Michelle Trachtenberg Could Have Been Your Bella Swan

Michelle Trachtenberg starred in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and most recently Gossip Girl and Weeds. Us Weekly caught up with her and found out she was first pick to star as Bella in Twilight, Kristen Stewart’s most famous role, and was even first pick to star in Thirteen, Evan Rachel Wood’s breakout role. None of those worked out because of her other projects.

“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.” Us Weekly

“That’s cool. I didn’t need those millions of dollars, adoring fans and new career opportunities anyway. Like P.Diddy says, ‘Mo money, mo problems.'” *Quietly sobs into hands*