'It brought up old feelings.' Taylor Lautner's 4-minute video about comments on his body.

In mid-May, Taylor Lautner spent a week doing press.

It was to promote his new podcast (all celebrities must have podcasts now), alongside his wife, who is also called Taylor Lautner. They appeared on morning TV shows and radio stations, and made headlines for the way they embraced another Taylor, last name Swift.

Now, he's back home in... wherever he lives, going about his life by recording podcasts and going for runs.

It was after a run that he shared a four-minute video to TikTok and Instagram, explaining how he had just stumbled upon dozens of comments from people criticising his appearance after one network he recently appeared on posted a clip from the interview.

"I was going through the comments, and it brought up old feelings and memories [of] why I don't look through comments," he explained.

He then shared screenshots of comments which criticised his hairline, or commented on his ageing appearance (he is 31), including "he aged like a raisin" and "looks like sh*t".

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Taylor Lautner (@taylorlautner)

"That's the world we live in, and there's only so much we can do to change it," Lautner said. 

"But I think what I really wanted to say is, if this was 10 years ago, five years ago, maybe even two, three years ago, that really would have got under my skin, and it would have caused me to want to just go in a hole and not go outside."

He said that at times in his life, he did become reclusive in order to avoid people seeing him and being able to comment on his body.

"At a certain point, I would not even go out, not go to a grocery store, not go where if I was seen, I could take a picture and it could end up on the internet and I would have to see that stuff."

In a February episode of his podcast, The Squeeze, Lautner shared how his role as Jacob in the Twilight franchise impacted his body image.

"When I was in it, when I was 16 through 20 years old, starring in this franchise where my character is known for taking his shirt off every other second, no, I did not know that it was affecting me or going to affect me in the future with body image," Lautner began. "But now looking back at it, of course it did, and of course it is going to."

He said the gym was his "entire life" during those films, and when it ended he "rebelled against the gym" and stopped going completely.

"What happens when you don't want to see a gym? You start losing the eight pack. I started having more normal of a body," Lautner said. 

"I remember one of the first times seeing it online was very tough. I was filming a movie called Run The Tide, and my character in that is not supposed to be a bodybuilder or [a] ripped guy in any way. I thought I looked fine.

"But then seeing it online where they put the side-by-sides of me shirtless in the ocean in a scene from that movie compared to me in [the third Twilight film] Eclipse or whatever, and being like, 'Wow, he's let it all go.' I was like, 'Oh, man. Did I really let it all go?' I didn't think I looked that bad."

In his new video, Lautner said he'd since learned not to place too much value on what others thought of him.

"I'm not gonna say it doesn't bug me. I wouldn't be on here posting this video if it didn't bother me at all," he said.

"But it doesn't make me question who I am, and it doesn't take anything away from me. So, I think my biggest point is just think about and remember where you put your value in life. And also, just be nice. It's not that difficult. Let's be nice to each other. Let's spread love and positivity. It's that simple. I love you guys. And I hope you have a great rest of your day."

On Instagram, one person whose critical comment appeared in the video, responded to Lautner's post to apologise.

"I think it’s good that you called me out. I should have expressed myself differently and I never meant to hurt you in any way. The reason I wrote this was really because it made me realise that I aged as well. Because I grew up with you seeing you in my TV. When I see actors I used to watch grow old it reminds me of my own age. I deeply apologise, and will watch my words in the future. I know they can harm a lot. I wish you nothing but happiness," they wrote.

Lautner accepted their apology.

"I appreciate you saying that. You didn't have to jump on here but that was really brave," he responded. "We all say things before we speak sometimes. I'm very guilty myself. But it's good to be reminded [of] the impact it can have."

Feature image: Instagram @taylorlautner.