Twilight’s Jackson Rathbone discusses his ever-changing roles

Jackson Rathbone talks about his new movie Heart, Baby!, music and the 10-year anniversary of Twilight in an interview with Hidden Remote.

Jackson Rathbone has been acting for nearly 15 years, taking on different roles every time. He’s been in TV shows and movies, playing a wide range of characters so different than the last.

His most popular role came 10 years ago when he starred in Twilight as Jasper. Ten years later, Rathbone’s life has changed getting notoriety for being in one of the most popular movie franchises of the last decade.

But that hasn’t stopped him from exploring new roles and challenging himself. Currently, the 34-year-old can be seen in the indie film Heart, Baby! The movie will be shown in New York City from Nov. 16-22. It will be available on Video on Demand on Nov. 23.

Heart, Baby! is the story of George Lee Martin, an undefeated boxer in prison. He was so good the U.S. government offered him a spot on the 1984 Olympic team for his freedom. His best friend is Doc, played by Rathbone, who is in prison with him.

“It’s an incredible true story,” Rathbone said in an interview with Hidden Remote. “Angela Shelton, our amazing writer/director, kind of uncovered this gem of a story through the character I play. They met and he told her this incredible story. She verified all of it. Then, she put it down, pen on paper.”

What came about was an inspiring movie that has received stellar reviews. For Rathbone, he found himself in a different type of experience. The real-life Doc was on set every day, offering help for the movie, bringing his personal story to the big screen.

Having Doc on set made Rathbone look at the story and role differently. During one scene, Rathbone had to shank another character who had planned to kill him. It was a kill-or-be-killed situation and he did what he needed to do to survive.

“In the scene, I had to shank the guy 20 times,” Rathbone recalled, but that isn’t what got to him.

Afterward, the real-life Doc asked him how he was doing. Rathbone talked about how the stunts looked good, but instead, Doc asked how he was doing emotionally.

“He said, ‘Is it hard for you to do something like that?’” Rathbone said. “Then it dawned on me. This guy is watching some of the worst things he has done in life, and having to see it. It was really taking an emotional toll on him. He told me then that some of the worst things he had done in life were in prison just to stay alive.”

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“That moment really took a toll on me, made this story even all the more real,” Rathbone added. “Having him on set to add that extra level of humanity really was inspiring that he was willing to face his demons.”

Having Doc on set really changed the way Rathbone approached the character. Of course, he wanted to get his approval, but he also wanted to make sure to tell the story right.

It can be daunting to tell someone’s story, giving a different perspective on those moments. Now imagine these are moments at some of your worst times.

“At that moment, it becomes a story about being allowed to forgive yourself. Forgiving other people is a lot easier than forgiving yourself,” Rathbone said. “And I saw that Doc was still struggling with that many, many years later. That began a sense of inner turmoil that I really wanted to imbue the character with. This is a guy who wants to learn, who wants to be better. At times, he doesn’t know if he can have faith anymore in himself, in the prison system, in rehabilitation or in the world.”

Rathbone’s current film that he is working on is Dreaming Grand Avenue. It involves walking in dreams and is, of course, different than other roles Rathbone has played in.

And that’s on purpose.

“It’s a story that pushes me as an actor and stretches me,” Rathbone said. “I don’t like anything that is easy.”

Twilight’s 10-year anniversary

Twilight developed into a franchise that brought plenty of attention to it and its actors. The novels turned into movies was all anyone could talk about when the first movie released in 2008. The leads became overnight sensations with lives being changed.

“I was steadily working as an actor. I was doing commercials, TV shows, indie films,” said Rathbone, now a father of two. “Twilight hit and there were more people besides my mom saying they liked my work.”

While Rathbone jokes about his popularity, the truth is that it soared after the movies. Jasper was an integral part of the Twilight movies and anyone involved in it found more opportunities.

It was also a chance to connect with a passionate fandom. Rathbone has been excited for the fans and loved having the movies re-released last month to celebrate the 10-year anniversary.

“They’re not fans, they’re my employers,” he said. “These are people who are willing to spend hard earned money and willing to see these films, and go out and buy Team Jasper t-shirts, and support me and in my other films and my other shows.

“When I put music out, they supported my band. As an entertainer, you need an audience. The Twilight audience was the sweetest audience anyone could ask for.”

Rathbone has recently put out new music, you can hear his new single Young and Tragic here, which is from his recent album release American Spirit Blues.

The album is deeply personal for him, going back to his roots. He also uses local musicians and his wife sings backup on one of his songs.

“I’m really excited for this record. It’s closest to me and the most mature music I have put out there. It’s something I’ve been marinating on for a long time,” Rathbone said. “I really kind of wanted this record to be the most me, something that really speaks to who I am as an artist now.”

Heart, Baby! is on VOD from Nov. 23.