Eclipse actor Jackson Rathbone in Nylon "Obviously, I'm going to star in Twilight the musical."

Does anyone call you by your real first name, Monroe?  I still go by Monroe when I am in trouble with the law.

Which is… often?  Very rarely; very rarely. I don’t get so much as a speeding ticket these days but I am a habitual parking violator.

I know M. Night Shyamalan is famous for his secrecy.  But what can you tell us about The Last Airbender?
Well I can say it is going to be an amazing action film; it’s got the most incredible CGI. We got ILM working on it, which is Industrial Lights and Magic, and it truly is magic, honestly, at the end of the day. We are shooting on the green screen, we have a character called Appa?  Which is a big bison kind of flying bear creature?  And that’s me, I’m a big flying bear creature.

Nice try.  Okay, no, but I get to ride it.

Not a real flying bear?   No, I rode a fuzzy saddle. It was about 15-20 feet off the ground.  It’s on this kind of rocking thing… They were moving it, and there is a big green screen behind you. Night’s yelling, “Okay, you’re flying through the air now!” You’re like, “Okay, I am flying through the air now.”  And oh yeah, I had to be flying through the air, and no, I wasn’t on any drugs.

Maybe there was good liquor on set?   I can hold my liquor! I’m from the South, come on now. You know, I love Jameson Whiskey, and I love Bud Light, I keep it pretty simple.  I was actually in a bar recently, and they only had three beers on tap, and it was Bud with lime on tap! I had to give the bar tender a little, you know, guff for that one. Are you kidding me? You don’t even have Bud Light on tap? You don’t even have Lonestar on tap? You only have Bud Light Lemon-Lime?!

I hope you lamented about your lime beer problems during your Last Airbender audition.  Oh, I didn’t have to audition.  I actually had my part delivered by an owl, followed by a list of magical school supplies… No, no, I did the normal auditioning process. Actually I had auditioned for M. Night’s The Happening before… then I met Night and we hit it off.

I heard in an M. Night movie, you don’t ever see the full script….  At the audition you only get the lines you’re gonna say, but  this movie in particular based off the Nickelodeon animated series, so it’s a departure from Night’s thrillers. It’s about finding the hero within against all odds, and it’s got some of the most incredible action sequences, with all of these characters being able to manipulate the elements and being able to throw fire and throw water to block it… However, my character only gets to throw a boomerang.  That’s not as rock n’ roll as being able to bend water.

So you can't bend water.  What else can’t you do?  Iron. You want to watch me iron, you’ll see how bad I am. I like my clothes wrinkled anyway, so it’s fine. But one of my band mates taught me a trick; his name is Lawrence Abrams and he’s a jazz musician; he’s about 56 years old. He taught me the old put it on a coat hanger and put it in the shower and let it steam up a bit. First time I did it though, I put it in the shower, and that was wrong. You don’t put it in the shower because it gets wet.  See?  I learned.

You’re an actor with a band, 100 Monkeys.  Do you think you’ll do anything to combine those two passions?  Obviously, I’m going to star in Twilight the musical.  The scary thing is, I bet they’re totally making one, like, right now!

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'Twilight' Eclipse Premiere Interview: Jackson Rathbone (jasper)

Jackson Rathbone Says Most Gratifying Part Of 'Eclipse' Was Uncovering Jasper's 'Pain'

If you're dying to see more fight scenes in the next "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" trailer, you're not alone. Star Jackson Rathbone also wants to see more vampires battling it out in upcoming teasers for the film, which comes out (not that you need to be reminded) on June 30.

"There are some really cool action scenes," Jackson told Hollywood Crush. "We worked with some amazing stunt men and women who were so incredible and just a lot of fun to work with and collaborate with. They taught me a lot. So I hope to see a lot more of the action [in the next 'Eclipse' trailer]."

Though we don't learn much about Jackson's Jasper Hale in "Twilight" and "New Moon," his background is explored much more in "Eclipse." "I'm excited for a step up with Jasper's character," Jackson said. "It's been two, three years and now I get to kind of go outside and show a little bit more of what makes Jasper tick. We get to go into his back story — see where he came from, who he was before, what makes him who we see in the first film of 'Twilight,' what makes him seem like he's always in pain, why he's always in pain ... because he is."

So why, exactly, is he in so much agony? "He's almost depressed," Jackson said. "He wants to live a good life. He wants to be part of the Cullen family. He is the newest to this vegetarian vampire way of life, and he's still trying to be part of that and address his inner demons and what he used to be. It was really fun to be able to express that."

Jackson credits director David Slade, whom he called "amazing," with helping to show how Jasper evolved into his present self. "I've always been a fan of his, especially his first film, 'Hard Candy.' I thought he did an incredible job with '30 Days of Night,' so when I first got there, I talked his ear off about '30 Days of Night' and how he got a couple of shots and all that."

Some of Jackson's favorite scenes to film were the ones that explore Jasper's origins. "Whenever we got to go into Jasper's back story," he said, "I got to don the Civil War regalia and ride a horse. It had been years since I'd been on a horse, so it was fun. I used to ride when I was in Texas."

According to some folks in the know (i.e. lucky people who have seen parts of the film), Jackson gives one of breakout performances in "Eclipse." Jackson, however, brushed off the compliment, saying it was a little too soon to judge.

"I'd say wait for the film before you compliment me," he chuckled.

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Leaked 'Eclipse' Script Is Reportedly An Early Version

Document apparently belonging to 'Twilight' star Jackson Rathbone hit the Internet Tuesday.
An early version of the "Twilight Saga: Eclipse" screenplay that belonged to star Jackson Rathbone leaked online on Tuesday. Sources reportedly confirmed to both Deadline Hollywood and EW.com that the PDF file making the rounds on the Internet is real, but it was not the version used to film the third movie in the vampire saga.

Summit has not provided any further information about the leak, how the script was lost in the first place or how anyone got their hands on the script, which is watermarked with Rathbone's name across each page. A rep for Rathbone hadn't gotten back to MTV News at press time regarding any further information about the found script.

According to the first page, posted on Zap2It.com's Dish Rag blog, this version of the script has the movie opening with Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) turning Riley (Xavier Samuel) into a member of the vampire army she's raising in order to go after Bella (Kristen Stewart). "Eclipse" wrapped up shooting back in October and is currently in post-production before its June release.

This isn't the first time a copy of a "Twilight" script has been lost and then recovered. Last May, beauty-salon owner Casey Ray found a script for "New Moon" in the trash outside a hotel in St. Louis. Rather than profit from her discovery, Ray later returned it to the studio.

It was believed that "Twilight" star Anna Kendrick was the one who lost the script, since she was in St. Louis shooting "Up in the Air" and staying at the hotel where it was found. A rep for the actress said Kendrick would never leave scripts lying around for anyone to find.

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Jackson Rathbone Discusses Jasper's 'Eclipse' Flashbacks

Actor's big scenes in third 'Twilight' film involve riding horses, training Cullens to fight.

If "New Moon" is the low point of Jasper Hale's presence in the "Twilight" saga, then "Eclipse" is the high. When MTV News caught up with Jackson Rathbone last week on the set of his indie flick "Girlfriend," he still had two weeks of "Eclipse" filming left. Much of his shooting had been completed, and he shared some of the big scenes he had already finished.

"I got to go back into my old roots, got to ride some horses again, which was nice. Got to put these riding boots to use, which is good," Rathbone said, motioning to his boots. "I actually can ride a horse."

In "Eclipse," Jasper tells Bella (Kristen Stewart) about his life before he met Carlisle Cullen (Peter Facinelli). Unlike Edward (Robert Pattinson), Rosalie (Nikki Reed), Esme (Elizabeth Reaser) and Emmett (Kellan Lutz), both Jasper and Alice Cullen (Ashley Greene) were transformed into vampires before they met Carlisle. Jasper plays a large role in the third installment of the series because he is the only vampire among them who knows how to combat the newborn vampire army Victoria (now played by Bryce Dallas Howard) is building.

Jasper's backstory, which takes place during the Civil War, will be told through flashbacks, Rathbone confirmed. Though the explanation of Jasper's history takes up a good portion of the novel, he hinted that the film version would be shorter.

"It was just really fantastic to get to delve in there and to get to don all the Civil War regalia and whatnot. That was a pleasure," he said. "I had to wear this wool suit of a major, cavalry major. "I got the big hat and everything. Hop off the horse, bow to these ladies, and then I get eaten. And then I get turned!"

There will also be flashbacks of Jasper training newborn vampires while he's still "a bad dude, a bad vampire," Rathbone said. He added that training from another film, "The Last Airbender," including wrestling, hand-to-hand combat and weapon play, was useful since there wasn't much time to prepare for the fight scenes in "Eclipse." But Rathbone was quick to clarify none of the vampires' combat scenes would be martial art-y.

Rathbone said Jasper will tell Bella his story after a training sequence where he helps the Cullens prepare for the newborn army that's approaching.

"It's actually the first time Bella and Jasper interact that's longer than one sentence, or me attacking her," Rathbone said, laughing. "Kristen and I kept saying it was really nice to get to work together because we had never had a chance to really, kind of, like, get into some dialogue."

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Jackson Rathbone Injured on Set of 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse'

Actor Jackson Rathbone slightly injured during filming of the third movie

One of the stars of 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse' has been injured and was taken to the hospital.

A rep for Summit Entertainment tells ET, "Actor Jackson Rathbone of the 'Twilight Saga' movies, was slightly injured yesterday during a fight scene rehearsal. As a precaution, he was driven to the hospital and checked out by a doctor. He's fine and is back at work on the set of 'Eclipse' today."

Rathbone plays the role of Jasper Hale in the series, the adopted brother of Edward Cullen, played by Robert Pattinson.

'Eclipse' finds the film's protagonist Bella (Kristen Stewart) forced to choose between her passionate love for vampire Edward, and her deep friendship with werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). As her high school graduation approaches, Bella's home town of Forks is threatened by a series of killings in nearby Seattle, while evil vamp Victoria continues her vendetta against Bella, leading to a deadly showdown. The film will premiere on June 30, 2010.

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Jackson Rathbone Dives Into 'Jasper's Backstory' For 'Eclipse'

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'It's an interesting time to see when Jasper was actually human and what his human form was,' actor says.
We don't need to have our emotions influenced to know that Jasper Hale Whitlock is one of Stephenie Meyer's greatest creations. A 166-year-old Civil War veteran whose transformation and redemption is a key theme in the later "Twilight" novels, the character has long been a fan favorite. Which made it all the more appropriate when the franchise landed Jackson Rathbone, a 24-year-old actor/musician whose affable, easygoing charm has made him equally popular in Twilight Nation.

Recently, we caught up with Jackson as he was preparing to begin work on "Eclipse," the currently filming third chapter in the blockbuster saga. What follows are some major plot revelations from the next two films — including his fight scene with Kellan Lutz, exposing Japer's powers earlier than you might think and how to kill one of David Slade's newborn vampires.

MTV: Jackson, what are you most looking forward to shooting in the next film?

Jackson Rathbone: I'm really excited to start filming "Eclipse." I got a chance to read the script, and we get to go back into Jasper's backstory. They actually had to ask me about my equestrian experience. I told them I can gallop and trot and all that. I used to ride. It's been two or three years since I've been on a horse, but I'm excited to get back up on the saddle.

MTV: So we're going to get to Jasper's Civil War backstory?

Rathbone: Yes, I get to shoot some Civil War stuff, and I'm also going to shoot a lot of fighting scenes. Which is great, because I just came off [M. Night Shyamalan's] "The Last Airbender," and I've been doing fighting for the last six months. So I'm ready to keep it on.

MTV: What kind of moves will you be pulling off? Just shooting guns? Obviously, it won't be highly-stylized martial arts stuff.

Rathbone: No, it won't be karate, it won't be kung fu, like the stuff we're doing in "Airbender." But even in "Airbender," the fighting styles I was doing were a little bit more loose, like street fighting. And that's kind of what this is; it's about evading.

MTV: Why is that?

Rathbone: Well, we're talking about newborn vampires that can't control their urges — they can't really think very quickly. So if you just let them go to their instincts and evade and attack them from side to side, you could get them; but if you try and go after them through force, they're going to win every time. So it's all about evasion.

MTV: Are there training scenes in "Eclipse" along these lines?

Rathbone: It's interesting; there's a lot of cool scenes where Jasper trains the Cullen family on how to fight the newborns. He gets to train Emmett — and Emmett is a born fighter — so he's telling Emmett all these techniques, and Emmett thinks he could just best Jasper [during their sparring]. Jasper ends up getting the best of him, because it's a war mentality, not just a street brawl. It's about thinking ahead; it's a chess game.

MTV: Cool. Will we see the scene where Jasper gets bitten?

Rathbone: Oh yeah, we have to see that. It's going to be great. I've been studying up a lot on the Civil War and that era. It really was a crazy time. It was all-out war on our own turf and between countrymen. That's terrible. It's an interesting time to see when Jasper was actually human and what his human form was and, when he gets turned, how intense and how dark he is. Then [we'll see] his realization of what he's become, him finding Alice and being redeemed by love.

MTV: And is that the first time we'll see your powers?

Rathbone: Actually, in "New Moon," we get a little glimpse. Inside the school.

MTV: How was it to film scenes where you were influencing the emotions of those around you?

Rathbone: It was fun. I just played it very naturally, like, if you have these special powers — like Edward has the ability to read minds — it's not like he's going to [get overly dramatic] and go, "You're hungry!" No, it's a natural thing, like the human ability to smell or to hear is a natural ability. To affect the mental state of anyone around you [I depicted Jasper as] keeping it all right in the eyes. Just thinking it and transferring it through the eyes, which are the windows to the soul — even to the soulless.

MTV: And will it be clear to the audience that this emotion-manipulation is going on?

Rathbone: In "New Moon," when we see it? It's pretty obvious.

'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse' barn scene revealed

Last night, on the set of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, many on-lookers snapped photographs and videos of the production crew setting up a big, red barn.

The consensus seems to be that the scene being shot involves two vampires in some sort of dream sequence. Most agree that this is probably related to Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) and his experience with the character Maria (which has been cast with Catalina Sandino Moreno).

About a month ago, Eclipse director David Slade used his Twitter to tease fans about potential filming locations for the newborn hideout and battlefield. While the recipe for those sequences might not call for a barn, it is indeed a possibility.

If it is Jasper's backstory that the barn is being used for, though, there are a few select sequences to choose from. Obviously, Jasper's transformation is a definite possibility, as Maria is responsible for that handiwork. Also, the Southern Wars - battle sequences in which Jasper learns to fight and winds up protecting Maria against her many newborns - are a potentiality. The fact that Rathbone has been taking horseback riding lessons, perhaps, might be the deal-sealer on that conclusion.

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Catalina Sandino Moreno will see an 'Eclipse'

"Eclipse" has found its Maria, and she's full of grace.

Producers on Summit's third "Twilight" pic have cast Catalina Sandino Moreno, best-known for playing the title character in the indie drama "Maria Full of Grace," to play the vampire character of Maria.

The CAA-repped actress will take on the role of a woman who tries to create a newborn army of vampires, recruiting the Confederate soldier Jasper to her cause. In Stephenie Meyer's book, the character is described as a petite brunette with a soft voice.

The Colombian-born Sandino Moreno most notably starred in "Grace," in which she played a pregnant teacher who becomes a drug mule, as well as Steven Soderbergh's epic "Che" and the upcoming indie drama "Frail," in which she plays the title character, who's described as a naive Midwestern girl.

The actress joins an "Eclipse" ensemble that -- in addition to stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner -- includes Jack Huston as a human who lived during the Great Depression, Xavier Samuel as a newborn vampire named Riley and Bryce Dallas Howard as the villainous Victoria, The actress replaces Rachel Lefevre last month in what amounted to a controversial casting switch.

"Eclipse," directed by David Slade, begins shooting next week in Vancouver.

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'Eclipse' Is 'Big On Fighting,' Kellan Lutz And Jackson Rathbone Say

'We're all hitting the gym pretty hard so we can have the endurance,' Lutz tells MTV News at Teen Choice Awards.

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So when they rolled into the Teen Choice Awards to pick up an evening's best 11 trophies, they had a brief respite to celebrate the past ("Twilight"), talk about the present ("New Moon") and prepare themselves for the future ("Eclipse").

"Oh, it's exciting, man," Jackson Rathbone told us about recent meetings the actors have had with David Slade, the bloodthirsty "30 Days of Night" director who will oversee them for the soon-to-shoot third film in the series. "We've all met with him. We've all been up to Vancouver doing training and getting ready for all the action."

But since Rathbone plays Civil War soldier-turned-vampire Jasper Hale — and confirmed to us that Jasper's 1863 transformation will be included in "Eclipse" as a flashback — the charismatic star has been blessed with one bit of training that the other Cullens don't get to partake in.

"Horseback training," Kellan Lutz sighed. "I'm jealous."

"Yeah, I've spent two and a half hours a day riding horses and two and a half hours a day fighting," Rathbone revealed of his preparation for "Eclipse," the plot of which will depend far more heavily on Jasper, Emmett and the other Cullens than the first two films. "We've been training in the gym."

" 'Eclipse' is big on fighting, so Jasper trains all of us," Lutz said of a key sequence in the book that has Rathbone's war veteran teaching the werewolves and vampires fighting techniques in order to defend themselves against newborn vampires. "All of us characters are actually going through fight training, stunt training. We're all hitting the gym pretty hard so we can have the endurance."

The noticeably larger Lutz, who has spoken before of his desire to be an action hero, said he can't wait to unleash Emmett in full form. "You can't really do scenes like that, that are so crucial, [unless you train]. You need to know what you're doing, you need to know how to take blocks, how to go on the offense, prepare yourself for defense," he explained. "It's a lot of training, but it's great when we're all done with the training and get to shoot it."

"Yeah," Rathbone laughed. "Once all the black eyes and bloody lips heal."

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