The Twilight films are, undoubtedly, represent one of the most successful film franchises of all time, raking in an estimated $3.3 billion at the end of its theatrical run. And even today, the Twilight franchise continues to enjoy a sizeable fanbase, with fans streaming the movies to relive the love triangle involving Bella (Kristen Stewart), Jacob (Taylor Lautner), and Edward (Robert Pattinson).
Those who followed the Twilight films from the beginning may also remember Victoria, a villainous vampire hellbent on killing Bella. In the first two films, the character was portrayed by actress Rachelle Lefevre. Later on, however, the role was recast and eventually given to Bryce Dallas Howard. Since then, Lefevre continued to pursue various roles in both film and television.
The Story Behind Rachelle Lefevre’s Twilight Exit
Lefevre’s exit from the vampire franchise wasn’t planned at all, considering her character figures in the story all the way until The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. However, a supposed scheduling conflict between Twilight and Lefevre’s other film, Barney’s Version, led to the actress’ unexpected exit. That said, Lefevre never thought she would be fired from the franchise, saying she was “stunned by Summit Entertainment’s decision to recast.”
In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, Lefevre explained that she only booked other roles which would “would involve very short shooting schedules.” Her commitment to the other film only involved 10 days of production. “Given the length of filming for Eclipse, never did I fathom I would lose the role over a 10 day [sic] overlap.”
Following her statement, Summit Entertainment fired back, alleging that Lefevre chose to “withhold her scheduling conflict information from us.” The studio also insisted, “It is not about a ten-day [sic] 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.”
Despite her short-lived stint in the franchise, Lefevre later told Chatelaine, “Playing Victoria changed the landscape of my career.” In fact, over the years, she’s taken on several film and television projects. Lefevre also pushed through with work on Barney’s Version, whose cast also includes Paul Giamatti, Minnie Driver, Rosamund Pike, and Dustin Hoffman.
Here’s What Rachelle Lefevre Had Been Up To Since Leaving Twilight
Aside from Barney’s Version, Lefevre also starred in the 2010 crime comedy Casino Jack alongside Kevin Spacey, Jon Lovitz, and the late Kelly Preston. Not long after, the Canadian-born actress ventured into television after being cast as Dr. Ryan Clark in Shonda Rhimes’ Off the Map. The series also stars Mamie Gummer, Zach Gilford, Martin Henderson, and Jason George. (George and Henderson have since gone on to star in Shondaland’s Grey’s Anatomy. In addition, George also recently joined the cast of Rhimes’ Station 19.)
Although Lefevre was part of the show’s regular cast, she barely appeared in the pilot episode since her character turned out to be a last-minute addition. “I was actually added to the show after they shot the pilot,” the actress explained while speaking with Collider. “So they added a couple of scenes for me, just to make sure that I was in it and had a little bit of an introduction.” Of her character, Lefevre describes Ryan as a “MacGyver doctor.” “She’s always hacking with the machete, remembering different types of healing that she learned in other countries.”
Unfortunately, Off the Map was canceled after just one season. Nonetheless, Lefevre had a little downtime, starring in the thriller The Caller with Stephen Moyer, Lorna Raver, and Luiz Guzmán. As it turns out, Lefevre wasn’t involved with the movie initially. “Rachelle stepped in at the last moment. It wasn’t as planned as it looks like,” the film’s director, Matthew Parkhill, revealed to All Stephen Moyer. “I couldn’t be happier now because they are amazing together, particularly Rachelle and Moyer have such amazing chemistry.”
Soon after, Lefevre played another doctor in the series A Gifted Man with Patrick Wilson, Margo Martindale, and Pablo Schreiber. She also worked on films such as Pawn Shop Chronicles, Reclaim, Homefront, and White House Down.
In between working on these films, Lefevre also played Julia Shumway in the sci-fi series Under the Dome, which is based on a Stephen King novel. As for the famous author’s involvement on the show, Lefevre told DuJour, “He was on set in the beginning for the first couple of days to check-in and be there.” The actress added, “He definitely keeps in touch with the writers and participates in the story developments.”
Later on, Lefevre also starred in the series Mary Kills People and Proven Innocent. Most recently, she also starred in the mini-series The Sounds. Of the tv drama, Lefevre told UPI, “I've always wanted to do one of those mystery miniseries where it all unfolds and you are racing to try to figure it out before they tell you.”
What’s Next For Her?
At the moment, Lefevre doesn’t appear to have an upcoming project. However, that can change rather quickly. For now, fans may be happy to know that The Sounds is available for streaming. And of course, there is always the option to relive Lefevre’s scenes in the Twilight movies again.