Highlights
- Michelle Trachtenberg almost starred in the Twilight franchise.
- Not starring in Twilight did not ruin Trachtenberg's career.
- Trachtenberg has since pursued a writing and producing career, proving she is multi-talented and finding success in different avenues.
Back when Buffy the Vampire Slayer was still on the air, the show's stars never were among the highest-paid people on television. However, the show was beloved enough that fans still want to know all the behind-the-scenes facts including things like which Buffy star became the richest.
Unfortunately for Michelle Trachtenberg, just like Kristine Sutherland who disappeared from the spotlight, she isn't the richest former Buffy star. Since Trachtenberg has stepped away from acting, many Buffy fans wonder what happened to her and if it has anything to do with her possibly turning down the Twilight franchise.
Did Michelle Trachtenberg Almost Star In Twilight?
Once a movie franchise comes out and becomes a huge success, it can be hard for fans to imagine them any other way. A perfect example of that is that it is now impossible for some fans to imagine Eric Stoltz portraying Marty McFly from Back to the Future instead of Michael J. Fox.
Between 2008 and 2012, five Twilight movies were released and became massively successful. According to the box office tracking website The Numbers, the Twilight movies made more than $3.3 billion combined at the worldwide box office.
On top of the Twilight movies bringing in billions, the films also turned its main cast into superstars. During the early 2010s, there were very few actors that were talked about more than Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner.
While Lautner's career has slowed down since then, Pattinson and Stewart are still enjoying a lot of success today. Looking back at the trajectory of their careers, it is easy to see that Stewart and Pattinson owe a great deal of their current success to the Twilight roles.
As it turns out, another actor could have had their career taken to another level the way that Stewart, Pattinson, and Lautner did. The reason for that is Michelle Trachtenberg was asked to star in Twilight.
In 2011, Trachtenberg spoke to US Weekly about how she almost joined the cast of Twilight. Based on Trachtenberg's comments, she certainly seemed to have a sense of humor about the situation as she joked that her complexion almost got her the job.
"There was definitely interest here and there because there's only so few pale girls in Hollywood." Trachtenberg went on to talk about the history she shared with the director of Twilight, Catherine Hardwicke.
"I've known [director] Catherine Hardwicke since the movie Thirteen. I was actually supposed to star in that, but I was on Buffy at the time." Trachtenberg then revealed why she didn't star in Twilight as Hardwicke wanted her to.
"I guess schedules never worked out." Trachtenberg finished talking about Twilight at that time by remarking that at least she got to star in a series that has something in common with Twilight. "I already have Buffy. I've already done the vampire thing."
What Happened To Michelle Trachtenberg's Career?
From the time that Michelle Trachtenberg was a child star, she has proven many times that she has what it takes to succeed as an actor. After all, Trachtenberg has starred in two popular shows, Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl, as well as several successful movies.
Given everything that Trachtenberg accomplished during her career, it is clear that she has a lot to be proud of. That said, it still is possible to have a highly successful acting career that is ruined by a single mistake as several former stars can attest.
Given how quickly some actors have ruined their careers, it is worth examining how missing out on Twilight affected Trachtenberg. Based on how Trachtenberg's life progressed, it seems pretty clear that it would be hyperbolic to claim that not starring in Twilight ruined her career.
In the years after Twilight's 2008 release, Trachtenberg went on to star in a very long list of movies and TV shows. On the movie side of things, Trachtenberg appeared in 17 Again, Cop Out, and Take Me Home Tonight among others. Trachtenberg also had notable roles in many TV shows after 2008 including appearing in several episodes of Gossip Girl and Weeds.
It is also worth noting that a major setback that Trachtenberg's career suffered had nothing to do with Twilight. Back when Trachtenberg was starring in the original Gossip Girl series, the show's producers were working on a new show for her. Sadly for Trachtenberg, The CW opted not to pick up the series that was set to star Trachtenberg.
If that show had gone forward, it would have opened up a new avenue for Trachtenberg's career. The reason for that is on top of starring in the proposed CW drama, Trachtenberg was set to serve as the show's producer.
Unfortunately for Trachtenberg, the truth is there is no denying that her acting career has slowed down over the last fifteen years. With that in mind, it is very easy to argue that if she had starred in Twilight, there is a very good chance her acting career would be more successful today.
The reason for that is the studios would have been much more likely to hire Trachtenberg for bigger roles if she starred in a multi-billion dollar franchise. If Trachtenberg became most famous for starring in the Twilight movies, she certainly would have received a slew of opportunities.
On the bright side for Trachtenberg, she is fortunate enough to be a multi-talented person. On top of continuing to take acting roles off and on, Trachtenberg has created new opportunities for herself since her acting career began to slow down.
In 2016, Trachtenberg told Entertainment Weekly that she'd launched a writing career and enjoyed some success. “I’m fully WGA [Writers Guild of America] and a writer and have sold several projects. I feel like [I’m living] a Hollywood version of Harriet’s life.
Trachtenberg has also launched the producing career she almost began years ago. Trachtenberg served as the executive producer of Meet, Marry, Murder Hosted by Michelle Trachtenberg. Ultimately, not starring in Twilight almost certainly kept Trachtenberg from being as successful as she could have been but her career isn't ruined.
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