From Farm to Fame: Kellan Lutz's Journey to Hollywood
The hunky actors talks about his love of patents and his mom's casserole.
— -- Actor Kellan Lutz is a classic Hollywood heartthrob. His face (and abs!) have graced the ad campaigns of Abercrombie & Fitch, Levi’s and Calvin Klein; he has landed leading roles in the "Twilight" film franchise and "The Legend of Hercules"; and he makes cameos on TV series, including HBO's "The Comeback."
When Lutz is not on set or posting inspirational quotes on Instagram, the North Dakota native spends his time traveling the world and working with groups like PETA, the Royal Family Kids’ Camp and the St. Bernard Project.
On a recent episode of “Real Biz With Rebecca Jarvis,” Lutz shared details about his past like growing up in a big family and how he manages to stay on top of his busy Hollywood career.
Here are three things you might not know about Lutz
He is an entrepreneur with multiple patents
For anyone ever caught wearing an unflattering sleeping mask, Lutz has solved your problem with Blackout Bands.
“It’s pretty much a New Age sleep mask,” he said. “They’re sunglasses that are completely blacked out.”
His other inventions span from gadgets to games. Partnering with friends and family, Lutz has over 30 patents that he’d like to try out — where else? — on the entrepreneurial ABC reality show “Shark Tank.”
“That’s a huge dream of mine to be in there,” he said. “That’s just always where I envisioned the products.”
He was almost a chemical engineer
“I was going to school at Chapman University for chemical engineering, and then, you know, doors opened up,” Lutz said. “Modeling turned into commercial work and acting, and I kind of caught the acting bug. I found a passion for myself at the age of 19, and I just followed it.”
And because he never grew up seeking stardom, it doesn’t break his stride if he doesn’t get called back after an audition. “I don’t get desperate acting because it never was a dream of mine,” he said. “So if I don’t book a role, it wasn’t meant for me.”
Having seven siblings might have helped him become a successful actor
Sharing everything with six brothers and one sister can’t be easy, but it taught Lutz some of the skills that have pushed him to Hollywood stardom.
“We had to fight for our food, so I’m very competitive at heart but not with myself,” he shared. “I had a lot of alone time, and I took advantage of that by building, drawing, painting, creating and just using my imagination. That’s a big part of what acting is.”
With a family farm in Iowa, Lutz and his siblings grew up working outside and staying active.
Bonus tidbit: His favorite food?“My mom’s Dorito casserole!” he said, laughing. “It’s Doritos, meat, sour cream, some jalapenos, some croissant on the bottom… I have to work out for a whole week afterwards.”
For more from Kellan Lutz’s interview with Rebecca, watch “Real Biz With Rebecca Jarvis” every Thursday and follow Rebecca Jarvis for more live conversations like this one.