By Megan Riedlinger
7:25am PST, Nov 19, 2018
We were first introduced to the vampires, werewolves and humans of Forks on Nov. 21, 2008. That's when the first installment of the "Twilight Saga" hit theaters, dividing the world into Team Edward and Team Jacob. Though some of the franchise's stars have faded away — paging Jackson Rathbone? — you might have forgotten some very famous faces that appeared in the films. Whether a "Twilight" movie was their big break or they lent their celebrity status to the franchise via small roles, Wonderwall.com is taking a look back to jog your memory…
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Michael Sheen was in "Twilight"? Yep, the esteemed Welsh actor starred in four of the five installments playing the role of Volturi member Aro. While Michael was already a well-respected actor at that point, he wanted to play a role in the films for a pretty sweet reason. "I was mainly excited about it because I knew it would make my daughter very happy," Michael told the UK's Daily Record back in 2009, referring to daughter Lily (with ex Kate Beckinsale), who was 10 at the time. Though he initially joined to get cool-dad points, he later discovered he was a fan of the source material, adding, "then I read the books and I really enjoyed them. I didn't think I was going to, but I really did."
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Anna Kendrick has "Twilight" to thank for launching her career. The role of Jessica Stanley was only her fifth acting gig ever, and it helped her go on to become a household name. She followed up the first film with a role in 2009's "Up In The Air" opposite George Clooney, which also earned her an Academy Award nomination! She reprised her role as nosy Jessica in three of the four new "Twilight" installments while keeping up her busy career as a newly minted movie star. Among her biggest roles since graduating from Forks High School? Another franchise with the "Pitch Perfect" films, a musical turn in "Into the Woods" and her latest hit, "A Simple Favor" opposite Blake Lively.
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Dakota Fanning was already a huge name in Hollywood before joining the "Twilight" franchise. So why did she sign on to play the tiny role of Volturi member Jane? Because she was a huge fan of the series! At 15, Dakota was in the same demographic as the phenomenon's key fanbase when she signed on for the film's second installment, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," after reading all the books. Though many forget she played a role in the movies, she gained something else from playing Jane — a friend! She and star Kristen Stewart became close pals while filming and even co-starred together in another movie — "The Runaways" — in 2010.
Before he became a household name thanks to his role on "Mr. Robot" and long before he portrayed Freddie Mercury in 2018's "Bohemian Rhapsody," Rami Malek played a "Twilight" vampire! Rami brought Benjamin to life — a vampire from an Egyptian coven who had a special vampire gift: the ability to influence the elements. It was a small role in the very last film, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2."
Nowadays, Booboo Stewart is synonymous with the popular Disney movie franchise "The Descendants." In the series, Booboo plays Jay, the son of "Aladdin" villain Jafar. But back in 2010, he was best known for his role as Seth Clearwater, a member of Jacob's wolf pack. He joined the franchise during the third installment, "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse." Seth played a larger role in the next two movies in the series, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn" parts 1 and 2.
Bryce Dallas Howard not only starred in a "Twilight" film but was involved in some serious casting drama! Bryce joined the cast for the third film, "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," as the evil redheaded vampire Victoria. The only problem? The role had previously been played by Rachelle Lefevre in the first two films. Though the studio claimed Rachelle was let go due to scheduling conflicts, the timing was tricky. "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" saw Victoria as a major player, when she'd previously been a minor character. The director of the first installment, Catherine Hardwicke, later noted that Bryce was always their first choice for the role. For her part, Bryce was excited to join the franchise — as she was a self-proclaimed "Twi-hard" who loved all the books.
In a cast of relative unknowns, Peter Facinelli was one of the better known stars in the first film, "Twilight." He'd starred on popular TV series like "Damages" and "Six Feet Under" and was married to Jennie Garth at the time. Since he first played family patriarch Dr. Carlisle Cullen, Peter has starred on "Nurse Jackie," "Supergirl" and the more recent TV series "S.W.A.T."
When it came time to cast Edward Cullen and Bella Swan's daughter, Renesmee, Mackenzie Foy was tapped for 2011's "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1" then reprised the role in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2." Prior to that, she'd only had bit roles on episodes of three shows. Since playing Renesmee Cullen, Mackenzie has scored some pretty major gigs including a part in the horror film "The Conjuring" in 2013 and a lead role alongside Keira Knightley in the 2018 Disney holiday film "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms."
Maggie Grace was certainly a familiar face when she graced the big screen in 2011's "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1" as Irina, a member of the Denali coven. She'd already made a name for herself as Shannon on "Lost" and in the hit 2008 flick "Taken." Since playing a vampire, Maggie has switched to another type of undead — zombies! — on "Fear the Walking Dead" as Althea.
Jamie Campbell Bower played Volturi member Caius in three of the five "Twilight" films. He went from one popular YA series adaptation to the next, starring as Jace in "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" a year after hanging up his Volturi robe. More recently, he appeared in "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" as Young Grindelwald.
These days, we know Angela Sarafyan from her role on HBO's hit show "Westworld," but she had a small role in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2" back in 2012. Angela played Tia, a member of the Egyptian coven and mate of Benjamin (played by fellow future star Rami Malek).
Before "Guardians of the Galaxy," Lee Pace had a bit role in a "Twilight" film. The hunky actor played Garrett, a nomadic vampire who ends up becoming a member of the Denali coven after helping the Cullens confront the Volturi in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2." Since then, he's become a bigger name, starring in three installments of the "The Hobbit" franchise and on the TV show "Halt and Catch Fire."
Elizabeth Reaser played the matriarch of the Cullens, Esme, in all of the "Twilight" films. Before that, she'd appeared on shows like "Saved" and "Grey's Anatomy," but "Twilight" revamped her career. After playing the adopted mom to Edward, Alice and Co., Elizabeth made a splash on the hit Netflix series "The Haunting of Hill House."
