Heartbreaking news shocks Hollywood: A ‘Twilight’ actor has passed away hue01

Robert Pattinson proved to be the best Edward Cullen Twilight fans could ever ask for, but did you know his co-star Kellan Lutz was also offered that lead role before him? Surprising or not, it’s only true; though what’s even more baffling is the fact that Lutz ended up turning down the respective role for being “such a depressing character.”

During a recent panel on August 17, 2025, with his co-star Jackson Rathbone, at FAN EXPO Chicago, The Legend of Hercules star candidly shared the story of when he stumbled across Cullen’s role. He said (via Entertainment Weekly),

Of course, his turning down such a splendid role had his manager trying to reason with him, explaining to him that since Twilight was the first of a series, he could go on to do “multiple” movies in the film series. But that pitch only made matters worse instead of enticing Lutz to take on the part. As he continued to explain at the panel,

His passing on the role eventually had Pattinson become the lucky winner who could get his fame skyrocketing with the fan-beloved role of Cullen. But, fortunately for Lutz, the live-action saga based on Stephenie Meyer‘s books wasn’t willing to let go of the Tarzan actor just yet.

Kellan Lutz Still Ended Up Being a Part of Twilight

Though he initially turned down the chance to play Edward Cullen, fate circled back to entwine actor Kellan Lutz once again with the Twilight saga. This time around, it was through the role of Emmett Cullen, the adoptive brother of Edward, Alice, and Jasper. Although the character was already cast, they opened the auditions again because “the actor just didn’t work out.”

This time, things actually worked out for the best as the character of Emmett sat just well with the Desert Dawn star. Lutz recalled at the Fan Expo:

That was it: Just like that, despite rejecting the franchise in the first place, Lutz eventually ended up becoming a part of the romance-fantasy saga, nonetheless. Not to mention, that role perfectly gave his career the boost it required, serving as his breakthrough in the entertainment industry, so that’s that too!

Over 5,000 Actors Reportedly Auditioned to Play Edward Cullen

Although there was only ever going to be one Edward Cullen, reports have it that over 5,000 actors went out to audition for his part (per E! Online). This included the likes of now-renowned names Dave Franco, Jamie Campbell Bower, Dustin Milligan, and Michael Welch. Out of these, Bower and Welch circled back to the lore, embodying the respective characters of Caius and the human Mike Newton in the follow-up films.

In fact, reports also have it that former Superman Henry Cavill was author Stephenie Meyer’s first choice for the role. Unfortunately, though, by the time the movie came along, he was deemed too old for the part (he was 25 when the first film was shot, as compared to Pattinson, who was 22). The Man of Steel star was reportedly considered for the role of the Cullen family patriarch, Carlisle, as well.

But the ultimate showdown was between Robert Pattinson, Ben Barnes, Shiloh Fernandez, and Jackson Rathbone, who were the final four contenders for the part. Of them, Rathbone was even director Catherine Hardwicke’s “favorite,” as he shared during the fan expo panel.

But Meyer wanted Cavill, and “they wanted the Harry Potter guys.” Thus, they settled on the Harry Potter saga’s Cedric Diggory, i.e., Pattinson, who was propelled to unparalleled heights of stardom through the part. Jackson Rathbone, on the other hand, went on to play the character of Jasper Hale, one of the few surviving vampires of the Southern vampire wars, and Alice’s husband, and Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie’s adoptive brother.