It was 2007. The world was about a year away from the cultural earthquake of Twilight, and werewolf movies were in a weird, experimental purgatory. Enter Katja von Garnier’s adaptation of Annette Curtis Klause’s beloved novel. When you look back at the Blood & Chocolate cast, it’s a fascinating snapshot of "what could have been." You’ve got Agnes Bruckner, who was the indie darling of the moment, paired with Hugh Dancy, long before he became a household name for Hannibal. It’s a cast that feels both perfectly of its time and strangely ahead of the curve.
Honestly, the movie didn't land well with critics. It sits at a painful percentage on Rotten Tomatoes, mostly because it took a massive departure from the book’s source material. But if you ignore the "human-wolf" CGI that didn't quite age like fine wine, the actors themselves brought a moody, European grit to the screen that was actually pretty refreshing. They filmed in Bucharest. The atmosphere was thick.
Agnes Bruckner and the Burden of Vivian Gandillon
Agnes Bruckner was the heart of this thing. Most people remember her from Blue Car or Murder by Numbers, where she played these incredibly nuanced, troubled teenagers. In Blood & Chocolate, she plays Vivian, a girl caught between her family’s ancient werewolf laws and her desire to just, well, be a normal human in love with a guy who draws graphic novels.
Bruckner had this "it" factor. She wasn't your typical polished Hollywood starlet. She had an edge. In the film, her performance is grounded even when the script gets a bit melodramatic. She spent weeks training for the physical aspects of the role, though ironically, the film opted for real wolves and CGI overlays rather than the traditional prosthetic transformations we saw in An American Werewolf in London.
It’s a tough role. You’re essentially playing a predator who is trying to suppress every instinct she has. Bruckner’s chemistry with the rest of the Blood & Chocolate cast—specifically the tension between her and the pack leader, Gabriel—is what keeps the movie from drifting into total obscurity. She sells the "stolen glances" and the fear of being discovered.
Hugh Dancy: The Outsider in the Pack
Then there’s Hugh Dancy. Before he was Will Graham, he was Aiden, the artist who inadvertently stumbles into a supernatural turf war. Aiden is the audience surrogate. He’s the guy who thinks he’s just falling for a beautiful, mysterious girl in Romania, only to find out her family wants to literally eat him.
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Dancy’s career has always been interesting. He has this vulnerability that makes you root for him, even when his characters are in over their heads. In this film, he’s the "meat." That’s a weird role for a male lead in a horror-romance, right? Usually, it's the other way around. But Dancy plays it straight. He doesn’t wink at the camera. He treats the lore with respect, which is probably why he’s stayed so relevant in the industry while others from that era faded away.
The Menacing Presence of Olivier Martinez
We have to talk about Gabriel. Olivier Martinez was basically the king of playing the "dangerous, seductive Frenchman" in the early 2000s. Think Unfaithful. In Blood & Chocolate, he’s the antagonist, but he’s not a mustache-twirling villain. He’s a leader trying to preserve a dying species.
His casting was a stroke of genius for the vibe they were going for. He brings a certain "old world" weight to the pack. When he’s on screen, you believe that there is a hierarchy. You believe that these people—the loups-garous—have been around for centuries. Martinez’s performance is all about the gaze. He doesn't need to howl to be scary. He just needs to look at Vivian like she’s a prize he’s already won.
Supporting Players Who Rounded Out the World
The rest of the Blood & Chocolate cast featured some incredible European talent that gave the film its distinct, non-Hollywood flavor.
- Bryan Dick as Rafe: He played the reckless, violent member of the "Five," the elite group of young wolves. He provided the necessary friction to keep the stakes high.
- Katja Riemann as Astrid: As Vivian’s aunt, she represented the tragic side of the werewolf life. Riemann is a powerhouse in German cinema, and her inclusion added a layer of legitimacy to the production.
- Bryan Dick and Tom Harper: They filled out the younger pack members, creating a sense of a "frat boy" culture within the supernatural world—dangerous, entitled, and fast.
Why the Casting Choices Mattered (And Why They Didn't Save It)
The chemistry was there. The talent was definitely there. So, what happened?
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The problem wasn't the actors. It was the "flavor" of the film. The studio wanted a teen romance, but the director, Katja von Garnier, wanted a moody, artistic exploration of animalistic instinct. This tug-of-war is visible in the performances. You see Agnes Bruckner trying to play a deep, internal conflict while the plot is forcing her into a standard "run away from the bad guys" finale.
Also, the transformation sequences were... a choice. Instead of the visceral, bone-snapping changes fans expected, the actors basically turned into real wolves in a flash of white light. It was "shimmering." It felt soft. For a cast that was putting in such gritty work, the special effects felt like they belonged in a different movie.
Comparing the Movie Cast to the Book Characters
If you’ve read the book by Annette Curtis Klause, you know the movie is a different beast entirely. In the book, Vivian is much younger. The pack dynamics are way more sexualized and primal.
- Vivian's Age: In the book, she's 16. In the movie, the Blood & Chocolate cast is clearly in their 20s. This changed the "coming of age" vibe into a "star-crossed lovers" vibe.
- Gabriel's Role: In the novel, Gabriel is more of a legitimate romantic interest and a source of stability. In the film, he’s much more of an obstacle.
- The Setting: Moving the story from Maryland to Bucharest changed the lighting, the mood, and the way the actors interacted with their environment. The cast had to adapt to a setting that felt ancient rather than suburban.
The Lasting Legacy of the Blood & Chocolate Cast
Despite the middling box office and the "meh" reviews, the film has a cult following. Why? Because the cast treated it like a prestige drama. They didn't "act down" to the material.
You can see the seeds of Hugh Dancy’s later work here—that ability to look haunted and terrified simultaneously. You see Agnes Bruckner’s range as she pivots from a vulnerable orphan to a fierce protector. Even the smaller roles were filled by actors who took the "wolf" aspect seriously, studying animal movements to make the human scenes feel more "off-kilter."
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It’s a time capsule. It represents that brief window where studios were willing to throw money at "indie-feeling" supernatural movies before everything became a massive, multi-part franchise.
What the Actors Did Next
Looking at where the Blood & Chocolate cast went after 2007 tells a story of survival in the industry.
- Agnes Bruckner moved into more television work, notably appearing in Once Upon a Time and the Anna Nicole Smith biopic. She remains a respected name in the indie circuit.
- Hugh Dancy hit the stratosphere with Hannibal. His portrayal of Will Graham is legendary, and many fans of that show have actually gone back to watch Blood & Chocolate just to see his early work.
- Olivier Martinez continued to work in both French and American cinema, though he eventually shifted more toward his personal life and business ventures.
Lessons from the Production
If you’re a fan of the genre, there are a few things to take away from this specific ensemble. First, casting against type can work. Putting a "serious" actor like Dancy in a werewolf movie elevated the stakes. Second, location matters. The cast benefited immensely from being in Romania; you can see it in their shivering breaths and the way they navigate the real, cobblestone streets.
How to Revisit the Film Today
If you’re going to watch Blood & Chocolate now, don't go in expecting Underworld. It’s not an action movie. It’s a mood piece.
Watch it for the way Agnes Bruckner handles the physical transformation—not the CGI part, but the way she carries her body. Watch it for the tension between the "old world" wolves and the modern world of the humans.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
- Track down the soundtrack: The music, featuring Johnny Klimek and Reinhold Heil, is actually fantastic and suits the cast's performances perfectly.
- Compare the "Director’s Vision": Look for interviews with Katja von Garnier about the casting process. She fought for this specific group of actors because she wanted a "European" feel rather than a "Hollywood" one.
- Check out the DVD extras: There are some great behind-the-scenes clips of the cast interacting with the actual wolves used on set. It gives you a lot of respect for what they were doing in the freezing Romanian woods.
The Blood & Chocolate cast deserved a better script, maybe. Or maybe they were exactly what was needed to make a flawed movie memorable. Either way, their performances are the reason we’re still talking about this movie nearly two decades later.
If you want to see where these actors are now, check out Hugh Dancy’s more recent work in Law & Order or Agnes Bruckner’s guest spots on major procedurals. It’s a testament to their talent that they survived the "werewolf craze" of the late 2000s with their careers intact and their reputations solid.