more than previous vampire and werewolf characters, there is no denying they took the world by storm and brought about a new fan base with it.
With as popular as the book quickly became, a movie was no doubt bound to happen which actually occurred the very next year. Director Catherine Hardwicke brought Twilight to the big screen on November 21, 2008.
Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner brought the faces of Edward and Jacob to life and fans of each would aggressively stick by their favorite for years to come. It has been almost ten years since the first Twilight movie was released and the actors have changed quite a bit since 2008.
So let’s take a bite of nostalgia and see What The Cast Of Twilight Looked Like In The First Movie Vs Now.
Nikki Reed (Rosalie)
Nikki Reed had already made a name for herself in Hollywood prior to Twilight with films like Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown, but Twilight truly shot her into the celebrity status.
She plays the role of Rosalie who is really the only one completely against Edward’s decision to bring a human into their home and to tell Bella that they are all vampires.
While she may have dated Kellan Lutz on film, in real life she is married to another vampire heartthrob; Ian Somerhalder.
Somerhalder, of course, played the vampire named Damon Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries so it is only fitting that two vampire actors would begin dating in real life.
Throughout the Twilight movies, Reed had long blonde hair, but in real life, she has dark brown hair. Nikki Reed also doesn’t seem to have aged a day since 2008. Maybe she really is a vampire!
Christian Serratos (Angela)
Mainly appearing on Disney Channel TV shows and TV movies up until 2008, Christian Serratos first big acting gig was in Twilight as Angela.
Angela appears as a quirky girl who is not quite sure of herself. She is a main member of Bella’s friend group, a photographer for the school newspaper, and “a strong independent woman” as Bella put it.
While her appearance in the first Twilight may seem a bit dorky, her appearance today is nothing of that sort. You may recognize Christian Serratos from her role on AMC’s The Walking Dead.
Christian Serratos plays the role of Rosita Espinosa who was at one time a love interest to the character Abraham. While her vampire days are over, fans can now watch her rip apart some zombies on the small screen.
Jackson Rathbone (Jasper)
Jasper Hale is played by Jackson Rathbone in all five of the Twilight films. He is first introduced to the fold when Jessica is telling Bella about the Cullen family in the cafeteria.
Jessica describes him as looking constantly miserable, which honestly sums up his look pretty well.
In the first film, Jasper has medium length honey blonde hair, pale skin, and big golden eyes. In real life though, he has brown hair, a slight mustache/beard, and green eyes.
Rathbone recently acted in the biblical epic turned movie called Samson in which he played Rallah. Once an actor stars in a popular film series, it can be hard for them to escape that role.
Jasper was a fan favorite in the Twilight series, so Rathbone may be having trouble finding another acting job that is as popular as his Twilight role.
Peter Facinelli (Dr. Carlisle Cullen)
When Bella is nearly crushed by an out of control van, she is rushed to the hospital to see a doctor. The doctor just so happened to be the father of Edward Cullen-- Dr. Carlisle Cullen.
Carlisle is known for adopting vampires who often fall in love with his children but is more known for enforcing a vegetarian rule upon the family.
Peter Facinelli was 35 when he played Carlisle Cullen even though the character is only 23. He may not have really been able to pull off the look of a 23-year-old, but he came close. The layers of make up the Twilight case had to endure also helped his cause.
You can now catch Peter Facinelli on The CW’s Supergirl since he is a series regular playing the role of Maxwell Lord.
Elizabeth Reaser (Esme Cullen)
Peter Facinelli may have had more screen time in the first Twilight movie, but that does not make Elizabeth Reaser’s Esme Cullen any less memorable.
Esme is the mother of Edward and the wife of Dr. Carlisle Cullen. She is seen in the first film making dinner when she first meets Bella and again briefly during the baseball scene.
Elizabeth Reaser’s acting career seems to have slowed down since The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 2.
She has only been in a few TV shows each year since the last Twilight premiered and even then it was only for a few episodes for each show.
Reaser was in Ouija: Origin of Evil, but that also did not fare too well with critics or horror fans.
Cam Gigandet (James)
The first Twilight movie was mostly used to introduce all of the characters and to develop Edward and Bella’s love for each other, but the film did still have a villain.
James was played by Cam Gigandet and his character traveled around with Victoria and Laurent. Unlike the Cullens’ James feasts on human blood.
Much like Edward, James finds Bella’s scent to be irresistible which causes him to go against Laurent’s orders. James tracks down Bella and it takes the entire Cullen family to take him down.
Cam Gigandet was 26 years old at the time of Twilight and he appeared with long blonde hair and a six-pack.
While Gigandet may not have his blonde ponytail anymore, he does still have a mean six pack and three children.
Rachelle Lefevre (Victoria)
Like Cam Gigandet and Edi Gathegi, Rachelle Lefevre had very little screen time in Twilight. Victoria was her character’s name and she would later become the main antagonist in New Moon and Eclipse.
While the character was in three movies, Lefevre was only in the first two installments.
Summit Entertainment seemingly pushed Rachelle Lefevre out from starring in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse in 2010 and replaced her with Bryce Dallas Howard.
Both sides of the story have to do with scheduling conflicts and both parties blame each other for the recasting decision. Despite the differences between Lefevre and Summit, Rachelle Lefevre looks basically the same ten years later, with her long curly red hair.
Rachelle Lefevre has been in smaller projects here and there, but nothing has quite topped her popularity in Twilight so far.
Gil Birmingham (Billy Black)
Gil Birmingham has been an actor since 1986, 22 years before he was cast as Billy Black in Twilight. Due to his diabetic condition, Billy Black is confined to a wheelchair and is always seen in the first film with his son Jacob Black.
Billy Black knew Bella since she was little and was very welcoming when she came back to Washington to live with Charlie. He is often recognized by his big cowboy hat and long black hair.
Gil Birmingham really does not seem to have aged very much in the last ten years. The only clear difference is that Birmingham now has a much shorter hairstyle than he did in 2008.
Birmingham has starred in some more critically acclaimed films since 2008 such as Wind River and Hell or High Water.
Justin Chon (Eric)
Justin Chon is another member of Bella’s pre-vampire squad. He appears in Twilight as a long-haired Asian fellow who is the joker in the group named Eric.
Eric was the first one at Forks High School to show Bella sympathy and kindness. He also writes for the school newspaper and is apparently humored by worms, as we find out when the class goes on a biology field trip.
Since his Twilight days, Justin Chon has been staying busy with several smaller projects each year. In 2013, a year after the final Twilight installment, Chon starred in 21 & Over with Miles Teller.
While none of his projects have gotten as much attention as Twilight, Justin Chon is at least staying busy with his passion for acting.
Edi Gathegi (Laurent)
Edi Gathegi had been acting for a few years prior to being cast in Twilight. His role in Twilight was very small and he only had a few minutes total of screen time in the two-hour film.
His character, Laurent, was first seen with Victoria and James. The three vampires are killing people around town in order to feed which leads to investigations that Charlie Swan has to follow up on.
Laurent was the most reasonable one of the three vampires and helped the Cullen family when James went rogue looking for Bella.
In the movie, he is seen with dreadlocks and an orange jacket with no shirt on underneath, probably to show off his pecs.
Today Edi Gathegi is more known for his role of the mutant named Darwin in X-Men: First Class, but fans of Twilight will always think of him as Laurent.
Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen)
Ashley Greene played another one of the Cullen siblings named Alice. Alice had the ability to see the future through visions that may or may not happen and was one of the siblings who was welcoming to Bella.
While the males in the family just saw Bella as another girl Edward brought home, Alice and her mother seemed genuinely happy to spend time with Bella.
Alice was a petite short haired vampire who had quite the arm on her when it came to baseball.
Ashley Greene is most known for her role in Twilight but has performed in some lesser known straight to DVD movies since the series ended.
She may still have her chestnut brown hair today, but it is significantly longer than it was in 2008.
Kellan Lutz (Emmet Cullen)
Kellan Lutz may not be the most famous actor in Hollywood, but his name is definitely one of the more recognizable ones from the cast. Kellan Lutz played the role of Emmet Cullen in all five Twilight movies.
His character was in a relationship with Rosalie, but they really just made him look like a player in this first movie.
In the baseball scene, he wears a tracksuit and turns his cap sideways which is something you might have seen from a guy in the 2000s who thought he had swag.
Lutz has also starred in films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), and movies where he can show off his bulging muscles like The Legend of Hercules and The Expendables 3.
Billy Burke (Charlie Swan)
Billy Burke was one of the more veteran actors on the set of Twilight. Burke has been acting since the '90s so performing in Twilight was really just another acting gig for him.
In the film, he plays Charlie Swan who is the father of Bella Swan. Charlie has not seen Bella for several years since he lived in Washington and Bella lived in Arizona with her mother.
Billy Burke has a good portion of screen time since Bella is living with his character and because he is the Chief of Police in Forks Washington.
Recently Burke has played Mitch Morgan in Zoo and the killer Phillip Stroh in Major Crimes. While his mustache may not be as grand as it was in Twilight, it is still present in his current roles.
Anna Kendrick (Jessica)
Anna Kendrick is one Hollywood actress who has overcome the shadow of Twilight.
Having only four acting gigs before 2008, Twilight was really Kendrick’s breakout role. Kendrick plays the character of Jessica who is another member of Bella Swan’s friend circle.
Jessica is Bella’s friend who fills her in on the mystery that surrounds the Cullen family. Jessica is one of Bella’s closest friends, enjoys playing volleyball, and has a crush on Edward just like every girl at Forks High School.
In the past few years, Anna Kendrick has starred in the Pitch Perfect trilogy, Into the Woods, and voiced the role of Poppy in Dreamwork’s Trolls.
Many actresses fall out of the spotlight after their popular film series ends, but Anna Kendrick has shown that she is not going anywhere.
Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black)
Taylor Lautner plays the role of Jacob Black in the entire Twilight Saga. Lautner may have a minor role in Twilight, but he grows to become one of the main characters of the other films in the series.
In the first movie, we do not see a whole lot of Jacob since the first film really just focuses on Edward and his family.
In the few scenes we do see Jacob in, he has a long black wig on. The wig was painfully obvious, which is probably why they decided to give Jacob short hair in the next movie.
Taylor Lautner has not been cast in anything since 2016, but he looks much more mature and sophisticated than he did in his Twilight days.
Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan)
Kristen Stewart is one of the three main stars in Twilight. Bella moves from Arizona to Washington and quickly finds a group of friends she gets along with.
Bella does not really have any issues fitting in or being bullied like many new kids do. She even gets Edward Cullen to fall in love with her. Bella is a very shy, quiet, and moody teenager even before she is turned into a vampire.
Kristen Stewart probably has one of the most drastic appearance changes out of anyone on this list. Instead of her long brown hair she had throughout the Twilight saga, she got a buzz cut and died her hair blonde.
Stewart seems to be taking a brief break from acting, but that does not mean we won't see more from her in the future.
Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen)
Robert Pattinson had already started to make a name for himself in Hollywood prior to his Twilight days. Pattinson’s most notable performance before Twilight was playing Cedric Diggory in the already popular Harry Potter film series.
Much like Twilight, the Harry Potter movies were based on a popular set of books only they were written by J.K. Rowling rather than Stephenie Meyer.
Pattinson plays Edward Cullen who is the most recognizable vampire in the Twilight saga. Pattinson is honestly the face of the Twilight series. Edward instantly falls in love with Bella and even calls her “his own personal brand of heroin.”
Since Twilight, Pattinson has continued to act and starred in films like The Lost City of Z and the critically acclaimed Good Time.
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Who do you think changed the most? Are you surprised by what the cast of Twilight looks like now? Let us know in the comments!