Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the Twilight movies, has fired back at Rachelle Lefevre, saying that it's "disappointed" the actress has decided to discuss her recent recasting publicly.
On Wednesday, Lefevre — who played villain Victoria — said she was "stunned" the studio had replaced her with Bryce Dallas Howard in the film's upcoming third installment, Eclipse, because of a scheduling conflict. She said she had signed on to the shoot the indie Barney's Version, which begins filming the same day as Eclipse, but stressed that her commitment to the film was only two weeks. Said Lefevre, "Never did I fathom I would lose the role over a 10-day overlap."
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But Summit painted a different picture in the statement late Wednesday:
"We at Summit Entertainment are disappointed by Rachelle Lefevre's recent comments, which attempt to make her career choices the fault of the studio. Her decision to discuss her version of the scheduling challenges publicly has forced the studio to set the record straight and correct the facts.
"Ms. Lefevre's representatives were advised as early as April that The Twilight Saga: Eclipse was expected to start shooting in early August.
"If Ms. Lefevre was, as she describes, 'passionate' about being part of the Twilight saga, we feel that she and her representatives would have included us in her decision to work on another film that would conflict with the shooting schedule of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.
"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. 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.
"Furthermore, Ms. Lefevre took a role in the other film that places her in Europe during the required rehearsal time, and at least 10 days of [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.
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"Contrary to Ms. Lefevre's statement, it is simply untrue that the studio dismissed her over a 10-day overlap," the statement concludes. "It is not about a 10-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."
