In part two of my interview with Gil Birmingham, readers learn about his character, Billy Black’s life as a Quileute in the Twilight Saga:
Gil Birmingham and Billy Black maintain similar qualities. “We’re both ‘down with the kids.’ We both have a genuine compassion for the human condition. We both recharge our souls with Mother Nature, and we both keep it real,” he says.
Billy Black is the patriarchal figurehead with a monumental secret, and Gil understands well both the simplicity of not being a werewolf along with the difficulties his character faces. “Billy simply loves his son and his family (tribe). Billy is the wise tribal leader, who, because he isn’t a werewolf, understands the dangers and complexities of the ‘tentative’ peace between the Cullens and the Quileute tribe,” explains Gil. “He knows the dangers that the Cullens present to Bella and others. Billy is the glue that holds the tribe and its traditions together.”
Though not a bodybuilder these days, Gil still tries to get to the gym daily as his schedule allows. Gil knows the discipline and effort required to maintain a prime physique and has nothing but compliments for his on-screen son, Taylor Lautner, aka Jacob Black, “He worked tremendously hard between Twilight and New Moon to bulk up, and it paid off. I’m impressed by the discipline and commitment that Taylor has to acting and to his work at such a young age. He will have a long and successful career.”
Gil maintains that the instant connection between him and Taylor shines on the big screen. “When it comes to Taylor, you have to like him,” he boasts. “He is so young, yet he is such a talented and well-grounded young man. I hope we can work together again in movies outside of the Twilight films.”
Finally, die-hard Twilighters concerned about the discrepancy that Billy Black is driving while wheelchair bound need to relax. It wasn’t an oversight. Gil says that there is nothing out of the ordinary about having Billy behind the wheel. “There are many individuals in wheelchairs who drive cars every day. They have specially equipped steering wheels that allow them to accelerate and brake with their hands,” Gil says, sloughing off any discrepancy insinuations. “It also allowed for a better visual view of the ‘stare’ that I give to Edward during the scene.”
Want to hear more about Gil? Read part one of the interview here.
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