Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the “Twilight” film series, has issued a statement in response to comments from Rachelle Lefevre, who said she was “stunned” after being replaced in the role of Victoria for the third installment in the vampire franchise, “Eclipse,” by Bryce Dallas Howard.
“We at Summit Entertainment are disappointed by Rachelle Lefevre’s recent comments which attempt to make her career choices the fault of the Studio,” Summit said in a statement to Access Hollywood on Thursday evening. “Her decision to discuss her version of the scheduling challenges publicly has forced the Studio to set the record straight and correct the facts.”
On Thursday afternoon, Rachelle issued a statement to Access in which she said she had been “fully committed” to the role of Victoria, an evil vampire out for revenge in the third film. She added she was very “passionate” about the role.
The actress said she turned down “several film opportunities” as part of her commitment to the part of Victoria. She added that her shooting schedule for one role she did take – in the movie “Barney’s Version,” only had a 10-day overlap with the filming of “Eclipse.”
Summit, however, said they only learned about Rachelle’s shooting schedule conflict last Monday.
“It was not until July 20th that Summit was first informed of Ms. Lefevre’s commitment to ‘Barney’s Version,’ a commitment we have since been advised she accepted in early June,” the statement from the film company read. “Summit had acted in good faith that she would be available to fulfill her obligations both in terms of rehearsals and shooting availability for ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.’ We feel that her choice to withhold her scheduling conflict information from us can be viewed as a lack of cooperative spirit which affected the entire production.”
Summit claims Rachelle’s reps were informed about the “Eclipse” shooting schedule back in April. The studio also said the 10-day overlap comes at a crucial time for the filming of “Eclipse.”
“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,” the statement from Summit read.
“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,’” Summit’s statement concluded.
A rep for Rachelle was not immediately available for comment on Summit’s statements when contacted by Access.
However, earlier in the day, she thanked the fans of the popular series for their support.
“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,” she said in a statement on Thursday afternoon. “I wish the cast and crew of ‘Eclipse’ only the very best.”
She also thanked fans who reached out via Twitter.
“I am so touched by all your responses and feel incredibly blessed to have fans like you. From the bottom of my heart: THANK YOU,” Rachelle Tweeted.
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