Why The Twilight Movies Recast Victoria for Eclipse

The Twilight movies have had many recasts from Sam Uley to Embry Call. But none was as big as Victoria in the third movie. As it happens with many successful books, Stephanie Meyer’s often controversial Twilight series was adapted to the big screen between 2008 and 2012, with the final book, Breaking Dawn, being split into two parts.

In the series, Edward Cullen (vampire) is the main protagonist, with Bella Swan (human) the other protagonist. In the first three books and movies, the main antagonist is a vampire named Victoria. But in the first two movies she is played by Rachelle Lefevre. In the third movie, she is played by Bryce Dallas Howard. Summit Entertainment revealed the change in late 2009, attributing it to scheduling conflicts. Howard had previously turned down the role as she thought it was “too small of a part”.

In an interview with Access Hollywood (via SyFy), Lefevre said that she was “stunned” by Summit’s decision, explaining she was fully committed to the role and the film series, and even turned down other opportunities. Lefevre added that, in accordance with her contractual rights, she only took roles that had very short shooting schedules, among those the comedy-drama Barney’s Version, which only required her in set for 10 days. Summit reportedly “had a conflict during those 10 days” and couldn’t accommodate her, and chose to recast the part. Summit didn’t waste time and quickly replied, explaining she failed to inform the studio of her commitment to Barney’s Version, and it wasn’t true that she was dismissed over a 10-day overlap.

In the end, Eclipse was met with mixed reviews, even if some find it to be 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 actress.