What are the general thoughts on Michelle Trachtenberg? I think she’s a pretty little thing, but I don’t have an opinion on her talent or her personality. She seems kind of bland to me, but then again, I was never into Buffy. I’ve never gotten the needy-famewhore vibe off of her, and she doesn’t seem to be one of those hyper-ambitious girls just dying to see her name in the press. So this new interview with Michelle seems out of character. Michelle drops this bombshell: she was up for the role in Bella Swan in Twilight. Can you feel the Twihard Fatwa coming down on Michelle? I can.
Michelle Trachtenberg was a vampire slayer’s little sister on Buffy, and she could’ve fallen in love with a creature of the night on the silver screen, too!
The 26-year-old actress told Us Weekly Wednesday at the opening of LOLA in NYC that she was indeed considered for a role in the Twilight films. “There was definitely interest here and there because there’s only so few pale girls in Hollywood,” she explained.
“I’ve known [director] Catherine Hardwicke since the movie Thirteen,” she said. “I was actually supposed to star in that, but I was on Buffy at the time.” (Hardwicke, who went on to directed the very first Twilight film in 2009, directed the saga’s star Nikki Reed in the 2003 drama and Evan Rachel Wood played the film’s primary character. Reed cowrote the gritty screenplay.)
So why did Reed, Kristen Stewart and Ashley Greene end up as Breaking Dawn’s leading ladies instead of Trachtenberg? “I guess schedules never worked out,” she explained.
“I already have Buffy,” she added. “I’ve already done the vampire thing.”
But the Gossip Girl star doesn’t want to speculate how her life would be different if she’d starred opposite Robert Pattinson in the blockbuster films. “[Hypothetical answers mean] you’re not living in the moment and you’re looking negatively at what you’re doing now,” she mused.
[From Us Weekly]
I’ve read way too much about Twilight, but I’ve never heard anything about this. I thought the casting story went like this: Catherine Hardwicke’s first choice for Bella was always Kristen Stewart (who at that point was fresh off of Into the Wild, which got her a lot of attention) – Kristen was offered the part and she said yes immediately. All of the casting drama was with Edward, and it took months for Robert Pattinson to be cast. Isn’t that how it went? Or was there a “search” to find the right Bella and several actresses were considered, including Michelle Trachtenberg? Or is all of this just wishful (famewhore) thinking on Michelle’s part?
And in a parallel universe, what would the world be like if Michelle had been cast as Bella? Would Robert Pattinson have fallen for Michelle instead??! OMG.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
There were many actresses considered, even Ashley Greene has talked about auditioning for the role.
Every actress in her age range was up for that part.
MT would have made a more believable
Bella. KS can’t act.
She would have. This girl is beautiful
I thought she was cute ” rapping” the Nicki Minaj song. I agree with some of the comments a lot of younger girls in the 18-23 year old range was up for the part even the chick from the movie “Sucker Punch” I heard was asked to read for the part but it was schedule conflict.
Neither can MT, she made ‘Buffy’ unbearable.
Totally agree, & I havent met a single person who liked MT in Buffy, Dawn was a whinging brat & I dont think it was just the character or writing!! (Speaking as an ardent Buffy fan)
Aw, but she was so cute on The Adventures of Pete and Pete!
But seriously…she was THE WORST on ‘Buffy.’ I don’t watch ‘Weeds’ regularly, but I saw an episode this season that featured her. It actually looked like her acting had improved a bit.
I think she can act. To be fair to her, in seasons 5+6 she was playing an annoying kid sister. But she showed some range in season 7 when Dawn was allowed to stop whinging for once.
Well, you have now. I enjoyed Dawn — I loved EVERY character on Buffy, w/ the exception of Kennedy, who was not an appealing character, and was not well-acted, in my opinion.
Co-sign.
I think she said she was up for the part in Thirteen, not Twilight.
She mentions both
Only if she thought Thirteen would get her typecast as a vampire girl…which isn’t likely. But perhaps she did mention both.
She’s pulling a Biel here. Stop crying about split milk.
ERW was awesome in 13. MT would have sucked. For Bella Stephanie Meyer wanted Emily Browning. If anyone should be complaining it’s her cause I think she would have made an excellent choice.
Too bad. Emily Browning would have been a far better choice – she even managed to acquit herself well in that Sucker Punch mess.
I can’t believe Catherine Hardwicke auditioned more than one actress and thought KS was the best!
I love emily browning! What happened? Was she too pretty our something? She’s gorgeous!
http://www.sweetslyrics.com/images/img_gal/34504_emily-browning-714512l.jpg
Wow, she is beautiful!! It would’ve been a way better match with her and RPatz, instead of KS with her Bugs Bunny teeth. *shudder*
Yawn, they both suck.
‘There was definitely interest here and there because there’s only so few pale girls in Hollywood’…??? So they only considered her for the part because she’s pale? Bitch please. There are billions of pale chicks out there.
I know, right? She totally just admitted that she was considered for her skin color instead of talent. HACK.
As a Buffy watcher she will always be the annoying and shark jumper character Dawn.
It must suck for an actor to be type cast. I do try not to hate on her for this and I know its not her fault but damn, her appearance on Buffy was the writing on the wall.
Agreed.
The whiny, artificial character of Dawn really took the show down a few notches.
I think the original plan was to carry on the Buffy series with Dawn as the main character but MT was so unpopular and uncharismatic that it never happened.
And like Min 76 says below her working rep is really bad.
ITA. The Dawn storyline was THE worst part of Buffy. However, I’ll always cut her slack because she was on the show. If they picked her for Bella, I don’t think she would have done any worse than Stewart. Just because MT was the worst part of one THE best shows on television doesn’t mean she couldn’t be the best part of a corny movie franchise.
@Normandes, I thought the spin-off was supposed to be with Faith’s character?
Urgh, yes. She ruined Buffy for me and I’m not sure I can ever forgive her for that. No matter what she does I just hear this nasally Dawn whine.
Yup, total agreement here. She sucked the life right out of Buffy, and she’s irritated me ever since.
I hated her character and her storyline so much i actually stopped watching after season 5 once it was clear she was there to stay. I thought Riley was annoying then she came along…
Riley was SUCH a waste of space.
Riley WAS a waste of space, but I think fondly on the days of The Initiative because that’s when we got some of the best Spike moments. Spike! Spike and Xander! Spike and Giles!
Agree completely and totally, 100% hated the Dawn character and storyline. I dislike Twilight (books and movies) immensely, but I do like KS. I think she’s smart and beautiful.
What? You can admit Twilight is not good, Dawn ruined Buffy, but you think KS is smart and beautiful? I really want some of the bud you’re smoking, because that girl is a classic Rat Face. You got your Puppy face girls, Foxy Face girls, Rat Face Girls, Mousey Face girls, Lion Face girls, and etc etc. same for men, same animals. People just have that face and if you try hard enough you can see what animal they resemble. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like rats.
MT is a puppy face, so shes easy on the eyes. But that Dawn voice, the attitude they wrote for her, not to mention the fact that she sucked at delivering her lines, adds up to a crappy actress that just so happens to be pretty.
Hollywood is shallow, low, and toxic. No sense is sugar coating an opinion on an actor.
Isn’t this the girl that made that dramatic Twitter announcement that she was “retiring” from acting? Maybe 6 months ago.
Only to come out of “retirement” within a week?
And to be honest, I always seen her as desperate as Lohan for media attention.
With the exception that Trachtenberg did not become a crackhead. So Michelle can’t keep the attention of the tabloids.
So she gets mouthy everyone once in awhile for a little attention.
Like how, if she hadn’t been sooooo busy. She would have starred in Twilight.
No, that was Amanda Bynes.
Ohhhh okay. I knew it was one of the younger TV girls who pulled that sh*t. hahaha!
Hautie, that was Amanda Bynes. MT is one who got into a girlfight with Ashlee Simpson over Pete Wentz. :/
I thought MT was considered for the role but ultimately lost it because of her Buffy connection? As much as I dislike her snotty elitist attitude, I do think she would have been better than K-Stew. However I wonder if there would have been any chemistry between her RPattz?
Well she’s pretty that’s true. She was annoying as Dawn (Although I loved the Spike-Dawn scenes). I’ve always heard that she has an awful rep on shows which is why she guest stars but isn’t ever a full cast member. Like she’s so competitive with the other females and does her best to tear them down. All internet gossip so who knows how much of it’s true. But I definitely get the bitchy vibe.
The best episode to come of the Dawn storyline was ” Once More with Feeling.” If there was never a Dawn, there may never have been a musical episode!
Yes one of my favorite episodes. I also love that her song is the only one that gets cut off 🙂
Hehe. Maybe that was Joss’ way of telling us he knew no one gave a sh*t about her!
I used to love me some Buffy. I really need to go back and rewatch the entire series!
So many Buffy people on CB! 🙂
“Or is all of this just wishful (famewhore) thinking on Michelle’s part?”
Yes yes and yes. If there could be anything worse than watching KStew pout her lip for 2 hours (x5), it would be having to do the same with Michelle Trachtenberg. Also, any Gossip Girl fan would outright disown the Twi movies if she were in them – and there’s a lot of crossover btwn those 2 audiences.
Here’s the thing: people who were “really into” Buffy HATED her. I wanted Dawn to DIAF. I still do. USELESS character, so annoying.
that’s the story I always heard (kristen stewart being immediately cast and them reading the other guys w her)
maybe she meant she was up for one of the vampire girl roles? She does mention being pale and yeah, Bella is pale bc she lives in forks, but the really pale ones are the vampires. So maybe she was up for Nikki Reed or Ashley Greene’s roles.
I remember Emily Browning was also considered for the role.
Dear celebitchy,if Michelle was cast there would be no Robert Pattinson for Edward,everyone knows from Catherine own mouth that she wanted Shilon Fernandez for the role of Edward,according to a interview he did,the part was already his but he and kristen did not get along and he lost it for rob,kristen was the one who told Catherine it had to be Rob or she wont do the movie.
Shiloh Fernandez is super hot!!! HGF!!
I also heard Tom Welling, of Smallville, was considered for Edward. It would have been a poor choice, but damn is he hot!
Um, ew.
Too add to that…from what I’ve heard before, maybe the story has been changed since or never happened idk, the reason Kristen got the part was because of Michael her at the time bf.
no,it was Emile Hirsch to told Catherine she would be good for the role,it was because of his good words kristen got the part.
KStew may have said that, but that’s just movie PR feeding the whole Bella/Edward in real life thing. Henry Cavill was also very lose (Myers or Hardwicke really wanted him for the role but he was considered a touch too old). Believe it or not even Miranda Kerr was considered for Bella!!! Emily Browning would have been awesome in the role.
I can see why she was even considered. Michelle is cute, pale and with a round face (that Bella should have), so I’d give her a go for that. She would have been right but maybe too cutesy or meh.
I know of Emily Browning being asked to audition but Michelle Trachtenberg would have made it interesting especially for RPatz.
She is not only a bad actress but she is annoyed as well. At least KS is only a mediocare actress … she’s not annoying. At least not to me.
Oh please. No one would cast MT if they could have ERW instead. I really doubt it was simply her Buffy schedule that held her back.
Not to be completely off-topic, but MAN, she needs to knock it off with the bottom eyeliner. She has round eyes. We round-eyed girls need to avoid weird, thick lower liner because it makes us look like we have M&M’s for eyes.
I want to fix her face in that first pic – badly – !!!!
People mainly cared about Edward because that was the most important person to get right. How do you cast the most beautiful man in the world but someone that could still give the vibe that Edward gives. Impossible casting. It’s a miracle they found Rob and that’s thanks to Kristen. Bella just had to be any blah actress with pale skin that could play a plain Jane. There was really nothing controversial or particularly hard about casting this role so not many stories about it. I think Kristen seems like the best choice of all the actress I’ve heard mentioned so far.
She doesn’t say she was considered for Bella, she says she was considered for “a role.” And given the pale-skin comment, she implies it was a vampire part. So maybe Alice? I could see that, and I can also see why they didn’t want anyone associated with Buffy.
She would have made a fine Bella actually. I don’t think this is so far fetched. But then again I’m not into Twilight, so ….meh.
I’ve always read that she is a raging B, from a bunch of revealed blind items and things…so everytime I see her on the red carpet or she opens her mouth (especially when she tries to “act”), I just roll my eyes. Can.not.stand.her. And I may be in the minority, but I do not think she is pretty at all.
If you must have a vampire project on your resume, Buffy is WAAAAY better than Twilight! Though I didn’t like Dawn at all.
MT is pretty, but I’ve seen rumors of her being difficult too.
Physical features, personality/attitide or even talent wise, ALEXIS BLEDEL (imho) is suited to be Bella Swann – though she’s way too pretty or even older for that role; but she’s (still) got these “baby face” features so I bet she could easily passed up on that age thing…
She does do that annoying side-eye thing quite well, you’re totally right.
Sorry, but she irritates the bejeebers out of me. She RUINED Buffy for me, with her whiny, poor-little-me character. And I LOVED me some Buffy!
But if there were no Dawn, the ending of season 5 wouldnt had been done.
And that speech Buffy gives her is by far my favorite drama scene in Buffy.
And almost all Dawn/Spike scenes were perfection.
So Dawn gets a pass. Blame the writers if you didnt like how a character beahaved, not the actor.
End. Of. Rant.
I used to be into the Buffy series and i think she was GREAT! OMG I’d love for her to be Bella. Think of how great Twilight would be instead of the eyerolling K-stew in it?? Holy mother, the Vampire world would be totally different! And don’t even get me started on Sparkles! He’d totally fall for her hehe 😀
Oh I wish she had gotten it and spared us all from Kristen.
I doubt she was seriously up for it-EVERYONE was up for it at one point. And of course I hate her because I hate Dawn. lol
it was probably for Alice. Emily Browning was the FAN favorite for the role, and could have been given some consideration if she had a little more power. But I think it was decided pretty early amid the powers that be that Kristen was getting the role.
michelle would have been better anybody can act better than ms. play with my hair breathe loudly and frown
Anybody other than KS would have been perfect for Bella. I am not into that shitty franchise and I can see she was horribly miscasted. Nikki would have been perfect for that role too. Or, that Emily chick.
Can I mention she doesn’t say she was up for ‘Bella’ but for a role in Twilight. She may be talking about Reed or Green’s character. Especially with the ‘there’s only so few pale girls in Hollywood’ comment.
I don’t like her. She isn’t attractive in the least and has a large schnoz.
I don’t understand the “pale girl” comment, considering that Nikki Reed is Puerto Rican and playing a blonde, pale vampire.
she would have been way better than K-Stew.. I can’t watch the movies because 1. they are bad and suck and 2. R-Patz i find fugly and K-stew with her mouth breathing.. They all annoy me!
all i know is i’m still pissed i missed the opening of a show, because those fucking twilight people wouldn’t get the fuck out of my cafe before closing. really did they have to give their twilight character names back then and hang out in a bookstore to see if anyone would notice them?
twilight sucks
I actually really love Kristen Stewart in the role of Bella. She dosen’t get much to work with as the character of Bella is written so passively in the books. Remember she is being directed a certain way. All of Kristen’s director’s, producer’s, and fellow actors have nothing but praise for Kristen and her professionalism. Their opinion is the only ones that count.
Michelle would not have made a good Bella.
I actually agree with you. She’s always struck me as a perfect Bella despite what everyone thinks of her acting. Like you said, she’s a fairly passive character. She’s also shy and hates being the center of attention. KStew strikes me as being fairly similar.
I personally have always thought that she loves acting but hates all of the attention that she gets. Just watching her interviews makes me so damn uncomfortable sometimes.
All I know is that Michelle could be Stephenie Meyers younger sister – they look that alike to me.
Hated her as Dawn but but thought she was super-cute and funny in Euro-trip.
I got such a kick out of seeing two beautiful pictures of Michelle, who is gorgeous anyway, with two bad pictures of Kristen, who is rough looking anyway.
– Michelle is a diva, looking at Kristen ‘tude, it’s clear she’s laid back kind of tomboyish, shy doesn’t like fame. No, I don’t Trachtenberg being Rpatz’ thing.
-Yeah, because it’s such an Oscar worthy role. She didn’t miss out anything. Plus, I find her too beautiful in a conventional way to have played Bella. Stewart is beautiful too but more unique, not in your face.
– Ummh, I loved Buffy and still do. More for SMG and her posse and the main vamps (Drusilla was my idol, go figure). Her character was annoying.
I think DAWN was whiny … no matter who played her. I never liked the whole Dawn storyline at all. Whether a different actress playing her would make her less “poor little me/whiny/annoying” is debatable. I think that was how the character was written.
I actually enjoy MT in Gossip Girl thou.
As for Twilight – I couldn’t give a flying eff about anything Twilight and think KStew is completely overrated all round.
Kristen had just come off her role in Sean Penn’s “Into the Wild”-she was getting a lot of praise right around the time they locked her in for Bella. I seriously doubt Michelle was the frontrunner for it. Stewart was young, pretty unknown to the public, but had some industry praise at tbat moment in time.
She was great as Georgina in Gossip Girl, which is currently my new shameful addiction. I watch the first few seasons while doing laundry. Because unlike my husband, I can’t just sit while I’m watching t.v. Things still have to get done.
Anyway, the acting on the show isn’t that great, but I really enjoyed MT as Georgina. Funny how her and Leighton have the most baby-ish faces on the show and they played the most evil characters.
So Twilight actually could’ve been WORSE? I have no love for KStew, but I cannot STAND Michelle Trachtenberg, she completely ruined any scene she was in in Buffy.
I hated her on Buffy. So much. Still don’t understand why they bring her to Buffy.
The only thing I have ever seen Michelle Trachtenberg in was “Mercy”. And I enjoyed her in that TV show. I can’t even begin to say how bad Kristen Stewart was in Breaking Dawn. She had one expression during the entire movie. Same face for happy
Same face for pain
Same face for sad
Same face for anxious
She alone was responsible for that movie sucking. So even though I don’t know much about Michelle Trachtenberg. Anyone would have made a better Bella!!!
Even my cat would have done a better job.
I don’t know anything about her acting, but it sounds like she wanted a way to get her name in the news. I think Ashley Greene would have been a better Bella than either KS or this gal.
can you imagine ashley greene in the birth scene…or in that super-tight weeding gown? i bet not.
Kristin Stewart SUCKS and the only reason she is still in these crapfests is due to the tween girls out there (and their Moms). Look at her track record OUTSIDE of Twilight movies…zip! All bombs.
Not to mention, this girl comes off an insufferable, entitled little See ya Next Tuesday…tick tock honey, hourglass is almost empty!!
What an interesting thread, that Shiloh dude looks like Robert Pattinson and a little like Dave Barnes. If it was possible for Laura prepon and Jessica biel to have a child Michelle looks like a mix of them.
In my opinion the casting was spot on, Kristen was right for Bella,she has a bit of naiive edgines about her. It was great that she and Robert were relatively unknown actors when the movies were first made.
For everyone being all “I would’ve liked RPattz with Michelle so much more”, please remember that without KStew, *there is no RPattz*. Shiloh Fernandez said himself he was ready to sign the contract when at the last minute Kristen threatened to drop out of the project unless they cast RPattz. Catherine Hardwicke and Wyck Godfrey, the producer, have also told that story, that *Kristen* insisted Rob be Edward. So if you really want to recast Twilight with Michelle Trachtenberg, then you have to also redo edward as that Shiloh guy. Because Rob would not have gotten the job unless Kristen fought for him.
I’m sure that Michelle probably talked to someone at some point about Twilight. They auditioned a ton of people for it. But Catherine always said Kristen was her first choice based off Into the Wild and the praise Emile Hirsch had for her. Actors do this a lot, go, “Oh, I could have been in that,” when really, no, they couldn’t. I mean, just look at Jessica Biel.
Also, while I generally like Kristen, I hate her in Twilight. I think she’s awful, but then I read the books and realized Bella is just a terrible wet blanket character. All that blinking and stuttering everyone harps ons? Bella does that in books! So now I think that while Kristen is bad in Twilight (so is everyone), I don’t think she could really do much better. There is just nothing to work with in terms of character.
But yeah, while you’re busy hating on KStew and wishing for Michelle, remind yourselves you woulnd’t have Rob today without Kristen.
she’s to old for play bella
kristen all the way
But I think the actresses that lost out to Kristin actually dodged a bullet. These roles in Twilight have defined most of these actors careers, especially Rob P. K.Stewart and I’m not saying that in a good way,I just feel like most actors who get these solid iconic fan movie roles, will never be able to live the characters down becoming typed cast, and I know this is a reality cause it has happen to so many actors with or without talent.
ITA. The Trio’s non-Twilight projects tanked at the US box office because they can’t get Twi-hards to show up in droves at those movies. They can’t attract non-Twilight fans because they are seen as hacks in some quarters. Universal is rolling the dice with KS for its Snow White. Hiring her because of Twilight and her nasty attitude (the director’s words) is not a good move. They still have to prove they can make money outside the franchise or their careers are over.