Crush: Hollywood’s Next GenerationXavier Samuel: ‘Twilight’s’ New Vampire on the Block
Move over Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner ... "Twilight" fans have someone new to crush on! In the upcoming "Eclipse," Aussie hottie Xavier Samuel, 26, portrays Riley, leader of the newborn vampire army. Judging from the buzz around the web, the role is guaranteed to catapult him to RPattz-like star status. But since he's only appeared in a few Australian flicks, Xavier wasn't exactly prepared for the frenzy that surrounded him after landing the "Twilight" gig.
"It was all very sudden, not just with the paparazzi but also with being cast in general," Xavier tells Teen Vogue. "I did an audition from Sydney on tape. Then I got word that it was down to four guys -- and that I was one of them." (Rumor has it that he beat out Channing Tatum and "Harry Potter's" Tom Felton for the role.)
10 Things You Should Know About Xavier
Not surprisingly, Xavier had a blast filming "Eclipse," but laughs when he recalls Bryce Dallas Howard's -- she plays his on-screen love interest/villainess Victoria -- attempt to acclimate him to life in the U.S. by giving him a DVD box set of "Lost." "People think that there's, like, one public phone in Australia and that we all ride kangaroos to work," he cracks. "They're surprised we do actually get American TV and things there."
Win a Trip to the 'Eclipse' Premiere in LA!
After filming on "Eclipse" wrapped, Xavier spent a little time hanging out in LA, then headed to Berlin, where he's been filming "Anonymous," an Elizabethan thriller that contests the authorship of Shakespeare's plays. "It's been lots of tights, pantaloons, and riding around on horses -- definitely a change of speed," he laughs. "To go from Stephenie Meyer to Shakespeare? You can't really make a bigger jump than that."
