The 6 Twilight Casting Choices We'll Never Get Over
The saga could have been so different.
Casting was always going to be a challenge for Twilight.
After all, the book series was a huge success and the expectations of the fans were high.
1. Emily Browning could have played Bella Swan.
She was great in The Uninvited, but could Emily Browning have played Bella Swan better than Kristen Stewart?
Judging Stewart's performance in hindsight, I'm inclined to say no. But Browning was asked to audition and there were rumours that she was first choice for the role. As it was, she didn't audition. And it's hard to argue that this had a negative effect on the film.
2. Ben Barnes was in line to play Edward Cullen
Having shot to fame as Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Barnes was a hot property and was considered for the role of Edward Cullen.
Fortunately, this idea was quashed due to his existing work on the Narnia franchise. One actor in both films would have muddied the waters and probably taken the shine off both.
So this is another case where we can look back and know that the right decision was made for the good of The Twilight Saga.
3. Jackson Rathbone could have played Edward Cullen
Imagine that. You can't, can you? Rathbone is superb as Jasper Hale, and everyone agrees that Robert Pattinson couldn't have made a better Edward Cullen.
It's natural that the production team had several actors in mind for the role, but Rathbone was clearly suited to the more manipulative character.
4. Steven Strait as Jacob Black?
Taylor Lautner is synonymous with the role. And he portrayed the werewolf hunk so well. Again, it's hard to imagine anyone else taking on the role. But the story goes that Strait was in the mix at one point.
Strait is a little older than Lautner (who was just 15 when the first film was shot), but could easily pass for a similar age. And he's certainly got the looks, having been a model before. It's not that he doesn't seem to fit the role. It's just so hard to argue that he could have played it better. So I'll call this another bullet dodged – sorry Steven.
5. Stephanie Meyer wanted John C. Reilly for Charlie Swan
This feels a little too much like a cameo and I'm not sure it would have worked. There's no evidence that Reilly was ever actually approached or formally offered the role. And that's probably a good thing.
6. Channing Tatum was almost Riley Biers
It's another one of those things where you can kind of see it, but still probably think the role would have been better in the hands of Xavier Samuel. By the time Twilight was cast, Tatum was probably a little too recognisable for such a minor role. And let's face it, who's to say Samuel wasn't great?