Twilighters everywhere will have a new obsession once New Moon is released on Nov. 20. Alex Meraz is the hot new actor in the saga, and fans everywhere will be sure to love him. Meraz joins the Twilight cast as Paul of the Quileute tribe, the short-tempered, volatile teenage werewolf that is prone to have an angry outburst at any moment.
At 24, Meraz is a husband and proud father of a 19-month-old son, Somak. He credits his wife for getting him interested in the Twilight saga."My wife is obsessed with the books and was anxiously waiting for the movie. She pushed me to go to the casting," he said.
Originally reading for the part of Sam Uley, Meraz admits he was surprised by his casting. "What scared me was that my manager called me and said I didn't get the part of Sam Uley. But then said that I got Paul. And I was like 'Paul? Paul who?'" He said his cockier, explosive reading at the audition better fit the personality and character of Paul.
Meraz hails from Arizona, where he attended the New School for the Arts and Academics. It was there that he decided high school was enough for him and that he'd pursue his acting career without attending college. "I'm not a conventional guy. School scares me. I already knew what I wanted to do," he said.
In addition to acting, Meraz is an avid painter and dancer and he has received his black belt in martial arts. “When I got out of high school and decided not to pursue painting, I wanted to be a dancer. But it took a major toll on my body and I decided acting would be the happy medium for me," he said.
Thus far, acting has served Meraz seemingly well. Entering the fan-obsessed world of Twilight was very exciting for him. "I'm grateful to be in a series of films with such an amazing following," he said. "It was raining and freezing in Vancouver when we were shooting and we had a tent to sit under and I saw these director-like chairs with names on the back," he remembered."First I saw Kristen [Stewart]'s and then next to her was mine with my name and I was like 'That's awesome!' That's how I knew this was big."
Just having finished shooting Eclipse, the third installment of the Twilight saga, Meraz said things are still hush-hush about whether or not his character will be included in the fourth and fifth movies based on the final book, Breaking Dawn.
In regards to the probable instant stardom that will surround him once the film releases, Meraz is expecting nothing and hoping for the best. "Whatever happens, happens," he said. "I'm getting a lot of promises so I kind of leave it be and if or when it doesn't happen, I wont be shocked."
Source:CollegeMagazine.com
