Why Bryce Dallas Howard Replaced Rachelle Lefevre As Victoria In The Twilight Saga

The "Twilight" Saga is one of those film franchises that is so ungodly profitable and popular in the zeitgeist that even people who have never seen a single clip beyond a gif of Edward Cullen sparkling in the sunlight and declaring "This is the skin of a killer, Bella" at least know the general story beats. It's a love triangle between the vampiric Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a werewolf named Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), and the most average girl in the world, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). The entire "Twilight" phenomenon was stupid lightning in a stupid bottle, and I doubt author Stephenie Meyer could have ever predicted her relatively chaste, monster-loving Mormon stories had the power to completely change the landscape of teen girl cinema forever.

But the "Twilight" movies have a lot more going on in them beyond the #TeamEdward #TeamJacob #TeamBellaGoesToCollegeAndDatesAroundABit wars. I asked some of the /Film staffers who had not yet seen the entire film series what they've absorbed through cultural osmosis and got back, "I remember Michael Sheen and a bunch of snooty vampires starting a war," and "Yeah, it's like feuding vampire clans." They're not not right, but while the snooty vampires and the feud between the Cullen family and The Volturi Coven are the source of the main conflict in the latter "Twilight" films, the first few installments feature the nomadic coven of James (Cam Gigadent), Laurent (Edi Gathegi), and Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre/Bryce Dallas Howard).

Recasting decisions happen all the time in films, but as one of the main antagonists in "Twilight" and "New Moon," fans were shocked to see Rachelle Lefevre replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard in "Eclipse." As such a major player, it was odd to replace her halfway through the series. Unfortunately, it also seems like the published reasoning of "scheduling conflicts" might not have been wholly accurate.

Rachelle Lefevre got her start acting on the Canadian TV series "Big Wolf on Campus" in 1999, so she had been acting for many years before "Twilight" came calling. She was a major player in Canadian productions, and even did a little pre-"Twilight" horror acting on the oft-forgotten Ridley and Tony Scott-produced TV series, "The Hunger." But it was arguably her role as Victoria that had the potential to make her a much bigger star. She was so committed to her performance as the cat-like vamp, she watched videos of lion attacks on YouTube and followed her own pet cat around the house to get better at moving in a more animalistic manner. Lefevre was a fantastic Victoria, and her striking features certainly made her one to watch as the franchise moved forward.

Initially, "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke had wanted Bryce Dallas Howard for the role, but after the future director of "The Mandalorian" turned down the part because it was "too small," the role went to Lefevre who had written an impassioned, personal letter to Hardwicke asking to be considered for the job. It's a bit of irony, as Hardwicke was only considered for "Twilight" when just about every studio in the game turned down the film thinking there was no money in it, and then immediately replaced by men when studios realized the teen vampire franchise was a cash cow. "I got to direct it because no one thought it would make money, and when it did, all the rest of them went to men," she told the Los Angeles Times. When Lefevre suddenly had a scheduling conflict with "Eclipse," Bryce Dallas Howard was approached again about the role which, while the same size, was now part of one of the biggest film franchises in existence.

When Rachelle Lefevre was announced as being replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard over reports of "scheduling conflicts," she spoke to Entertainment Weekly about how the decision by producers Summit Entertainment "stunned" her. Lefevre was set to shoot the Canadian indie film "Barney's Version" with Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman, and Rosamund Pike with 10 days of shooting set to overlap with the production of "Twilight: Eclipse." Unfortunately, Summit elected not to accommodate those 10 days and instead chose to replace her. As 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. My commitment to 'Barney's Version' is only 10 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 10 days and would not accommodate me. [...] 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. [...] 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."

Similarly to how Hardwicke was not brought back for "New Moon" or the subsequent sequels after "Twilight" became a massive success, I wouldn't be shocked if the creative team saw Lefevre's conflict as a window of opportunity to cast Bryce Dallas Howard, who at that time was becoming a huge star on the rise thanks to her roles in "Spider-Man 3," "Terminator Salvation," and the ol' nepo baby perk of being the daughter of one of the most famous Hollywood figures of all time.

"Twilight: Eclipse" debuted nearly 15 years ago, and fans are still wondering how things would have played out had Rachelle Lefevre kept the role. Overall, it seems like fans have nothing against Bryce Dallas Howard's performance, but as they were all already accustomed to Lefevre's interpretation of the character, there was an adjustment that had to be made. Reddit user u/proto3296 said Levfevere was the better performer because she "seemed fierce," following up with, "No disrespect to Dallas [sic] but her eyes just seemed so kind." On the flip side, u/SparklyAmethyst12 preferred Bryce Dallas Howard because "She's not supposed to be fierce tho. She's supposed to be scared, catlike, and have a knack for escaping. She's not supposed to be a big scary vampire."

If there's one thing all of the fans seem to agree with, however, it's that the creative team "did her dirty" with Victoria's now infamously terrible wig. Both Lefevre and Howard are natural redheads, but for some godforsaken reason, Howard was given a catastrophic curly wig that is more distracting than any recasting decision. As X user @Martwtss declared, "Whomever [sic] was responsible for putting that ugly wig on Bryce Dallas Howard should be in jail." Okay, maybe not jail, but definitely at least a night in the Volterra dungeon.