Why ‘Teen Wolf’ Star Tyler Hoechlin Walked Away From The Hit Show

To many, an aspiring actor turning down a lead role on blockbuster hit series Twilight might seem like a mistake, but when up-and-comer Tyler Hoechlin was offered the role as Emmett Cullen, his heart was in other places.

“I was playing [baseball] at the University Of California, Irvin, and at that time we were a nationally ranked team and were expected to go back to the College World Series, which is a big deal here and in the world of collage baseball, and so being a part of that team and working towards the season, the timing was unfortunate and I was unable to do [Twilight],” a spritely Hoechlin begins, in the midst of packing his suitcase for Australia’s Supanova.

“Baseball at that time was my priority, and I gave it all I had for as long as I could, and when it was time to stop, it was time to stop, and that’s when I went into the acting thing full time.”

Splitting his time between baseball and acting stints on 7th Heaven and film Hall Pass, when it did come time for Hoechlin to choose, he fell straight into hit series Teen Wolf in 2011. "Just being on a great set with great people everyday was such a nice experience, and with TV, that’s not always the case. It was the first job I had right out of college and leaving my whole baseball career, which means you’re leaving the locker room and your team mates and that’s kind of like leaving a family, so to find this group of people was great.”

With the fourth season wrapping up in September 2014 and little information other than a June airdate for season five, fans have been looking for anything to get their Teen Wolf fix. One of the biggest revelations during the break was Hoechlin announcing he would be stepping down from the show. “I think I'm at a point in my life where I need to take a bit of a risk and see what else is out there. I miss doing films and being on a show makes it a bit more difficult with scheduling and opportunities to do that, so that was one of the reasons for it.

“Jeff Davies - the creator - and I had a discussion about creatively where the characters were going and we felt like maybe that was time for that to happen. I’m definitely excited to see what else is out there and try to find some more fun characters to play and good stories to tell.”

With his track record, it’s not surprising Hoechlin has already taken steps to further his film career. And, we may see him do guest spots on Teen Wolf from time to time. “I just did a film that wrapped up called That’s What I’m Talking About – it’s a Richard Linklater movie – so that should be coming out towards the end of year. It’s a really fun film; it’s a very classic Linklater film, it’s a nice little slice of life about these guys that happen to be in collage in 1980 and what that was like. It’s the kind of project that I’m excited to find more of, having stepped away from Teen Wolf.”

You can catch Tyler Hoechlin at Supanova Pop Culture Expo in Melbourne (10-12 Apr) and the Gold Coast (17-19 Apr).