A day after the news broke that Rachelle Lefevre was being replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Lefevre has come forward and offered some explanation to her shocking exit from Hollywood's hottest franchise.
The flame-haired actress said she was "stunned" at Summit's decision to recast the role of vampire Victoria, and that she was "fully committed" to The Twilight Saga. It turns out all the drama is about a movie Lefevre signed on to shoot in August. From her official statement, she said:
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 has released a statement of its own, citing scheduling conflicts and withheld information as the main reasons for getting rid of Lefevre.
Furthermore Ms. Lefevre took a role in the other film that places her in Europe during the required rehearsal time, and at least ten days of THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE's principal photography. This period is essential for both rehearsal time with the cast, and for filming at key locations that are only available during the initial part of production.
Contrary to Ms. Lefevre's statement, it is simply untrue that the Studio dismissed her over a ten day overlap. It is not about a ten day overlap, but instead about the fact that THE TWILIGHT SAGA: 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.
The fact remains that Ms. Lefevre's commitment to the other project — which she chose to withhold from Summit until the last possible moment — makes her unfortunately unavailable to perform the role of Victoria in THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE.
Oh dear. We prefer our vampire fights in books and on the big screen. No comment (yet) on director David Slade's Twitter page.