Although there was a lot of fun to be had at TwiCon over the weekend, there was an elephant in the room few celebrities would address. While Twilighters took sides and spoke passionately about the recent replacement of Rachelle Lefevre as evil vampire Victoria for the third installment of the "Twilight" series, some of the saga's stars refused to answer questions on the controversial matter — for understandable reasons.
A pair of high-profile stars who began the mega-franchise with Lefevre, however, did agree to speak with us on the record. And they were eager to say that they've spent the last few days sharing one key emotion with their fans: sadness.
"Who?" said Peter Facinelli, trying to force a grin when we brought up the headline-garnering story.
"I can say that I'm saddened that the dates didn't work out," the affable actor explained, referring to both Lefevre's and Summit's claims that a 10-day shooting overlap with another film was the reason she will be replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard in "Eclipse."
Asked if he had been keeping up on the news, Jackson Rathbone replied, "I have, I have," getting serious as he spoke about the subject. "You know, Rachelle's a dear friend, and I'll miss her terribly."
The uncommonly public dispute has put the stars in an uncomfortable position, as they have to balance their words carefully about having a friend and co-worker fired while at the same time not badmouthing their boss.
"I really can't say anything on the business side," said Rathbone, who spent the weekend signing autographs, performing with his band 100 Monkeys, and even participating in a "Coffee With Jackson Rathbone" brunch. "Rachelle is an amazing actress and an amazing woman."
If there is a silver lining to the cloud, however, it's that the new Victoria is an award-caliber actress of the highest order. "I'm excited to work with her," Facinelli said of Howard. "But again, I'm deeply saddened that Rachelle is not going to be in 'Eclipse.' "
"I love [Lefevre] like a sister; it deeply saddens me," he added. "But you know, the show must go on. We're going to embrace Bryce Dallas Howard — and I hope that the fans do, too."
"I would love to work with Rachelle again," reasoned Rathbone. "I'm really sad that I'm not going to get to work with her on the final film of the franchise we started together."
Source: http://www.yahoo.com
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'Twilight' Stars Address Rachelle Lefevre Controversy At TwiCon, Peter Facinelli and Jackson Rathbone discuss actress' replacement in "Eclipse."
Rachelle Lefevre Role in Twilight
Rachelle Lefevre plays the renegade vampire Victoria in the film Twilight (2008), based on the novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke, the film was shot mostly in and around Portland, Oregon. Rachelle wrote an impassioned letter to the director, explaining her desire to work with the filmmaker. She described the essence of her character as "pure evil, pure instinct, pure malice, and very feline". After reading that the author used the word "feline" to describe her character's agility, Rachelle watched lion attacks on YouTube to separate the movements of her character from those of normal people. She also took trapeze classes in preparation for the wire work in the film. Rachelle spent hours working on her costumes for her character in the film, and described herself as "obsessed" with vampires after reading Bram Stoker's Dracula at the age of 14. She participated in a promotional tour in November 2008, where she met and signed autographs for Twilight fans at Hot Topic stores in the U.S..
Rachelle has at times been overwhelmed by the scrutiny she has received from her involvement with Twilight. "It's the closest I will ever come in my life to being a rock star," she told The Canadian Press, describing an appearance on MuchMusic, where over 1,500 fans showed up in Toronto. Overall though, she describes herself as delighted by the attention and excitement of the fans. Over 2,500 fans showed up at a Wal-Mart in Salt Lake City, where Lefevre appeared to promote the DVD release of the film.
Rachelle will appear in the film's sequel, based on Meyer's second novel, New Moon. She completed shooting the film in Vancouver in May 2009. Rachelle will not reprise her role of Victoria in Eclipse, the third film of the Twilight series, but will be replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard. Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the films, attributed the change to scheduling conflicts; Barney's Version and Eclipse both begin filming on 17 August 2009. Rachelle responded that she was "stunned" by the decision and "greatly saddened" not to continue her portrayal of Victoria, and never thought she would "lose the role over a 10 day overlap", in a statement to Access Hollywood. The studio responded in a statement, "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." Rachelle appeared at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con to promote New Moon the weekend before. Enthusiastic fans of the series reacted to the news with online petitions urging Rachelle's return, and "Bring Back Rachelle" became a top-trending topic on Twitter in the afternoon of 29 July 2009.
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Rachelle Lefevre Career
While working as a waitress at a sushi bar in Westmount, a regular customer helped Rachelle get an audition for the television sitcom Student Bodies. She didn't yet have a head shot, so submitted a Polaroid picture. She didn't land the part but got a call back from the casting director, leading to a role in the Canadian television series Big Wolf on Campus in 1999, playing Stacey Hanson. Rachelle finished her degree at McGill, attending semesters between shoots.
Rachelle appeared in the film Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, directed by George Clooney, in 2002. She appeared in the television movies Picking Up and Dropping Off with Scott Wolf, and See Jane Date, and had a role in the romantic comedy Hatley High in 2003. In 2004, she played Etta Place in the Calgary-filmed TV movie The Legend of Butch and Sundance. Lefevre moved to West Hollywood, California that year and appeared in the films Noel, directed by Chazz Palminteri and starring Penélope Cruz, and Head in the Clouds, also starring Cruz and Charlize Theron. In April 2004, Rachelle filmed the mystery-thriller The River King in Halifax, opposite Edward Burns.
Rachelle starred on the Fox sitcom Life on a Stick in 2005, playing Lily Ashton, a mall fast-food restaurant employee, and then appeared on the Fox series Pool Guys. She has guest starred on numerous other television series, including: Charmed, playing Olivia Callaway on the episode "Love's a Witch", and on the fifth season of Undressed, playing Annie Isles. Rachelle was cast as Annie Cartwright, the female lead in Life on Mars, a David E. Kelley remake of the original British TV series. She shot a pilot episode, but was replaced by Gretchen Mol when the series was revamped.
In 2009, she appeared in the CBC television miniseries The Summit, filmed in Ontario, and completed the film Casino Jack, starring Kevin Spacey. Rachelle will also appear in Barney's Version, starring Paul Giamatti, a film adaptation of the novel by Mordecai Richler.
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Rachelle Lefevre Profile
Rachelle Marie Lefevre was born on February 1, 1979 in Montreal, Quebec is a Canadian actress.
She was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her father is an English teacher, and her mother, a psychologist. She has three sisters and speaks both English and French; while her father's family is originally from France, Rachelle grew up mostly speaking English. Rachelle attended Centennial Academy, a private high school, and later studied creative arts at Dawson College. She studied theater for two summers at the Walnut Hill School in Natick, Massachusetts, and began a degree in education and literature at McGill University.
She is best known for her role of Victoria in the 2008 film Twilight, based on the novel written by Stephenie Meyer.
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