You may remember Edi Gathegi from two small, but memorable, parts: the Haitian taxi driver in Crank who gets Jason Statham so high he sees neon-lit visions that’d make Joel Schumacher proud and Cheese in Gone Baby Gone who spouts the titular phrase. Taylor Lautner popped up in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D a few years ago and the less I say the better–although he does seem like an extraordinarily nice guy.

Now Gathegi and Lautner appear in Catherine Hardwicke’s adaptation of Twilight as Laurent and Jacob Black respectively. During the roundtables for Twilight, Gathegi sold the film better than anyone else. The man has got charm. And even though I have little faith in the movie, I have to say I would have loved to interview Gathegi on any topic on any given day. But here’s what we he and Lautner had to say on Twilight.

Edi, your character had a small role in the book. How was he fleshed out for the film?

Edi Gathegi: Well, because it’s a movie there has to be dramatic tension. So we are very aware of the conflicts earlier on. In the book, you don’t meet the character until page 100, but in the film you have to know there is a conflict [earlier].

In terms of being vampires, what were some of the highlights of that? Of making the movie?

EG: There is something really cool about having super strength, super speed, being immortal, never dying. That’s sexy. And that’s what’s cool about the thing. Otherwise they were all humans at one point. You’re just human with all these other attributes. So I attack it like I would address any other role.

Is there more werewolf stuff than there is in the book?

Taylor Lautner: No, I wouldn’t say so. I’d say the script is very, very identical to the [book]. The only sign of a werewolf you get is Sam Uley walking around with fur for a split-second. They did a very good job at staying true to the book.

EG: One of the ways they ensured that was by having Stephenie [Meyer] consult on the movie the whole way through. She actually has a cameo in it.

TL: Check out for that.

EG: They honored her stories very well. Fans will be very happy.

TL:That was [director] Catherine [Hardwicke’s] big thing. She did an excellent job having Stephenie on there and staying true. So you know, the fans are definitely lucky to have Catherine. She did the best job possible that any director could have done.

EG: She has a history of working with young talent–Lords of Dogtown, Thirteen…She’s always dealing with humans. She’s perfect for this film. And she’s so enthusiastic and spontaneous, and she’s got a great sense of humor.

Were you familiar with the books before the film?

TL: I was not familiar with them before. But as soon as I realized, ‘Wow, I’m Jacob Black, let’s look into this thing. Whoa! These fans are amazing. This is huge.’ So yeah, it’s very cool to be part of this. I’m excited and just looking forward to bring their character to life.

Were you into werewolves or vampires in real life?

TL: To be honest. Neither. I’ve never really seen much vampire or werewolf stuff. But definitely, I’m a fan now.

EG: Before, I would say I wasn’t a fan of vampire stories until I read this one, which is true. Because this is not just your typical vampire story. It’s a story about a girl who falls in love vampire story. So it’s a romance. It’s got the vampire element to it. And once you believe their true human story, you go along for the vampire ride. I love this story. I wanted to be part of this story. So now, I’m open to the world of vampires. So if something else came along, I’d be curious to see how someone else did it. It’s a cool genre.

TL: I definitely think the cool part of this film is that the romance is in there. It has everything for everyone. It has the romance. It has the action. The romance because of the girl falls in love with the vampire. Then because of the vampire aspect, it has nonstop action. It’s very dark. So, I think that’s what the fans and everybody is going to love about the film. It has everything.

EG: For the girls and the guys.

TL: Definitely.

It is very girl-orientated. Are guys going to like this movie?

EG: Yeah, I’m a testament to that, because I’m a twi-hard now. That’s what the fans call themselves. And I’m a grown man. It’s human, and once you believe them then you believe the vampire world. And there’s action in to for me.

Are there blood and guts?

EG: Are there blood and guts? Blood.

Any discussion of sequels or anything?

EG: No decisions have been made. I’m personally going to put my bid in for “The Laurent Chronicles.” Pitch that to Stephanie [Meyer] tonight…I think they are going to have figure it out if this movie does well. Which I hope it does. I hope it is as big as Harry Potter. Not comparing the two. But they did very well. If we have that kind of success, we will all be very happy.