Taylor Lautner Reflects on “Sharkboy and Lavagirl” Turning 20: 'It's Stood the Test of Time' (Exclusive)

Taylor Lautner’s presence in the pop culture landscape has stood the test of time.

In the past two decades, he has starred as the iconic Jacob Black in the Twilight Saga, made a surprise appearance in a Taylor Swift music video and now co-hosts The Squeeze podcast with his wife Tay Lautner (neé Dome).

But before he was the brooding werewolf trapped in a love triangle with a vampire or doing backflips on stage, Taylor starred in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, his first major acting role in 2005.

In the movie, a young Max (Cayden Boyd) ventures into the action-packed universe of Sharkboy (Lautner) and Lavagirl (Taylor Dooley) as they fight to save the universe from evil forces.

Speaking to PEOPLE as two of the 2024 Creators of the Year, the Lautners reflect on Taylor’s breakout role ahead of the film's 20th anniversary in June 2025.

“It does feel crazy,” Taylor says as he reflects on the two decades that have passed since Sharkboy and Lavagirl’s release. During that time, he reveals he's kept in touch with a handful of his costars, including seeing “Cayden Boyd a couple of times" and having "Sasha Pieterse on the podcast” back in August 2023.

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During his podcast interview with Pieterse, Taylor joked that Sharkboy and Lavagirl is the film that “never [seems to go] away.” Pieterse added to that sentiment and shared how surprised she is when "full-grown" adults come up and reminisce about the film with her. She also spoke about watching the film with her son Hendrix for the first time, noting, “He had no idea that it was me [in the film]. But it kept his attention for quite a while, which was good.”

Tay — who was also a massive fan of Sharkboy and Lavagirl growing up — recalls “buying the DVD with the red and blue 3D glasses from Blockbuster” and watching it at home for the first time.

“I loved Sharkboy and Lavagirl. What kid didn't?” Tay tells PEOPLE. “I don't know what they put in that movie, but even to this day, kids are just in love with it. It just is crazy how much it just keeps being relevant, even though it's been so long. They put some magic sauce in there.”

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While there hasn’t been an official remake of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, the iconic characters made an appearance in the Netflix film We Can Be Heroes in 2021, which featured their daughter Guppy and focused on her and 11 other young superheroes. While Dooley reprised her role as Lavagirl for a small part in the film, Taylor did not end up returning as Sharkboy.

However, despite not being a part of We Can Be Heroes, Sharkboy and Lavagirl continues to hold a special place in Taylor’s heart and he believes that the film has definitely “stood the test of time."

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“It's funny because as an adult you go back and you watch it right now and you're like, 'Wow, those graphics were pretty rough.' But other than that, there's something in it that’s [so special].”

Read the original article on People