Taylor Lautner Reacts to Trolls Saying He ‘Did Not Age Well’

Getting vulnerable. Taylor Lautner shared an emotional video responding to trolls who commented on his appearance after a recent TV interview.

“I just got back from a run. I was feeling really good about myself, trying to stay healthy both physically and mentally,” the Twilight actor, 31, began in an Instagram video posted on Monday, May 22. “I felt compelled to share something with you, because when I got back from that run I hopped on Instagram.”

The Scream Queens alum explained that he and his wife, Taylor Dome, were in New York City doing press for their podcast, “The Squeeze.” Lautner was watching a clip from one of their interviews when he started looking at the comments section. “It brought up old feelings and memories [of] why I don’t look through comments,” the Valentine’s Day star said. “But I’m in a different place now and I just felt compelled to share this with you, so I’m gonna show you the comments and then I’ll be right back.”

The Michigan native then played a video showing some of the remarks, many of his which were about his appearance. “Damn what happened to him,” wrote one social media user. Another added, “Dude did not age well,” while multiple critics made comments about his hairline. “He aged like a raisin,” read another of the messages.

“Those comments are all from one single post, which is crazy,” Lautner told his followers. “But that’s the world we live in, and there’s only so much we can do to change it. But I think what I really wanted to say is if this was 10 years ago, five years ago, maybe even two [or] three years ago, that would really have gotten under my skin, and it would have caused me to want to go in a hole and not go outside.”

The Abduction actor said that hateful comments no longer make him feel like he needs to hide but admitted that he still feels affected by what he sees online. “If you put your value in you knowing who you are, what’s important to you, what you love, that kind of stuff won’t get to you,” Lautner said. “And I’m just so thankful that I’m in the place I am today where I can see that — and I’m not gonna lie, I’m not gonna say it doesn’t bug me. I wouldn’t be on here posting this video if it didn’t bother me at all. But it doesn’t make me question who I am and it doesn’t take anything away from me.”

The Cuckoo alum concluded by encouraging fans and followers to remember that there’s a real person on the other side of the screen. “Remember where you put your value in life, and also just be nice. It’s not that difficult,” he said. “Let’s be nice to each other. Let’s spread love and positivity. It’s that simple.”

Lautner previously revealed that he struggled with body image issues after filming The Twilight Saga, which wrapped up in 2012 with Breaking Dawn – Part 2. “That wasn’t my natural body. I had to work very hard for it and very, very hard just to maintain it,” the Eclipse star said on a February episode of his podcast, recalling that he weighed 140 pounds when he started with the franchise and eventually bulked up to 175.

“If you can get through that [experience] without having body image issues, kudos to you. But for me, personally, yeah, [I experienced them],” Lautner said. “It was my entire life.”

After the franchise ended, the Run the Tide star said he “started rebelling against the gym” after spending so much time there during the Twilight years. “Don’t find happiness in what you want your body to look like,” he continued. “Don’t think just because you lose the 20 pounds or put on the muscle, you’re going to wake up, look in the mirror and all of a sudden be happy. That’s not where you should be finding value.”