Meraz got those ripped abs with “pretty hardcore” kettlebell routines created by a trainer who starred as one of the Spartans in action flick “300,” he says. “The best part is that at the end of the training session, he gave us his red underwear from ‘300!’” Meraz adds.

The 24-year-old tells “Extra” that he got really close to the wolfpack while shooting the vampire saga, in theaters Nov. 20.

“I really felt like I created a family,” he says. “Taylor was always fun. We always went bowling and had dinner. The other guys too. We played jokes in between [filming].”

Pranks included sneaking into Kiowa Gordon’s room to wake him up and pretend he was late to set.

“He was nearly in tears, he was so scared,” Meraz says. “We always did things like that to kind of have fun.”

FearNet has an exclusive interview with Alex Meraz

You stand out among the Wolf Pack because of your scene with Bella – the slap heard ‘round the world, so to speak. Tell me how that scene went down.

Alex Meraz: It was exciting. Even just in the casting of it, I just really liked Paul. What happened with the casting process is, we sent in our information and through that they were going to break it down. I sent it in and started reading New Moon while I was waiting and I really liked Paul because of that scene, and I really like bad boys and he’s kind of the bad boy of the Wolf Pack. I got the chance to audition and I got that role, saw the script and was blown away by it. I knew it was the first transformation you were going to see in the movie, and it’s definitely a scene that stands out. There was pressure to make sure it looked good, but I knew I was in good hands – Chris Weitz is just an amazing director, and Phil Tippett who did the special effects was going to make me look awesome. So it was fun.

Read the whole article HERE!

Q: I just wanted to ask both of you guys, what was your favorite stunt to do?

Alex: For me, my favorite stunt to do was the cliff-diving scene. It’s pretty fun when you get the chance to jump off this fifty foot scaffolding just to practice the form, and it’s really exciting. I mean, it’s a good thing when an actor can actually perform your own stunts; it’s pretty rare.

Edi: I actually had a ton of fun on the second unit. The second unit director was extremely collaborative, and we actually created a shot together based on an idea that I had. And I can’t give it away, but the stunt that I do was something that I thought of and he said yes to, and it felt very wonderful to be able to have that sort of collaboration on a project of that scale.

Q: Alex, was it hard for you to come onto the New Moon set as one of the newcomers?

Edi: It was ‘cause I beat him up everyday [laughs].

Alex: There was no phase. Well, surrounded by the rest of the wolfpack, we’re all new to it, so we kind of relied on each other, you know, for support and whatnot, and we spent the most time together. So, when I saw any of the other actors, it was mostly in passing, but we did work together. It was all good, you know, we had a good time. No … I felt right at home.

Read the rest of this entry »

There must have been some fierce competition for those four new werewolf roles. What was the audition process like and how did you finally land the role of Paul?

It was an intense process. When I received the call for submissions, I had already started working out because I knew it would be physically demanding. After a couple rounds of callbacks, I was lucky enough to land a role.

What can you tell us about Paul?

Paul is the “bad boy” of the wolf pack. He comes across as volatile, but I think he’s misunderstood. He is just very proud of being Quilete and is unapologetic about being a protector for his people.

Read it all HERE!

Vanity Fair got to interview two members of the Wolf Pack, Alex Meraz (Paul) and Kiowa Gordon (Embry)!

What was your favorite scene to shoot?

Alex Meraz: The cliff diving scene was the most fun because the whole Wolf Pack was there and we were jumping off these 50-foot scaffolding things onto an air mattress. It was pretty exciting to be able to do our own stunts.

You didn’t have stunt doubles at all?

Alex Meraz: No! They were pushing for it, we were pushing against; we wanted to do our own stuff. We had to train for a good two days, eight hours each day just practicing jumping, making sure we were landing safely. On the day [of shooting], we were actually jumping from a green screen cliff but it was actually taller and a little bit more dangerous because there was foliage and grass on top of it—it was a little slippery. We were fine, and it was really fun.

New Moon is your first film. What was the casting process like?

Kiowa Gordon: They had an open casting call here in Phoenix, and I auditioned. I was going to church with my mom out in Cave Creek, and Stephenie Meyer goes to church with her. She kind of helped me out on that one.

How did the wolves come together as a pack?

Kiowa Gordon: They got us a personal trainer, and we just went to the workouts and got to know each other. We saw each other’s strengths and pushed each other’s buttons; we really bonded during that time. We’d go out to eat a lot and watch movies …

What was your favorite scene to shoot?

Kiowa Gordon: I call it the “muffin scene.” It’s right after Bella finds out we’re all werewolves, and we take her to Emily’s house while Jacob, Paul, and Sam are off in the woods taking care of some wolf business.

Read the rest of Alex Meraz interview HERE and Kiowa Gordon interview HERE!