Hardwicke says that Amanda Seyfried immediately came to mind in casting the part of Valerie.  “From the first time I saw Amanda, I knew she was something special,” the director affirms.  “She had everything we needed for the character, especially because Valerie is not a classic damsel in distress.  Amanda is tough, she’s sexy, she’s funny, she’s vulnerable—she has it all.  And the way she looks is straight out of a fairy tale.  She has an ethereal quality, with the most amazing eyes that just draw you in.” 

In turn, Seyfried says that this new take on an old fairy tale is what drew her in.  “I don’t know anyone who didn’t read Red Riding Hood growing up, so it was cool to take a story we all know and  have  some  fun  with  it.    The  thriller aspect was exciting to me, and the medieval setting made it feel gothic and added to the romance.” 

Valerie is, at once, at the apex of the film’s romantic triangle and also directly connected to the mystery of the werewolf.  When it becomes apparent that the beast is someone close to her, Valerie is given reason to question everyone in her life.  “As the story unfolds, she is trying to figure out who it could be, based on the signs she’s been given,” Seyfried explains.  “It’s terrifying for her because, at different points, she has cause to suspect everybody.” Hardwicke adds, “Paranoia starts to creep in as Valerie starts seeing little details she hadn’t noticed before, and now they are taking on new meaning.  Her entire life she has seen her family and friends in one light, and suddenly things have shifted, causing shadows of doubt.” 

It isn’t long before those shadows  fall on the two very dissimilar young men vying for Valerie’s heart, Peter and Henry, played by newcomers Shiloh Fernandez and Max Irons, respectively. 

Fernandez relates, “Peter is a woodcutter, who is also Valerie’s boyfriend.  They have to be secretive about their relationship because he’s a poor orphan and something of an outsider.  At the start of the film, he discovers that she has been betrothed to Henry, so Peter asks Valerie to run away with him.  He wants to show her the world she’s never seen—the city, the ocean…anything, as long as they can be together.  But before they  can go tragedy strikes.  They find out Valerie’s sister, Lucie, has been murdered by the werewolf.” We  also  learn  that  Lucie  had  been  in  love  with  Henry,  but  he  only  has eyes for Valerie.  Irons notes, “Henry is the town blacksmith and the son of the wealthiest family in town.  He can’t understand how Valerie could have her heart set on Peter because Henry honestly believes he is the better choice in terms of the life he can offer her.” 

“It’s that age-old romantic dilemma: should she make the safe choice, who, in this case, also happens to be dashingly handsome, or the one who seems a bit dangerous but is sexy and exciting?  I think any young woman would dream of having this choice, especially if it came in the form of Shiloh and Max,” 

Hardwicke laughs. 

“Shiloh has so much heart and soul, and had great chemistry with Amanda,” the director continues.  “He  also brought some mystery to his character that leads you to wonder what might be going on beneath the surface.” Killoran adds, “Max has this wonderfully engaging presence about him.

What I loved about his performance is  that everything he does comes from a place of strength and honor, but he lets you know that Henry could have a dark side, too.  In casting these roles, we wanted to make it so Valerie’s decision isn’t an obvious one; it needed to be a hard choice between two equally wonderful but different men, who are both worthy.” 

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