What Happened To The Original Victoria From Twilight?

The Twilight film series wasn’t safe from mid-franchise recasting, and the actress who plays Victoria noticeably changed mid-franchise. Victoria was one of the many vampires in the series, introduced when it was revealed that there are several vampire covens worldwide. Bella and Edward’s main enemies were the Volturi and James’ coven, and among them was the villainous vampire Victoria. Introduced in the first book in a small role, Victoria was James’ lover. Victoria wouldn’t give up and spent the first two Twilight movies chasing Bella after James was killed.

In New Moon, Victoria creates an army of newborn vampires to avenge James’ death. However, the Victoria who saw this plan fail in Eclipse wasn’t the same in the first Twilight movie. The original Victoria in Twilight, actress Rachelle Lefevre, appeared in the first two movies, Twilight and The Twilight Saga: New Moon. But just as things were beginning to heat up for her character’s storyline, Lefevre was dropped from the franchise completely and replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard. Here’s the answer to why producers recast Victoria in the Twilight movies.

Why Twilight Replaced Rachelle Lefevre With Bryce Dallas Howard

Summit Said There Were Scheduling Conflicts

Before being the original Victoria Twilight actress, Lefevre had worked in various TV shows, though she was mostly cast for minor roles. As for her work on the big screen, she appeared in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind as Tuvia, among other projects. Twilight was Lefevre’s first big film, and she was dedicated to the role of Victoria. However, just as Eclipse began filming, Lefevre was let go from the role of Victoria, and the folks at Summit Entertainment cast Bryce Dallas Howard in her place.

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The reason for the change was revealed in late 2009, with representatives of Summit attributing Lefevre’s dismissal from Eclipse to scheduling conflicts. Howard was previously up for the role of Victoria, but she turned it down at the time because it was “too small of a part” to accept. Victoria met her fate in Eclipse when she and her new partner, Riley, were destroyed by Edward and young wolf Seth Clearwater. Thus, Howard only played the role of Victoria in one film.

Lefevre appeared again in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, but it was through archive footage that only made the whole situation even more awkward. In the end, Eclipse was met with mixed reviews, even if some find it to be the best in the saga, and it’s inevitable to wonder how different Victoria’s final appearance would have been had the Twilight saga kept its original Victoria actress.

The Original Victoria Actress Didn’t Want To Quit Twilight

Rachelle Lefevre Said She Only Took Roles Her Contract Allowed

In an interview with Access Hollywood, Rachelle Lefevre said she was “stunned” by Summit’s decision to recast her role, explaining she was fully committed to the character of Victoria and the Twilight film series. She also admitted she turned down other opportunities to ensure she was available for filming. Lefevre added that, per her contractual rights, she only took roles with very short shooting schedules, among those the Paul Giamatti-led comedy-drama Barney’s Version, which only required her to be on set for ten days. Before then, Summit had reportedly picked up her contract option for Eclipse:

“I was fully committed to the ‘Twilight’ saga, and to the portrayal of Victoria. I turned down several other film opportunities and, in accordance with my contractual rights, accepted only roles that would involve very short shooting schedules. My commitment to ‘Barney’s Version’ is only ten days. Summit picked up my option for ‘Eclipse.’

Although the production schedule for ‘Eclipse’ is over three months long, Summit said they had a conflict during those ten days and would not accommodate me. Given the length of filming for ‘Eclipse,’ never did I fathom I would lose the role over a 10-day overlap. I was happy with my contract with Summit and was fully prepared to continue to honor it. Summit chose simply to recast the part.”

“I am greatly saddened that I will not get to complete my portrayal of Victoria for the ‘Twilight’ audience. This is a story, a theatrical journey and a character that I truly love and about which I am very passionate. I will be forever grateful to the fan support and loyalty I’ve received since being cast for this role, and I am hurt deeply by Summit’s surprising decision to move on without me. I wish the cast and crew of ‘Eclipse’ only the very best.”

Summit quickly replied to Lefevre’s statement, explaining that the actress failed to inform the studio of her commitment to Barney’s Version before shooting Eclipse. In a statement (via Entertainment Weekly), Summit alleged that Lefevre withheld the information about her filming schedule for Barney’s Version until the “last possible moment.” Due to the studio having to manage several other actors’ schedules, Summit’s statement cites that as the reason behind Lefevre’s dismissal from The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

What Happened To Rachelle Lefevre After Twilight?

Rachelle Lefevre Has Become A Television Regular

Since the Twilight movie series didn’t do a lot of recasts besides that of Victoria, Rachelle Lefevre’s sudden replacement with Bryce Dallas Howard was extremely noticeable. Howard went on to have a great career after Twilight, and it could be argued her presence in the third installment helped. On the other hand, Rachelle Lefevre hasn’t been nearly as active on the big screen, but she has had a thriving career on television. Since Twilight, Rachelle Lefevre has appeared in various TV shows, pilots, and made-for-TV movies.

Lefevre was one of the leads in the Stephen King adaptation Under The Dome. While not one of the most beloved adaptations of King’s work, the series ran for three seasons on CBS. Likewise, she also starred in the Shonda Rhimes series Off The Map, the drama A Gifted Man, and the miniseries The Sound. Unfortunately for Lefevre’s TV work, few of the pilots she’s participated in have made it to series. She has found work with Hallmark recently, starring in the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries network’s The Secrets of Bella Vista.

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Since being the first Victoria Twilight actress, Lefevre has also married and become a mom. She is also very active on Cameo, recording messages for fans with all proceeds going to Adopt Together, an organization that helps fund expensive adoption processes.

What Bryce Dallas Howard Said About Replacing Rachel Lefevre In Twilight

Howard & Lefevre Met To Discuss The Victoria Recasting

Of course, before the Bryce Dallas Howard Twilight casting, she had connections in Hollywood that Lefevre did not. Her father is acclaimed director Ron Howard, a connection that can help open doors in Hollywood. On the other hand, Lefevre had to find success in the industry with no name recognition to pick up her roles. To her credit, Howard said that she met with Lefevre to discuss the situation.

Howard said she and Lefevre met, had lunch, and discussed the situation. According to Howard, she and Lefevre knew the recasting had nothing to do with them as actresses, and they never saw each other as rivals. “The way this business is, there’s this notion that it is competitive, and that’s actually not the case at all.” She said, “Nothing gets between women and that’s important, and she’s awesome.”

Was Either Victoria Considered Better?

Fans Felt The Recasting Was Jarring & Unnecessary

Though Eclipse, the movie which features the most of the character Victoria, is often considered the strongest movie in the franchise, that doesn’t mean Bryce Dallas Howard is considered the best Victoria by Twilight fans. In reality, fans seem to agree that both Lefevre and Howard are to be commended for their efforts in the role, even though they both had very different takes on the character.

A Reddit discussion about just that from several years after the movies ended sees one user citing Lefevre as the better Victoria because she “embodied Victoria’s cunning and silent deadliness better,” while another user points out that Howard “did well portraying the childlike side” of Victoria’s character. Both women have been praised by Twilight fans for doing their best with the material that they were given. The point that is often brought up in these discussions by fans and critics, however, is that the recasting of the Victoria actress in the Twilight franchise was unnecessary.

Another Reddit discussion points out that despite Bryce Dallas Howard being a great actress, when it comes to her role as Victoria in the Twilight franchise, she appears a little too “polished” in the role. After all, it wasn’t just that Howard was brought in to replace Lefevre in Eclipse, but her costuming, makeup, and hair were also all different from Lefevre’s. The consensus is that Lefevre looked more natural in the part in the first two movies, while Howard was more obviously an actress in a wig, which took some viewers out of the moment with her character.

Some Twilight franchise fans even said that the change was so jarring that it “ruined” their enjoyment of Eclipse. They had a hard time reconciling the change since the looks and portrayals of Victoria were so different. The agreement seems to be that Summit should not have recast Victoria in the Twilight franchise to begin with since it caused confusion for casual viewers and also created two drastically different looks for the character.

How Each Victoria Was Different

The Character Changed Along With The Actress

The big changes concerning Victoria in Twilight have less to do with the changing of actresses and more with the changing of the storyline. In the first two movies, Rachelle Lefevre plays Victoria as someone who is part of the coven with James. She torments Edward, Bella, and the Cullens and mostly does it from afar, seeking revenge for James’s death. Victoria would hit-and-run and end up being chased off by the Quilleute werewolves. Victoria mostly lived as one in nature, and Lefevre fit that role well.

However, when Bryce Dallas Howard replaced Lefevre, the character changed drastically. In The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Victoria is very different, raising a new army of newborns. She is no longer a nomad, living outside all others, and is now a leader who manipulates Riley and the newborns. She is almost a completely different character, although she still has the same motives for destroying Edward. Changing the actress shocked viewers, but the changes to the character were even more drastic for Victoria in Twilight.

Could Twilight Have Cut Victoria For Eclipse Instead Of Recasting Her?

Twilight Needed Victoria For The Series Continuity

When Victoria showed up with James and Laurent at the baseball game and faced off with the Cullens, there was no way to avoid bringing her back in the future. As James’s lover, she has a grudge against Bella for his death, and when she shows up in the final scene of the first film, stalking Bella and Edward, it sets up her role as a future antagonist. Ignoring this moment and cutting her out of the story would have been a plot hole that wouldn’t have worked in the franchise.

There is always a way for the franchise to have her working from behind the scenes, but that wouldn’t have worked at all because most fans wanted to see Victoria and Bella face to face, and this small coven needed its story wrapped up. Killing her offscreen would also have been unsatisfying for most viewers, as she was set up as a major player in that final Twilight scene at the prom.

There are plenty of ways that Twilight: Eclipse could have set up the moment with Jacob, Edward, and Bella on the snowy mountains to move that part of the story forward, but in the end, Victoria always needed to return to seek revenge against Bella and Edward. There could have been a way to do it without recasting the character, but she was always necessary for the story to move forward.

Bryce Dallas Howard’s Career Has Taken Off Hugely Since Twilight

Bryce Howard Starred In The Jurassic World Trilogy

While Rachelle Lefevre was disappointed to lose her role in The Twilight Saga​​​​​, it likely stung even more when she saw what her replacement did with her career after appearing in the young adult fantasy franchise. Bryce Dallas Howard had some big roles before The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, but she really broke out after that film. Despite supporting roles in Spider-Man 3 and Terminator: Salvation and a leading role in The Village, Howard had yet to break out as a leading Hollywood star.

Bryce Dallas Howard’s notable roles:

Following The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, everything started to change. She got one of the leading antagonistic roles in The Help and then earned one of the two lead roles in the Jurassic World trilogy alongside Chris Pratt. This isn’t to say Lefevre would have had the same success since Howard is a second-generation Hollywood star, but Howard’s star began to shine after Twilight. On top of her acting roles that most fans recognize today, she has also become an accomplished director, helming episodes of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.