Bryce Dallas Howard: 'I'm an Original Twi-Hard'

Bryce Dallas Howard: 'I'm an Original Twi-Hard'



Bryce Dallas Howard was already hooked on Twilight when she got the call to replace Rachelle Lefevre before the filming of Eclipse. Howard told Parade.com's Jeanne Wolf why it was hard to say no to taking on the role of villainous vampire Victoria, who has a fateful showdown with Edward.

Becoming the designated hitter.
"It wasn't the first time I replaced another actress. I stepped in for Nicole Kidman in Dogville when she left that film. Victoria was brought to life by Rachelle Lefevre in the first two films, and I wanted to have it feel the same. Hopefully, my performance measures up. My nightmare was that I'd undermine the incredible work Rachelle had done which I thought was beautiful and nuanced and intelligent. I do think I was ready to play Victoria because I'm a huge fan of the books and my friends tease me that I'm an original Twi-hard. I've done a lot of weird, otherworldly characters and I think I'm at my best when I'm kind of in the woods running around screaming or depressed."

And she got her chance.
"The previous films have been so much about the romance. Eclipse has romance but there's so much action, especially the showdown between the Cullens and the army of newborns and, of course, Victoria's knock-down, drag-out battle with Edward. I think this is a movie to which women can bring their boyfriends. It definitely is an epic action-thriller."

Getting ready for the mayhem.
"We all landed in Vancouver and were promptly brought to a facility where we got initiated by doing, like, six hours of fight training. We literally worked on the fight scenes pretty much every day. And then we went to the gym. I think I can say my heart rate is lower. I'm definitely more fit than I was before the film."

Going head to head with RPattz.
"I just knew that, in our fight scene, if I messed up his hair, millions of young women would want to kill me, so I really tried to be careful not to do that. Actually, I was more nervous about not pulling my punches because I certainly didn't want to be the one to smack him in the face. In the end, it was fun. But there's a point after which you've been wrestling with someone in take after take for six consecutive hours that it just becomes absurd. You can't help but laugh."

What keeps her on track.
"I try to go with the flow and have faith that everything is going to work out. I've had a wonderful career so far, a great marriage and a son I adore. I was talking to my dad [Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard] and he said, 'I hope you're not going to be like me, where you're worrying too much. I'm pushing 60 and I'm still thinking, "God I hope nothing bad happens because it's been so great so far."' So I'm trying to just appreciate everything in the moment."