taygqhires.jpgtaygqshirtlesshi.jpgimages courtesy of Mario Testino / GQ

Taylor Lautner chats with GQ for their July Fall Style Preview issue, and while the 18-year-old heartthrob takes off his shirt to reveal the body that made him famous, he also shows us there's much more to him than perfect abs and bulging biceps.

On having to audition a second time for the role of Jacob Black, an incredibly humble Taylor says, “I’m in the gym, and I’m doing reps, and I’m reading the books, and I’m studying the character. I’m just saying to myself, ‘I want this role. I love this role. I’m not gonna lose it. And I’m gonna know it better than anybody, and I’m gonna do that extra rep, because I’m gonna be Jacob Black.’” Aww! And with some encouragement from co-star Kristen Stewart, Taylor was able to land the role (and paycheck!) of a lifetime.

So what about that buff bod of his? Taylor doesn't want to be typecast as the beefy dude in movies, as he tells the mag about his recent role in Valentine's Day. “Originally I was supposed to take off my shirt," he says. "The script said we were walking into school and Willy takes off his shirt. I said, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. Time out. He’s gonna take off his shirt in the middle of school? No, no, no. The reason I took off my shirt for New Moon is because it’s written in the book that way. And there’s reasons behind it.”

...and it's one of the reasons we're going to go see Eclipse later this month!