Jackson Rathbone

So you’re going to play the part of Jasper in Twilight. Are you excited?
I’m so excited! I cannot wait to see how it turns out!

What was the audition process like?
It wasn’t too bad. I actually lived really close to the audition and i had car troubles during the time so I just walked with my guitar. The other actors auditioning let me play my guitar so it was okay. I like to bring my guitar with me to auditions...it calms me down.

Was there any separation between the humans and the vampires?
Well at first it was just the vampires on set because we were practising stunts and preparing for the big fight scene. So when the humans came, we were all like what, humans?? But after a day we all started hanging out and became really close. It was great though because we were a large young cast so we could all go out and have fun.

Does it sound funny to call them humans and yourself a vampire?
It is actually quite funny, although I’ve gotten used to it by now... I’m in a vampirical state of mind!

Had you read the books before auditioning for the role?
I hadn’t before but once I got the role, I read the first book. I haven’t read the others on purpose because I didn’t want to get ahead of my character. It’s important to stay within the character and not get ahead of the story, although I did use Wikipedia to get some back story.

So does the film follow the book?
Oh definitely! It expands the book, although obviously its more compact than the book because the movie is only going to be 2 hours long maximum. The movie really comes to life though and it really has a strong impact.

What was filming like?
It was pretty crazy! We had to film when it was overcast, especially during the school scenes, so when the sun came out, we would have to run to the second set (we would have a cover set to use when it became sunny) so there was a lot of running around! We had to figure out which set we were going to be at for more than an hour because the weather kept changing so drastically.

Which was your favourite scene filmed and why?
I think it was the fight scene at the end. It’s one thing to play a vampire who’s out there and eating people; that’s pretty fun! We were playing controlled vampires so it was a lot of fun to go wild and unleash ourselves in the fight scene where we fight the baddies. We all go a little bit wild! Vampires unleashed!

Tell us about your character, Jasper.
Well the film is about a human girl falling in love with a vampire boy. The boy has to decide whether he can just love her or whether he has to bite her. I play one of his brothers, called Jasper. Jasper has the peculiar trait of being able to influence the emotions of people around him. He can affect how they think and how they feel.

Are you anything like Jasper?
I think so. I’m less blood thirsty but we both have a big Southern background and so that comes with the old school qualities, such as taking a girl out or meeting people daily and talking to them.

Can you tell us any set secrets?
It wasn’t a very secretive set... I had a prank played on me one night! Eddie has a very feminine voice! It was about 10pm after a long day of work and he calls me, pretending to be Kelly from production. In my defence, his voice was very accurate! Anyway he called and told me as Kelly that I had to go to work the next day at 3am... I was quite shocked but I shrugged it off and told her I’d see her tomorrow. So a few minutes later I get another call and it’s Eddie just laughing. I ask him why he’s laughing and he asks me if I’m working the next day. I explain that I have to be on set at 3am and he starts laughing again and tells me he’s Kelly. I get confused and he explains that it was him pretending to be Kelly and it was all a prank! It was a small prank but it was really funny.

Did you have any embarrassing moments on set?
I actually did! For the baseball scene, they made me bat with my left hand. I’m not a leftie at all so I looked ridiculous doing it! It was pretty embarrassing...but I finally got it down at the end!

Who were you closest to on set?
All of us kids were hanging out together, so I don’t think I was closest to someone. I guess my guitar was my sweetheart... I took it everywhere with me! It will never work out though...her parents hate me...

What was the coolest stunt you did?
We jumped off a 23 foot balcony! The cable catches you at the last moment and brings you safely to the ground, about 2 metres before you hit the ground and break your legs! It was pretty cool, like a mini bungee jump!

You write your own music. Do you have a band?
I do actually. I play whenever I’m not acting. The band is called 100 monkeys.

What instruments do you play?
Mainly guitar, keys, bass. We switch it up though so i play the mandolin and the banjo too. It’s mostly blues and southern rock...very contemporized though! It’s so much fun! It’s a 3 man band but we all switch instruments and we all sing. Lots of harmonies etc...we just love playing together!

Where can people listen to your music?
We have a myspace... www.myspace.com/these100monkeys and we’re in the middle of setting up a website. We’re also going to start to play at a local bar in Santa Monica, West Hollywood and a few other places. We’re basically a live band because we do a lot of improvs. We make up songs on the spot. All the music on our myspace is improvisations.

You sound pretty serious...are you going to launch into the music career then?
Not really... I can’t call it a hobby because it’s so much more than that but I don’t want to do music as a career. It’s a huge part of my life though... I need it to survive! I would love to have a place to play! I’m also working on an album by myself but if nothing happens with it, I don’t mind. It’s mostly for myself...

Describe yourself in 3 words.
Calm. Collected. Crazy.

If you could play any prank on anyone, what would the prank be?
I’d try to lock someone in their trailer with a pot belly pig! Most people don’t find pigs cute, even though they’re pretty harmless, so I think that would be a funny prank to play!

If you could go anywhere, where would you go?
I really want to run with the bulls in Spain! I want to see if I can do it! So definitely Spain...

If you were stuck on a desert island with only three things, what would they be?
My guitar, a harmonica and a family photo album.

Tell me a secret!
I have burnt cereal...whenever you leave the stove on, don’t put the cereal bowl on top of the stove... I keep a very messy room... I am a very messy person! The only neat room is the living room because that’s what visitors see and where we hang out! Also there’s a small recording studio in the living room so it needs to be clean. The rest of the house suffers though...even my car is messy!

What’s the strangest thing you’ve had in your mouth?
Frog legs were pretty gross...I had those down in Louisiana...but honestly, I can’t do raw oysters...they’re horrible! I’d rather eat frog legs! But there are plenty of disgusting things out there so I haven’t given up hope yet!

What’s your secret addiction?
Honestly...Alone time. I’m naturally more of a loner...I like to have 2 hours a day alone; either in the park or driving alone...I just relax and collect my thoughts.

What irrationally annoys you?
Really rude people! If I’m in a restaurant and someone is rude to their waitress or too loud, I get really annoyed...I see a lot of people these days just losing respect for others. Society is just becoming very selfish...

Do you have a myspace? If yes, what is it?
well fans can contact me through the band’s myspace, www.myspace.com/these100monkeys. Or if you want to find news about me, there are two main fan sites that keep up to date with what I’ve been up to. I’m not affiliated with me but they are really great for information. www.jackson-rathbone.com and www.jackson-rathbone.org