"I was up against some truly great actors who I'm privileged to be considered among,'' he told the news outlet. Indeed, the Hollywood newcomer reportedly beat out fan-frontrunners Channing Tatum and "Harry Potter" actor Tom Felton for the role, and he did it in short order. "It all happened in less than a month!'' said Xavier, who put together his audition tape just three weeks ago and flew to L.A. last Thursday. In fact, news of his casting surfaced the very same day.

Filming on the third Twilight installment begins August 17 with a scheduled release of June 30, 2010. We'll have to wait almost a year to see the cutie from Down Under on the big screen, but I have a feeling he'll be getting plenty of blog and fan love until then.

What do you think about Xavier as Riley? Would you have rather seen Channing or Tom in the role of Victoria's henchman?