The Real Reason Taylor Swift Got Turned Down For A Twilight Cameo

The "Twilight" Saga may have starred Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner, but another famous Taylor almost made her mark on the billion-dollar franchise. Taylor Swift, that is. According to "Twilight" director Chris Weitz, Swift was a "Twi-hard" who expressed interest in appearing in the franchise's second installment. "'She would be someone at the cafeteria or the diner or whatever, but she just wants to be in this movie," Weitz explained, during an episode of "The Twilight Effect With Ashley Greene and Melanie Howe." Ultimately, he denied the singer's request because he felt that she'd overshadow the story. "The hardest thing for me was to be like, the moment that Taylor Swift walks onto the screen, for about five minutes, nobody is going to be able to process anything." 

Given Swift's mega-stardom, it makes sense that Weitz had qualms about her participation. However, it's a decision that he now regrets. "I kick myself for it, too, because I was like, 'Wow, I could've been hanging out with Taylor Swift. We could have been friends (via People).  Despite Swift never adding a "Twilight" credit to her IMDB, she still got to live out her fangirl dreams — kind of, at least. In 2009, the "Love Story" singer hosted Saturday Night Live and appeared in a skit, entitled "Firelight," that spoofed the popular franchise (via MTV). During the skit, Swift hilariously played a love-struck teenager in love with Frankenstein. However, that's not the singer's only other connection to "Twilight." 

Long before Taylor Swift met her current beau Joe Alwyn, and Taylor Lautner made headlines for yet again dating a girl with the same first name (and revealing that, once they get married, she'll also be Taylor Lautner) Swift and Lautner dated each other. 

After first meeting while filming "Valentine's Day," the famous Taylors had a whirlwind romance during the Summer of 2009. And even though they quickly fizzled out, for a few short months, they stoked fan interest, appearing at hockey games and hugging on stage at the VMAs before after Swift's 2009 VMA win. Ultimately, neither star ever confirmed the reason for their breakup, but we do know the relationship birthed one of Swift's cleverly-penned love songs, "Back To December," which Lautner confirmed. During a 2016 Facebook Live with Leah Michelle, his "Scream Queens" co-star tried to coerce him into revealing that Swift wrote a song about him. "That's what she does. She writes songs," he said. And when Michelle inquired if the song was about a hat, Lautner replied: "It's called 'Back to December.'" (Via Billboard.)

 Interestingly enough, Swift dated Lautner while he was filming "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," so it's possible that some of her interest in appearing in the film stemmed from the fact that her boyfriend was starring in it. However, their relationship was over shortly after the movie premiered.

It's hard to imagine anyone else playing Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), and Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) but the "Twilight" cast almost looked completely different. Over the years, many actors have shared their tales of how they were up for various roles within the franchise, but for one reason or another, didn't land the role. For example, Henry Cavil, best known for playing Superman, was almost cast as Edward Cullen (via Cinema Blend.) Unfortunately, casting directors felt he was a little too old for the role.  

Despite being passed over, Stephanie Meyer, who penned the Twilight novels, was rooting for Cavil to land the part. According to posts Meyer posted on her website, where she "re-cast" the film's roles, the "Superman" star was actually her first choice. "The most disappointing thing for me is losing my perfect Edward. Henry Cavill is now twenty-four years old. Let us have a moment of quiet in which to mourn ... " Meyer wrote. "I'm not willing to relinquish Henry completely; since I hear that Charlie Hunnam refuses to consider scripts which include vampires, I propose that Henry play Carlisle!"  Meanwhile, Lucy Hale of "Pretty Little Liars" fame went out for the role of Alice Cullen (Ashley Greene) and Jane (Dakota Fanning), proving unsuccessful for both (via J-14). However, she recently teamed up with Greene for "Gemini Lounge," according to Digital Spy, proving that timing is everything.