The Casting & Recasting Thread

[methodwriter85]

Well, eh....I'm guessing Richard Linklater is probably going to rethink his casting decisions for Merrily We Roll Along, which is supposed to film over 20 years with Blake Jenner and Beanie Fieldstein.

[methodwriter85]

The dye job they gave the very brunet Miles Teller to make him look like he could be Anthony Edwards and Meg Ryan's son totally doesn't look awful.

Edited December 19, 2019 by methodwriter85

[methodwriter85]

I mean, Fantasy Island was kind of a campy "so bad it's fun" film, but I thought Austin Stowell should have been swapped out with Max Theiriot.

Spoiler

Because his character is meeting his father just before he died in a war assignment, and there's a line about him and the dad looking so much alike. Austin is a really good-looking guy but he doesn't resemble Mike Vogel at all. Max would have been more believable, is all I'm saying. And it would have been fun with the Bates Motel connection between Max and Mike.

 

[methodwriter85]

I keep thinking they need to have Bradley Cooper play Joe in the adaption of Sunset Boulevard. The character should technically be younger than mid-40's, but Norma Desmond is being played by 70-something Glenn Close, so why not?

Edited March 27, 2020 by methodwriter85

[Ambrosefolly]

One thing I always had a quibble about in Romeo + Juliet (1996) is that Paris wasn't black. I am a bit of a purist and prefer the 1968 Romeo and Juliet, but I do think the right call was made to set it (at the time) present day. It felt weirdly experimental. With that said, with (Captain) Prince and Mercutio both being African American, Paris should have been African American or at least biracial since in the play, they are all from the same family. That is why at the end of the play the Prince laments about losing a brace of kinsman because in the original, both Mercutio and Paris are killed

[Ohiopirate02]

On 11/30/2020 at 11:48 PM, Ambrosefolly said:

One thing I always had a quibble about in Romeo + Juliet (1996) is that Paris wasn't black. I am a bit of a purist and prefer the 1968 Romeo and Juliet, but I do think the right call was made to set it (at the time) present day. It felt weirdly experimental. With that said, with (Captain) Prince and Mercutio both being African American, Paris should have been African American or at least biracial since in the play, they are all from the same family. That is why at the end of the play the Prince laments about losing a brace of kinsman because in the original, both Mercutio and Paris are killed

I think 1996 Paul Rudd was perfectly cast as Paris.  He played Paris as the bland, inoffensive guy and I think it worked well.  It is a bit role in the play, and with casting Paul in it, Baz is saying that there is nothing wrong with this guy, he just isn't lighting anyone's fire.  Paris is supposed to be nice, but boring.  The kind of guy who an experienced woman would value, but not a hormonal teenager.  I have no problem with the colorblind casting, most Shakespearean companies do it regularly.  In this production Juliet and her parents are white and her cousin Tybalt is a Latino.  

[Ambrosefolly]

1 minute ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I think 1996 Paul Rudd was perfectly cast as Paris.  He played Paris as the bland, inoffensive guy and I think it worked well.  It is a bit role in the play, and with casting Paul in it, Baz is saying that there is nothing wrong with this guy, he just isn't lighting anyone's fire.  Paris is supposed to be nice, but boring.  The kind of guy who an experienced woman would value, but not a hormonal teenager.  I have no problem with the colorblind casting, most Shakespearean companies do it regularly.  In this production Juliet and her parents are white and her cousin Tybalt is a Latino.  

But my issue is that the Prince, Mercutio and Paris are all related and the movie didn't do casting like the version of Cinderella that Brandy and Whoppi Goldberg starred in. I am sure there were black actors out there that could have played the character bland and boring.  

[Ohiopirate02]

7 minutes ago, Ambrosefolly said:

But my issue is that the Prince, Mercutio and Paris are all related and the movie didn't do casting like the version of Cinderella that Brandy and Whoppi Goldberg starred in. I am sure there were black actors out there that could have played the character bland and boring.  

In Baz's version Paris is not related to either of them.  The movie reworked the characters making the Prince become the chief of police, Paris is now Dave the governor's son, and Mercutio is Mercutio.  

[Ambrosefolly]

4 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

In Baz's version Paris is not related to either of them.  The movie reworked the characters making the Prince become the chief of police, Paris is now Dave the governor's son, and Mercutio is Mercutio.  

Reason #5 that version of Romeo and Juliet is one of my least favorite Shakespeare adaptions.

Also, they should have removed the line from  Captain Prince "Have lost a brace of kinsmen. All are punished."

Edited December 3, 2020 by Ambrosefolly

[Ambrosefolly]

So I am in a bit of a Harry Potter movie hole (which is funny since I dislike the series vs. the books) and read somewhere that Harry Lloyd (Viserys Targaryen from GOT first season) was offered the role of Tom Riddle/Voldemort but turned it down because he decided to stick with university. I liked Christian Coulson as Tom Riddle, but think Harry could have played up the duality of Tom Riddle-model student and Voldermort - supervillain wizard a lot better. While I think Christian Coulson is slightly better looking than Harry, Harry does have a more of a etheral quality to him which make up for it. Henry Cavill might have also worked as Voldemort, and like Harry Lloyd, was the right age and professionally acting as well at the time, but I don't know if he every tried out. 

However, I think casting was right to give Christian Coulson the role over Eddie Redmayne. Great actor but a bit too quirky looking for role, especially one with such limited scenes. He's a much better fit for Newt Scamander.

Ralph Fiennes as the final Voldemort; chef's kiss.That role needed someone with that presence that could scratch Voldemort's barely contained panic and mental instability and Ralph Fiennes' good bone structure helped as well as you could make out the once handsome man that mutilated his good looks in the quest for immortality and power. 

[methodwriter85]

Heather Graham was apparently offered the role of Heather McNamara in Heathers but her parents got her turn it down because they thought the movie was made of Satan. LOL. I would have liked to have seen her take as Lisanne Falk was 23 and didn't really look like a teenager. Shannon Doherty and Winona Ryder were really teenaged while Kim Walker (RIP) had just turned 20 so she wasn't too far out from high school, either.

[AimingforYoko]

5 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Heather Graham was apparently offered the role of Heather McNamara in Heathers but her parents got her turn it down because they thought the movie was made of Satan.

I mean, they weren't wrong.

[Danny Franks]

12 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Heather Graham was apparently offered the role of Heather McNamara in Heathers but her parents got her turn it down because they thought the movie was made of Satan. LOL. 

Wait... what did they think Boogie Nights was made of?

[Irlandesa]

5 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

Wait... what did they think Boogie Nights was made of?

She was 17 when she was offered Heathers and likely under some parental control.  By the time Boogie Nights came about, she was in her twenties and could make the choices for herself.

[Ambrosefolly]

Despite the later monumental successes of Angelina Jolie & Scarlett Johansson as well as Alicia Silverstone's later success in Clueless , I still think the casting directors made the right call in the casting of the 4 girl leads in The Craft. Same with the casting of Alicia Silverstone and Stacy Dash as Cher and Dion vs Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington in Clueless

[methodwriter85]

Supposedly Alicia Silverstone came really close to getting cast as Angela Chase in My So-Called Life, but as they put it, "This is a girl who's been told she's beautiful since she was 6 years old. You can't put that face into what was written for this girl." 

It was the right call.

[Scarlett45]

News about the casting for Wicked.

 

I have to say I’m a bit surprised at Arianna Grande as Galinda! Can she do it?? There has to be an evolution in emotional maturity with Galinda. 

[Spartan Girl]

7 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

News about the casting for Wicked.

 

I have to say I’m a bit surprised at Arianna Grande as Galinda! Can she do it?? There has to be an evolution in emotional maturity with Galinda. 

I am more than here for Cynthia as Elphaba. Her “Defying Gravity” will SLAY.

[Scarlett45]

31 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

I am more than here for Cynthia as Elphaba. Her “Defying Gravity” will SLAY.

Oh yes- her I’m not worried about!!

[JustHereForFood]

I only hoped that it would not be Lea Michele, so I am fine.

[Spartan Girl]

17 minutes ago, JustHereForFood said:

I only hoped that it would not be Lea Michele, so I am fine.

Oh yes! I can tolerate Ariana as Glinda, but that would have been unwatchable.

Now we just have to hope that neither James Corden nor Chris Pratt are cast in this…🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[JustHereForFood]

8 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Oh yes! I can tolerate Ariana as Glinda, but that would have been unwatchable.

Now we just have to hope that neither James Corden nor Chris Pratt are cast in this…🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

James Corden as Doctor Dillamond! I am calling it now 😄.

[methodwriter85]

This is random, but seriously, Luke Bracey was absolutely horrible casting for a Younger James Marsden in The Best of Me. They tried with hair dye, but it wasn't enough.

On a reverse note, I'm not familiar with Tom Blyth's work but wow, he really does look like he could be Donald Sutherland at an earlier period in his life.

Edited May 24, 2022 by methodwriter85

[Sandman]

I’m not sure the casting thread is the place for this observation, but am I the only one who can’t tell Jim Sturgess and Tom Sturridge apart? I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them together, but I am informed they’re two separate people. I liked Sturgess in One Day. I think that’s all I can say with certainty. 

Casting Ryan Gosling as a younger version of James Garner in The Notebook (speaking of Nicholas Sparks) is almost as ridiculous as the Bracey/Marsden casting above — but it might just be saved by the fact that Gena Rowland’s Allie has no idea that the story Duke is telling her is about them, so Noah and Duke are kind of … not really the same person?

Edited November 14, 2022 by Sandman

[absnow54]

14 minutes ago, Sandman said:

I’m not sure the casting thread is the place for this observation, but am I the only one who can’t tell Jim Sturgess and Tom Sturridge apart?

It's not that I can't tell them apart. I can see that they're two different people, but it's one of those Dermot Mulroney/Dylan McDermott name things, where I always have to Google the name to remember which one is which. 

[methodwriter85]

On 11/14/2022 at 3:23 PM, Sandman said:

Casting Ryan Gosling as a younger version of James Garner in The Notebook (speaking of Nicholas Sparks) is almost as ridiculous as the Bracey/Marsden casting above — but it might just be saved by the fact that Gena Rowland’s Allie has no idea that the story Duke is telling her is about them, so Noah and Duke are kind of … not really the same person?

It is hinted that she's picturing different people. At one point they pan around the ROOM and we see photos of Young Duke and Young Allie and they look like Young James Garner and Young Gena Rowlands.

But yeah, at the time, I kept thinking they should have cast Paul Newman. 

Bracey is just way too big and lanky to be believable as young, compact, perfectly proportioned lithe James Marsden. Supposedly the height difference is two inches (Luke claims 6 feet even while James claims 5'10"), but I think the size of Luke's head just makes him look so much taller than he is, as well as how long his arms are.

They should have picked a guy that was either shorter than James or didn't look so much larger/broader than James Marsden.

Edited November 18, 2022 by methodwriter85

[methodwriter85]

I didn't finish the show but I thought Bill Heck made a really good Young Jeff Bridges in The Old Man.

 Definitely one of the better castings I've seen for Young/Old that doesn't involve using relatives. He totally nailed the vibe.

[methodwriter85]

So with fantasy recasting....during the filming of Karate Kid 3 Ralph Macchio felt really uncomfortable being paired with Robyn Lively, who was 11 years younger than him, so they changed them to just being friends. I really think they should have cast another girl as Jessica who was closer to Ralph's age but could still believably play 18. Maybe Jennifer Runyon? She was still active in 1989 and always kind of had that Budget Elisabeth Shue vibe. Jill Schoelen would have been good, too- and I bet she would have looked absolutely adorable with Ralph Macchio.