“I think the success of the Twilight movies, not just the books, comes down to Stephenie Meyer,” says Bryce Dallas Howard, who joins the cast of Eclipse as the vengeful vampire Victoria (replacing Rachel Lefevre, who played the character in the first film). The 29-year-old actress, daughter of Oscar-winning director Ron Howard, fell for the novels before being approached for the movie because she thought Meyer’s account of Bella’s romantic struggles felt authentic, even though the object of her affections is a vampire.
“You really see the world through Bella’s eyes,” says Howard, who initially turned down the role of Victoria in the first Twilight movie, because she felt the part was too small, “and you fall in love with Edward, and then get your heart broken, and fall in love with Jacob [Black, a werewolf played by Taylor Lautner], and then you’re in danger.
“It’s like you’re feeling these things yourself, and the way that she expresses Bella’s emotions just feels so honest and true. Stephenie Meyer has taken us on an extraordinary ride, and I think that they’ve captured that in the movies. The film-makers listen to what the fans are saying, and it’s a rare instance where you’re making a film for an audience that you know really well.”
