Twilight Q&A Part Two: Fiery Canuck takes a bite out of vampire franchise

Vivacious Montreal native Rachelle Lefevre may play the vampiric villainess Victoria in Twilight, but was nothing short of delightful when she sat down to field questions from rabid mycineplex members. Lefevre candidly revealed celebrity crushes, the biggest challenge of playing a baddie and what Stephenie Meyer’s books mean to her when she was in Toronto prior to the film’s opening.

Q: Rachelle : First off, i heard you're from Montreal is that true, cause that is awesome!! Where you the only Canadian actor there? if not, who else is Canadian?? thx for the great opportunity! - Curuia Cullen

Rachelle Lefevre: It is very, very true that I’m from Montreal. I was born and raised in Montreal. I went to a bunch of different schools – I ended up at Centennial Academy for high school, went on to Dawson College and then went to McGill. I am 100 per cent raised Montreal and, as far as I know, I’m the only Canadian in Twilight.

Q: I'm very happy to see a Canadian playing one of my favorite villains in the series! Way to represent us! Now, Rachelle, how did you hear about Twilight and was Victoria the role you were aiming for to play? If not, what other character did you audition for? Also is there another character you would love to play other than Victoria? - salsa_13

RL: I heard about the role actually just by my agent calling with the audition and then I ran right out and read the book and absolutely fell in love with it. And not only was Victoria the role I had the audition for, but it was also the role that when I was reading the book, I was really attracted to and wanted to play. Certainly a few years ago, I would have loved to have played Bella. I really, really identified with her, particularly feeling like an outsider, and having insecurities, which I’m sure everyone says they can relate to. So I guess like 17 million other girls, I identified with it.

Q: You make a glorious Victoria :) Thank you so much for bringing her to life for us. What was the most challenging part of this film for you to make? -Little Girl 203

RL: I think the most challenging part for me was probably trying to find a way to play Victoria that wasn’t…I call it moustache-twirling. You know, the sort of evil villain. I think that the world that Stephenie created is too real for that – it deserved more than that. So I really wanted to create a whole back story for myself from what wasn’t in the books about why Victoria was as vengeful as she was, as short-tempered and as menacing. I spent a lot of time making sure that it was a fun and sort of evil portrayal but also an honest one.

Q: In all the movies you've seen in your life, is there a role that you would have loved to "steal" from another actor/actress? - Arwen_81

RL: There are so many movies that I leave going ‘Oh my god, I would have loved to have played that part!’ There is one that stands out for me and before I say what it is, I just want to clarify, that no, I don’t think I could have come close to her portrayal. I don’t think I could have done it justice the way she did, but, Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth, was a role, for me, that just completely reinforced exactly why I wanted to be an actress and why I was working so hard.

Q: Is there going to be a movie for “New Moon” soon? Are you going to be in it? - alexe024

RL: We really hope there’s going to be a New Moon. There’s rumours floating around there about, you know, scripts and things like that and certainly, we are all ready and willing to go back. As a cast, we’re just sort of waiting with baited breath and we’ll have to wait till Twilight comes and wait and see.

Q: If you could "imprint" on any celebrity who would it be and why? -twilightrox99

RL: [Laughs boisterously] In Stephenie’s world, if you ‘imprint’ on someone, they have to love you back, they can’t help it. I think if I had that magical choice, I would say, as I have said many times again, so many times I should apologize to him and his beautiful partner – but yes, it would be Johnny Depp. It’s always been Johnny Depp. It’s been Johnny Depp since I knew there were boys. I think that’s probably one I’m going to go to the grave saying…Johnny Depp. And to Vanessa Paradis and his beautiful children, I apologize. [Laughs]

Q: How did you each relate to your characters and what was your biggest challenge in playing them? - channy82

RL: Again, I think the biggest challenge in playing Victoria was just making sure that it was real, that it was fun but without being too over the top. Because in Stephenie’s world, vampires have to fit in. In the regular world, they actually go out during the day and even if the nomads are feeding on human beings and don’t live the way the Cullens live, they still have a code to keep too…. And so it had to be a practiced study in not just playing a vampire but in playing a human being as well. That was an interesting challenge.

Q: Each member of the Cullen family brought some sort of talent or strength from their human life to their immortal life: Edward can read minds, Jasper can control emotions, Carlisle is very compassionate, and so on. If you could have any ability, what would it be? - 49seconds’

RL: The vampires in Twilight – nobody has this ability – but if I could choose any ability, I’ve always wanted to fly. If I’m not restricted to Stephenie’s world, I would absolutely, without question, want to be a flyer.

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