𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

In the movie, you all have tattoos. Do you have real tattoos or would you like to have one?

Chaske Spencer: "We all have real tattoos."

Alex Meraz: "Which take about three hours getting covered up. One thing we have been talking about is maybe, depending on where this goes, by the end of the films, we're thinking about getting the wolfpack tattoo."

Chaske Spencer: "Yeah, it's been a real experience for all of us."

Alex Meraz: "It's a milestone."

Chaske Spencer: "It's a milestone. It's changed our lives."

Is Taylor going to have the tattoo, too?

Chaske Spencer: [Laughing] "Oh, I can't speak for him."

Alex Meraz: "Maybe if he's 18 by the time we do it!"

What was your first reaction whenever you first saw your wolf in the finished film?

Bronson Pelletier: "When Paul changed, I honestly…"

Alex Meraz: "He had to change his underwear!"

Bronson Pelletier: "I literally got goosebumps. I was like, 'Wow, that's awesome!' It looks amazing. Chris Weitz does an amazing, amazing job, and the special effects team."

Alex Meraz: "Yeah, Phil Tippett. He did an amazing job with the special effects. For me, I'd always wanted to be in a film where it's not so much driven with CG, but I could be something bigger than life, I could have some kind of superpower. So for me to be able to transform into a wolf and have a fight and all that, I was like a kid in a candy store. I couldn't ask for anything more."

Did the wolves all suit you?

Everybody: "Oh, yeah!"

Alex Meraz: "There were mannerisms that Phil Tippett and his team actually did to make them all stand as individuals. You can tell the difference between one wolf and the other, and also suited it to what our characters were and what we brought to the table."

Chaske Spencer: "And our eyes. Our eyes stay the same."

Bronson Pelletier: "Our real eyes are actually on our wolves, so it's pretty cool."

Taylor is not Native American, so can you talk about teaching what Native American means to you?

Chaske Spencer: "He was very open about that. He understands. We did the best we could with him, and he's the right guy for the part. He's the right guy for the part, and I'm very protective of him."

Kiowa Gordon: "He's like our brother."

Chaske Spencer: "He's like our brother. Nothing but mad love for him."

What did you talk about teaching him?

Chaske Spencer: "We asked a lot of stuff about the tribes and stuff like that, and we would talk to him and tell him. There are certain things that I do in my culture that I told him about, and he was really open to it."

Alex Meraz: "That's the thing. We're not even Quileute. The tribes we are is not Quileute. So for us to represent that tribe, it's as if we weren't even Native. It wouldn't really matter, because they have different customs than all of us do. It wasn't like we had to teach him how to be a Quileute Native, because we don't know how to be that either. All we had was our culture to bring into the filmmaking. We just knew how to respect the mythology of the tribe, and Taylor definitely is receptive to it."

Chaske Spencer: "He has his own culture, and he could draw from that."

How did you learn about the Quileutes and what do you know now about them?

Alex Meraz: "During the process of auditioning, I did as much research as I could about the Quileutes, knowing that they're whalers. They inspired the shape of their canoes to be pretty much clipper ships. They were really fast, and they were able to go from the Washington area all the way down to San Diego hunting whales. I learned about the mythology, really, the creation story. The Quileute came from wolves and transformed into people, but they don't go back. That's the thing, they don't go back. That's the aspect that Stephenie changed and took some things and put it in this fantasy realm."

Chaske Spencer: "I was amazed by the storytelling, which you were talking about. I was really attracted to that."

Was it awkward to spend so much time with your shirt off in the movie, or did you get comfortable with it?

Chaske Spencer: [Laughing] "Whatever puts the ladies in seats for the tickets!"

Alex Meraz: "That's what we've been telling guys. 'Guys, watch the film, because your girlfriends will be watching it.'"

Chaske Spencer: "The thing is though, there's action in New Moon. So bring the boyfriends, I think they'll really like it."

Alex Meraz: "They don't have a choice. Their girlfriends are going to be there."

Chaske Spencer: "They don't have a choice."

Alex Meraz: "But it wasn't awkward. By the time we got to start filming, we had already been working out shirtless. You know, it's like a costume. It really is. You wear it, you don it and you own it. You can't be intimidated about your body. That's not the time to be doing that, when that little red light's blinking and you're being filmed."

Chaske Spencer: "It also helps us get into character as well."

Bronson Pelletier: "Exactly. As soon as I got out there with my shorts and no shirt on, I felt the part, you know?"

Alex Meraz: "As soon as I got the bronzing on, I felt it."

Bronson Pelletier: "Good old bronzing. That always ended up on my socks."

Chaske Spencer: "That stuff is hard to wash off, too."

Alex Meraz: "I think they put motor oil on us."

Have any of you had any offers to be in magazine or on a cover shirtless?

Chaske Spencer: "Yeah. You know, this franchise, you're going to see us with our shirts off a lot. No more taking the shirts off. It's going to be up there, immortal, on film."

Alex Meraz: "It was in the contract. 'Beware, you're going to be objectified.'"

Chaske Spencer: "Oh yeah. We are the pieces of meat."

Alex Meraz: "But I did something for People magazine shirtless. But at this point, it's all in respect to the film. So it's fine for this particular franchise. If I was doing something else and I had a suit on, I'm sure they'd want me in a suit for publicity or for other things. So, it's for a project."

How cold did it get?

Alex Meraz: "About 30 degrees, raining. Pretty cold. Very cold."

Chaske Spencer: "Like he said, we could cut glass with our nipples."

Was there a wolf boot camp for this or was it just how to make your abs look great?

Chaske Spencer: "No, they made us work out. It was an hour of training, they got us a trainer. It was a guy who helped out on 300. They threw us into the training for maybe an hour and ten minutes, and it was a lot of circuit training and muscle confusion. We also ate a lot. We ate six meals a day, three protein shakes a day."

Alex Meraz: "And thanks to Chaske, we also ate a lot of apple pie."

Chaske Spencer: "Yes. Dessert, too. Yeah, I was a bad influence."

Bronson Pelletier: "We did strength training, conditioning, weight training, lots of cardio. It was pretty intense."

Alex Meraz: "It was definitely crucial to the bonding, too. That's really what helped out with building the chemistry on set. And even during filming, I think it really helped out a lot. We had a blast. We supported each other, we even made fun of each other. You know, like who could do the most push-ups or whatever. It really helped out with our characterizations."

Chaske Spencer: "I think the chemistry, you'll see it on the screen. We all get along, and that's really cool and surprising, because in some films you just don't get along with the other people. But this time around, they picked the right people."

You guys have no trouble looking great with your shirts off in the rain and around the breakfast table. Will you talk about both of those scenes?

Chaske Spencer: "The rain was pretty hard. At one point, we all huddled up together to use our bodies to keep warm. It was definitely pretty cold. We all got through it, you know?"

Alex Meraz: "I think Bronson had the best explanation of it. He said we had a cutting-glass business."

Chaske Spencer: "Our nipples were rock hard."

Bronson Pelletier: "Yeah, definitely. And on top of it, there was the fake rain, too. It wasn't warmed-up rain either, mind you. It was cold rain coming on top of us, blankets of rain, too. It was pretty wild."

The breakfast table scene is really interesting because that's the aftermath of the big explosion, so how about that?

Chaske Spencer: "For me, you get to see all their characters. Their characters come alive. You see Paul's character, Bronson's, all of them come alive and they get dialog. Plus, you know, I've got a kissing scene with Tinsel Korey, which was pretty good to do."

Alex Meraz: "To speak more on that, it's the first time you actually see them more as humans. You see the relationship, that we're brothers. Before then, it's a little more ominous. There's more foreshadowing - you see the scene before where I try to kill Bella. So that's the first time you see the friskiness, the playfulness, which I think really helps out."

Bronson Pelletier: "It shows definitely the camaraderie of us all, you know?"

Chaske Spencer: "The sense of humor. That's where you really see the chemistry."

Did you have to keep up all that training going into Eclipse? Were you not allowed any downtime between the movies? How hard was that to maintain?

Alex Meraz: "We had about four months...and it's hard."

Chaske Spencer: "It's hard to keep that up, because it's a lot of diet. It's tough."

Bronson Pelletier: "Mainly dieting. It's really important."

Talk about the bonding. Did you hang out as a pack?

Chaske Spencer: "Yeah."

Bronson Pelletier: "Oh, of course! I love hanging out with these guys."

Chaske Spencer: "The film schedule, it's so big. There's a ton of cast members, so we don't get to hang out with all the cast members so we just ended up hanging out with each other. It was good company."

What did you do in Vancouver?

Chaske Spencer: "We went bowling. That was cool."

Bronson Pelletier: "Watching movies all the time. Go out dancing, you know, whatever."

Chaske Spencer: "Clubs, work out together, movies."

Did you live at the same complex?

Alex Meraz: "Yeah, we stayed at the same hotel. Even outside of filming, we would text each other, call each other, just to make sure we're still alive. We were like brothers. We really care for each other, and it's important. We got really lucky in doing a film where you actually care about your cast mates, which is important. We're committed to doing Eclipse and stuff, and it really helped out. I think people are going to see it on screen."

Chaske Spencer: "You gotta understand, we're all going through this. We're not just individuals in this whole Twilight phenomenon, so we check in with each other and make sure everyone's okay. The attention, it can mess with people's heads. No one gives you a book on how to go through this, so we make sure we're all right."

Alex Meraz: "Don't cry for us. [Laughs] Don't weep for us!"

Chaske Spencer: "Well, what's cool is that we get to help people as well. When you meet certain people, it's pretty cool. I remember when I was a kid, meeting some of my heroes, like, 'Oh, they're really nice guys. They're really cool people.'"

Bronson Pelletier: "I did a couple of Make a Wish Foundation things. You know, brightening up somebody's day. If you have that kind of power, it's pretty good."

Alex Meraz: "I think also, as representatives for Native Americans in this franchise, we have a responsibility not to be a bad image. We're portraying Natives and that's what they're going to see. I think it's time for us to kind of rewrite what Hollywood's take on Native Americans was, which was long hair blowing, noble kind of people…"

Chaske Spencer: "Leather and feather."

Alex Meraz: "Leather and feather period pieces. So now you see something in a contemporary setting, and you see us to be humans. It's great. I think it's a great thing."

Kind of human.

Alex Meraz: [Laughs] "Yeah, there you go, kind of human. But we're not demonized, which is important. It's done in a very tasteful way."

What is it you wanted to convey in the movie as far as Native American culture?

Alex Meraz: "During the process of casting, when I was waiting to hear word if I got a role or not, there was a through-line of me - I prayed every night. I was asking for permission even to represent the Quileute tribe. I was putting out a lot of good thoughts. In essence, even though we're taking some of their mythology, their creation story, and it's mixed in a fantasy, still we're taking from the culture. Being Native, we needed to be conscious of that and ask permission to the people of the past, present and of the future for it. It's a very conscious thing. Native Americans, they have a right to be protective of their stories."

Chaske Spencer: "We're all Native. We're all Natives. And we're not just saying Native Americans. [Points to Pelletier] He's from Canada."

Alex Meraz: "Native of the Americas. It's not a linear term."

Chaske Spencer: "We try to represent well, because we're very fortunate to be here and to represent our people in a contemporary way. And a lot of responsibility does come with that. We're getting offers as well for roles that are non-specific for Natives - some guy that doesn't have to be Native. We're very fortunate and blessed for that. We've got a lot to bring to the table. We come from a different angle, too. We come from a different angle, being Native. We have a different outlook on life as well. We like Stephenie's writing and she's represented pretty well. Very blessed to be here."

It seems like Native Americans are always shown as wise old men. The only sexy Native American you ever see is Adam Beach. For you guys, that has to feel pretty exciting. Also, being Native American, you have a connection with land animals. Playing a werewolf, do you find any sort of different feeling about animals like coyotes or wolves?

Chaske Spencer: "Well, you have to have a balance as well. I know a lot of Natives who are lawyers and doctors who don't always wear their hair in braids. I think that's a misconception from what Hollywood and pop culture has on us, stereotyping. Not all of us are like that."

Alex Meraz: "Hollywood, they thought Adam Beach was the only Native American left!"

Chaske Spencer: [Laughing] "I lost out on a lot of roles to that guy."

Alex Meraz: "Exactly, yeah, we were extinct except for Adam Beach. They were almost going to put him at the Smithsonian being the last Native American! So it's kind of good that people did their research. A lot of thanks goes to Rene Haynes. She was kind of the Native American liaison who added to casting. Joseph Middleton did the primary casting, but Rene had cast Chaske before in other projects, myself as well. She knows her stuff. That was a good thing that Summit did. They really made sure they did it right for the wolfpack."

Can you describe your relationship in the movie with Jacob, played by Taylor Lautner?

Bronson Pelletier: "He's like a little brother, right?"

Kiowa Gordon: "He's my best friend in the movie. It's kind of scary to us, seeing these guys. We were just normal kids, and these guys were running around with their shirts off and we thought they were some gang going around, saying they were peacekeepers of our tribe and what-not."

Chaske Spencer: "We helped him phase. He doesn't want to become a werewolf. No one wants this. It just happens; this is what we're dealt. When the Cullens came around, that's when we started phasing. My character, he was the first one to phase, so my relationship to these guys - I'm sort of the big brother, the mentor, the father figure to help them. We are like a band of brothers, like a rock band, and suddenly Jacob starts to phase, and he has some choices to make and he has to join us. We surround him and tell him it's not that bad."

Alex Meraz: "It's like going through puberty is what we had to tell Jacob. It's like going through puberty. You're gonna get a lot of hair, things are going to change, but you'll get through it."

Did you guys do the same kind of thing with Taylor, ribbing him?

Alex Meraz: "Yeah, that's what we were talking about. Taylor was a part of all that. He took us bowling at one point. He's an amazing bowler, by the way. A little known fact about him."

Chaske Spencer: "He's a good guy. He's really a good guy."

Alex Meraz: "He's fine. We had a really good time, all of us together. For Taylor, too, this was his. The first movie, it was more about the Cullens and that little family. In this one, it's about the wolfpack, so I think he felt really comfortable and definitely wanted to spend more time with us. It was good. We all helped each other out and had a great time."