Kristen Stewart Competed Against These Actresses for the Role of Bella Swan In ‘Twilight'
In her book Twilight, which was released in 2005, author Stephenie Meyer introduced readers to the fascinating world of humans, werewolves, and a unique kind of vampires. Due to the series' huge success, the first novel was turned into a blockbuster movie in 2008. The Catherine Hardwicke-directed film Twilight not only won over new fans but also delighted those who already supported it, with many of them avidly following the casting news. Although Bella Swan, the movie's leading character, was portrayed by Kristen Stewart, she wasn't the only candidate for the part.
A fair few superstars auditioned for the role of Bella Swan before it was finalized that Stewart is going to portray the character. Here's a list of four talented actresses who were considered for the role.
1. Emily Browning - Stephenie Meyer's First Choice
In a blog post from 2007, Meyer talked about her choices for the casting. “My opinions on the movie matter to no one. I have no influence on what goes on with the movie at all. No one is going to ask who I think should star in Twilight… Right now my favorite choice is Emily Browning, of Lemony Snicket fame… The only actor I’ve ever seen who I think could come close to pulling off Edward Cullen is Henry Cavill… I didn’t find an actress that looked like Rosalie to me, but I did find a model…Joanna Krupa. And hey, don’t all models want to be actresses?”
Browning told MTV in 2009, “Maybe I should set it straight a little bit, because there are so many rumors flying around. People are coming up to me and saying, ‘Oh, my God. You turned [Twilight] down?’ and all this horrible stuff!” She added, “What actually happened is that I was asked to audition – not take the part, but to just audition – shortly after The Uninvited had finished filming. And I’m not the type of person who can just work back-to-back. So I was just exhausted, and I was like, ‘I’m sorry, but I just can’t sign on to a trilogy right now.’”
2. Jennifer Lawrence
Before she became the famed Academy Award-winning actress, Jennifer Lawrence was a contender for the role of Bella Swan. Lawrence admitted in a conversation with The Guardian in 2012, “I remember when the movie first came out, seeing Kristen Stewart on the red carpet and getting papped wherever she went… I had no idea Twilight would be such a big deal. For me, and assuming for her, it was just another audition. Then it turned into this whole other thing.” However, she said that she was “glad” she didn’t get the role. Lawrence recently reflected on her audition and claimed that she was "immediately" rejected and "didn't even get a callback," per Just Jared.
3. Michelle Trachtenberg
Michelle Trachtenberg jokingly claimed in an interview with US Weekly that she was considered for a role in Twilight because "there are only so few pale girls in Hollywood." She went on to say that despite having known Catherine Hardwicke for a very long time, their schedules had never matched for the project. Trachtenberg made the lighthearted observation that she had already had her fair share of vampire encounters thanks to her legendary role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, hinting that she had no plans to take on any other vampire-themed roles.
4. Lily Collins
According to Hollywood Life, Lily Collins amusingly confessed to Crave that one of her very first auditions was actually for Twilight. She mentioned being quite new to the business and auditions at the time when she thought back on that event. Collins recalled the apprehension and intrigue that accompany applying for important projects like Twilight. “This was many years ago. I was new on the scene, new at auditioning and it was always kind of this, ‘What’s going to happen?’ I think every young actor or actress in Hollywood starts to read some of the same material but I think everything happens for a reason and everyone who gets the roles they get were meant to. I’m a firm believer in that.”
Even though there were many brilliant actresses competing for Bella Swan's role, Stewart was chosen for the part. Twilight launched Stewart's career to new heights, helping her gain international fame and inspiring fans all over the world with her portrayal of the shy and relatable Bella.
References:
https://hollywoodlife.com/2013/04/19/lily-collins-bella-swan-twilight-audition-kristen-stewart/
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/dec/13/jennifer-lawrence-in-hawaii-eating-doughnuts
https://www.mtv.com/news/i8213v/emily-browning-addresses-her-twilight-notoriety
