Bronson Pelletier is a “big fan” of the Georgia Straight. “I read that!” he says over the phone from Toronto, where he and the rest of the Twilight Saga: New Moon cast are busy doing publicity. Born on Vancouver Island, the Métis actor moved to Vancouver at an early age and grew up in the Lower Mainland, where he still resides. At 22, he is only just beginning to discover the mayhem and chaos that will ensue once New Moon, the second installment in the insanely popular Twilight series, is released on Friday (November 20).

“I think it’s very on-point,” Pelletier says of the portrayal of First Nations characters in the film. He plays the part of Jared, a member of the Native shape-shifting werewolf pack that Taylor Lautner’s character, Jacob, hangs out with. “You definitely gotta be a good role model, no matter if you’re aboriginal or not. I gotta be careful with what I say and what I do, because I know a lot of younger aboriginal youth are looking up to me, and I didn’t really expect this to happen, but it kinda comes with the job.”

Acting began for this young cub when a friend convinced him to attend an audition in which he ended up nabbing the role. He first starred in the children’s TV series Dinosapien, following that up with Renegadepress.com, a Canadian teen drama that first aired on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.

The role in New Moon is his biggest to date. “I was so psyched, I was so pumped!” he exclaims. “I ran into this random gas station. I had to tell someone else, ”˜Yeah! I just got a part in a movie!’ I was so happy!”

Pelletier’s voice is jubilant, his excitement infectious over the phone. The character of Jared is not unlike him, he explains. “He’s a little more knowledgeable about becoming a wolf than the other members, and he’s more levelheaded. I like to bring a little bit of myself to each character I portray, so I kind of brought the whole jokester side to Jared. I’m quite a bit of a jokester.” He admits to pulling pranks on the set, and in TV interviews one can see he definitely enjoys being the class clown.

Not having appeared in the first film, Twilight, Pelletier is now on the cusp of being exposed to an international audience and fan base, and the frenzy has begun. Case in point: he has already been approached to be involved in a fan site on Facebook, which he has agreed to, and he is using it to communicate with fans on-line.

“It still feels very surreal to me right now. I’m just taking it with a grain of salt, one day at a time, and just having fun with the whole thing.”