Twilight’s Rachelle Lefevre ‘hurt’ by recasting

Rachelle Lefevre, the Montreal actress who is to be replaced in the third Twilight film by Bryce Dallas Howard, says she is "stunned" to be dropped halfway through the vampire movie series. As reported by The First Post yesterday, Dallas Howard (left), another red-head, has been chosen to play the flame-haired vampire Victoria in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, apparently because Lefevre (right) had a scheduling conflict.

Now it seems Lefevre was only going to be tied up for 10 days shooting the 'conflicting' role – as the protagonist's first wife in the film of Mordecai Richler's novel Barney’s Version -  and was "fully committed" to playing Victoria in the third and fourth Twilight films.

In a statement, Lefevre said: "I turned down several other film opportunities and, in accordance with my contractual rights, accepted only roles that would involve very short shooting schedules." She added: "Given the length of filming for Eclipse, never did I fathom I would lose the role over a 10-day overlap."
 
The Twilight films are based on Stephanie Meyer's four books. "This is a story, a theatrical journey and a character that I truly love and about which I am very passionate,” said the 30–year-old Lefevre. "I will be forever grateful to the fan support and loyalty I've received since being cast for this role." She said she was  "hurt deeply" by the decision of Summit Entertainment, producers of the Twilight series, to "move on" without her.

In response, Summit said that it was "simply untrue" that Lefevre was dismissed over a few days’ filming elsewhere, but that she and her agents should have informed them sooner about the Barney’s Version contract. "It is not about a 10-day overlap, but instead about the fact that The Twilight Sage: Eclipse is an ensemble production that has to accommodate the schedules of numerous actors while respecting the established creative vision of the filmmaker and most importantly the story." ·