To Recast or To Not: That is The Question!

[Aurora2]

I really miss JMB. Nothing against Emme Rylan, but I'm just not feeling her as Lulu and my interest in her and Dante as a couple has decreased a lot. But to be fair, the writing for the character took a noticeable turn for the worst when she was recast so I'm not sure if another actress would make me feel any better.

 

I feel much the same.  When Julie left, I told some fellow Lante friends that one big reason I liked Lante so much was that I was very drawn to both Dante and Lulu as individual characters first ... and therefore, before I could really invest in Lante again, I would first need to "feel" Emme's Lulu as Lulu.  I knew there would be some changes, but I never expected to "feel" she had become a totally new character.   Yes, writing played a part, but acting style, physical presence, and personality have also been key factors in distancing me from both Lulu and Lante.  And I tried hard not to be distanced!!  Maybe too hard because, by the time Emme finally began to be written more like Lulu early this year, I was too weary of it all to be able to re-invest.  Besides Lulu is still a very different personality from the interesting, challenging, complex and sometimes frustrating young woman to whom I became attached and for whom I enjoyed fighting when she screwed up. 

 

 

Anyway, I think with ER the Lulu character lost a lot of what made Dante/Lulu such a great couple. They were happy, but not saccrine. They were close to kinda realistic. They weren't super rich, they had kinda normalish jobs. Dante's a detective, Lulu is undecided- which is actually more of the norm lately for JMB's Lulu. They saw their families and had appropriately active social lives. I remember them even weighing financial options for the surrogacy and Lulu mentioning the cost of a dress once.

Now with this Lulu, it's like giant hair, airbrushed face, fairytale voice. I don't see her as a girl who ever liked danger, owned a nightclub, dated Johnny, or had an abortion. I don't even see her looking twice at Dante.

 

 

All of this. She is like a completely different character with the same exact name. Johnny would never have been with this Lulu.

 

And this Lulu doesn't really screw up. One reason I can't re-invest is that this Lulu is too perfect - almost more like a pretty photo-op than a real character.  She has been portrayed as the perfect wife, mother, daughter, sister, cousin, friend.  Too much so for me.  And her vibe makes her more at home at the Quartermaine estate and Carly's huge home than she is the tiny loft  - more wealthy class than very middle-class, life-of-hard-knocks Spencer.  As for the Lante relationship, one reason Dante and Lulu worked for me was that they were a case of opposites attracting - of the grounded, really-nice, stable, picket-fence kind of guy and the skeptical, sometimes confused and insecure, impulsive, adventure-seeing girl -  meeting and falling in love.  Oh, they had things in common, too - love for family, loyalty, honesty, a willingness to communicate and compromise - but their differences kept them interesting and gave them more potential story.  Now, as  you say, since the recast, the couple has become too sweet, too good, too nice - too much like each other in ways in which they used to be different.  Overall, too one-dimensional - and that lack of dimension - of being up too high on the happy couple pedestal is limiting stories for them.

 

In addition, both the writing and the acting carry no sense for me that important events in Lulu's past ever happened to this Lulu.  Sometimes the written dialogue tells us that they have - but the "feel" that they have just isn't there for me.

 

As for this Lulu being interested in Dante - perhaps not.  But nor do I see Dante attracted to this Lulu.  When they were stuck in the freezing water in the Zacchara basement, Lulu asked Dante why he kept coming back even when she continue to reject him.  Dante answered that he did so because he never found her boring.   Well, the pretty and sweet perfection have tended to make this Lulu boring for me.

 

 

Shows often recast when they explicitly want to change the character, like with CD and MIchael. They clearly wanted someone who looked more vulnerable so that the rape story would work better. I don't know if they wanted to change Lulu, but a recast gave them that opportunity, and they ran with it.

 

Indications are that show wanted to keep Julie, but perhaps, as you say, when she remained firm in her decision to leave, the show chose to change Lulu' s personaltiy.  I have spoken before about how the writing changes began for Lulu about three months after Julie would have announced her decision to leave - about the right amount of time for changes to begin to work their way through the planning, writing and filming system.  That said, through most of 2013, I saw situations in which I could still imagine Julie as Lulu - the amnesia story ... scenes with family and friends at the time of Connie's birth ... the big reveal at Connie's christening ... parts of the custody hearing ... and Lulu leaving Dante after the custody suit failed.  Not all the scenes - but enough to feel that the writers were still writing at least partly with Julie's intepretation in mind.  The sea change came in early 2014, and I will always wonder if this big shift happened because it was what the writers wanted ... or if it happened because they were writing more to Emme's style.

 

As for possibly wanting a more vulnerable image - maybe so - but, if so, it was a change which was totally lost  on me.  And this last comment is very much about the "feel' created by acting choices.   This is subjective and we will all feel differently.  However, what I do know for myself is that nothing Emme's Lulu has done has touched me in the way some of Julie's important scenes did.  When the story required, Julie's Lulu could portray a vulnerability that I have yet to experience in Emme's Lulu.  Julie's Lulu telling Dante about her abortion ...  back at the loft dealing with the day of broken glass when Luke yelled at her ... showing hurt and loss beneath her anger and disappointment in Julie's Lulu's final scenes with Maxie - in the dream sequence.  And one of my favorites - one word "Dante" when she appeared at the curtain to Dante's cubicle in the ER after he was shot in Sonny's warehouse.  In one word, I saw Lulu's overwhelming sense of vulnerablity and potential loss as she stood under harsh hospital lights facing an awful reality - while still dressed in her romantic-world opera finery. 

 

That time has passed and I don't wish for Julie to return to GH, but I do wish I could feel more of the same in Lulu now. I know that writing plays a role as well – especially with the more recent RC material where so much heart has been lost. But, whatever the reason, I feel very distanced from Lulu since the recast.

[jsbt]

I think the truth is that this regime only saw Lulu this way to begin with.

 

I think Julie Berman had her moments in 2012, but overall I saw nothing indicating they intended to challenge her anymore than they have Emme. I think it's their problem, I don't think it's the actresses. I felt they reduced Lulu to this well before she left.

[Ambrosefolly]

Several of those are very good actors, but none of them will be caught dead doing daytime television.

 

I think the best choice for Cameron remains Joey Luthman, who played young Luke in this year's flashback episode.

I think the Degrassi kids wouldn't be doing daytime, at least without several years of trying to break into movies and/or prime time, but I think Spencer List could do it, especially with the shows seemingly generous time off and him being a teenager. I just enjoy the physical resemblance he would have to both Rebecca Herbst and Chad Brannon. I like Joey Luthman, but Spencer edges him out for me as Cameron for that reason.

 

With Joey, he does make me really hate the regime  for killing off Rafe, because I think he looks like a young Michael Easton. But with little Jake not being dead, maybe he can be resurrected with Joey in the role.

Edited July 12, 2015 by Ambrosefolly

[Chairperson Meow]

Actually with the schedule, I think they have a shot at landing some Degrassi actors. Maybe not Munro Chambers, as I see him easily landing films or a tv show a'la Nina Dobrev. But Luke Bilyk would be a great Cameron or Spencer and he's one I can see doing daytime, as some (like him) will want American audiences to know who he is. It's probably why Tequan Richmond is there. Audiences know his face as "the younger brother of Chris Rock", but not his name or acting ability. Doing daytime lets them hone it (yeah, I know GH) and get their names out there.

Anyway, I see Luke Bilyk realistically as Spencer or Cam. It depends on how they take the character.

[jsbt]

I mean, I think it's a nice idea, but I think the only Degrassi kids you're potentially going to get (if they even come to L.A.) are ones that have been out of work for a number of years. Even then it's very, very unlikely, IMO. At least one of the actors mentioned is also currently in a film touring around festivals. Tequan Richmond ended his time as a child actor on a CW sitcom. I can think of a ton of young people I'd love to see in those roles, but I would never expect them to do a soap. It's not about the schedule, it's about the stigma.

 

The other kid mentioned, who knows, but when it's emerging talent, I sadly rarely expect it to ever make it to daytime without two to five chances anywhere else.

Edited July 12, 2015 by jsbt

[dubbel zout]

Does daytime have the same stigma for young actors? As Grrpants09 noted, soaps are a way to hone talent and get their names out there, especially if they're coming from Canada.

[jsbt]

I think it has even more of the stigma for young actors.

[Ambrosefolly]

I don't think it is a stigma, I think it doesn't offer the cache as it once did. Visibility is visibility and a paycheck is a paycheck. When Jonathan Jackson first started winning Emmys, the number of soap operas were in the double digits and they were willing to create new ones. Now, 4 so an emmy is not that big of a deal. 

[Chairperson Meow]

I don't know. If you're Luke Bilyk or Munro Chambers and you're talented, but your only American credits are tv movies and parts in Beethoven sequels (besides Degrassi ), then a prominent role on American soaps might look good. GH might be cheesy to us, but it's the only soap that gets coverage in EW. So a degrassi actor going to EW would get coverage and get the actors' names out there.

Only Nina Dobrev has managed acting success out of Degrassi. Drake is the most successful, but he's not an actor and never mentions it. So yes, I do think being on GH would help these actors out. It's a matter of Frank stepping out of the Hair Model box, as these kids act. They won't be at his local gym.

[jsbt]

Munro Chambers is in a movie that just toured Sundance and a bunch of festivals and is out next month.

[Chairperson Meow]

Turbo Kid? Sure. If it ends up being the next Kick Ass as it goes against Deadpool and the other big comic franchise films. Hopefully it leads to a better role than the crap he has in post production, Country Crush. It's the tale of a city gal falling for a country boy and music is involved.

Tequan Richmond was also in a Golden Globe nominated movie while on GH and was on a high rated sitcom thar he still gets residuals for before coming to GH.

Anything is possible.

[Ambrosefolly]

One of these boards top picks for recast Lucky, Mark Lawson, was in the new Audi "Commander" commercial. 

[Chairperson Meow]

So... he's still acting? Wee Pocket Police Squad 2016 Goals!

[Tiger]

One of these boards top picks for recast Lucky, Mark Lawson, was in the new Audi "Commander" commercial.

Was that the one that aired during the Superbowl comparing an Audi to the Space Shuttle?

[Ambrosefolly]

Was that the one that aired during the Superbowl comparing an Audi to the Space Shuttle?

Yep. When I saw that smile in the black and white photo, I thought it was him.

[Chairperson Meow]

My dream now is that they ship Jake on some magical plane to Shriners and when Liz and Jason get there.... or Liz... they /she walk in and it's Mark Lawson as recast Lucky sitting with a recast Jake. If we have to sit through this, can we get a decent child actor?Just have Lucky say "Liz, I wanted to be there for our sons. I'm so sorry. I thought I was a burden will you forgive me?" Boom. Work from there.

[Ambrosefolly]

Does anyone think that Forbes March would make a decent Steve Lars?

[dubbel zout]

Depends on how dumb they want Steven Lars to be. And I think FM has retired from acting anyway. He has a successful firewood business in New Jersey going on.

[Ambrosefolly]

Really, that dumb? He seemed pretty well liked on OLTL. Ideally it would be Daniel Cosgrove, but hasn't he gotten sick of playing recasts?

[UYI]

Not to mention that hiring DC would lead to fear of cancellation (Insert "But it needs to be cancelled!" jokes here.)

 

He's got a cancellation curse attached to his name in soaps, and that has to suck. 

[WendyCR72]

Daniel Cosgrove is going back to Days, anyway. As far as I know, Aiden was killed by Bo after Aiden attempted to kill Hope, but hey, it's a soap. Or maybe he's a ghost? New character? Who knows.

[UYI]

You know, I had totally forgotten he had been on DAYS without it being cancelled...and now I may have just cursed him again. 

[Chairperson Meow]

We need to talk about Morgan. Recast. Please.

[Oracle42]

I think DC would be great as Steven Webber.

[dubbel zout]

Really, that dumb? He seemed pretty well liked on OLTL.

 

I don't think people disliked FM, but he never seemed like the sharpest knife in the block.

[Chairperson Meow]

Was DC ever on 90210? I vaguely remember him.

[KerleyQ]

Was DC ever on 90210? I vaguely remember him.

 

Yes.  If I remember correctly, his character was involved with Kelly, right around the time Kelly and Donna opened that clothing store.  

[dubbel zout]

Wasn't he their lawyer? He always seemed to be nagging them about something.

[tvgoddess]

His character and Kelly almost got married. Then she dumped him for Dylan. Hah. I'll always be grateful it ended that way.

[Oracle42]

SJB as Sarah Webber

[HeatLifer]

SJB as Sarah Webber

I'll take SJB as any character.

[WendyCR72]

Eh, SJB is overrated. Yep, I did say it! (Probably should have gone into the UO thread, oh well!)

[dubbel zout]

SJB leans very heavily on the flared nostrils, trembling chin, and tears. I had enough of that when she was Carly and Claudia. 

[Chairperson Meow]

Since Jake is getting recast, I decided to go through Degrassi clips and pick my dream recasts for SORAS Jake, Cam, and Spencer.

Here are acting samples:

Edited March 11, 2016 by Grrpants09

[Ambrosefolly]

Molly Burnett is so distracting as Maxie. It almost seems like a completely different character. Which is funny because when Jen Lilley took over Maxie in a similar manner, I was able to get on board quickly. I don't know what it is. Maybe JL (as a blonde) looked a bit more like KS and her voice had similar pitch. Made it less jarring.

[Oracle42]

I think JL was a better fit for the character and writers who were familiar with Maxie were writing her dialogue 

[Chairperson Meow]

We could have a KSt hologram and it would suck because these writers don't even know women.  Recast them.  

[peachmangosteen]

Personally so far I like this Maxie much more than I like KS' Maxie. But KS' Maxie has always been my least fave Maxie. I loved RR and JL as Maxie though.

But yea Molly Burnett isn't even trying to play Maxie. But again, fine by me, because I can't deal with Maxie's Maxieness anymore anyway.

[Aurora2]

On 12/02/2018 at 10:38 PM, Ambrosefolly said:

I agree. I like Emme Rylan as a person, she seems very nice, but she never had that Lulu "vibe". JMB had it the moment she stepped in as Lulu, Jen Lilley made a much better Maxie recast than ER as Lulu, and she was a temp. I have a feeling with ER they just wanted a "get" from the Young and The Restless. 

 

 

On 12/02/2018 at 11:43 PM, dubbel zout said:

I agree. I think it was discussed earlier (when she was cast) that the main reasons she got the role are soap experience and a decent fan base. I don't think Lulu should have gone to a newbie, but the show did a decent job with Jen Lilley filling in for KSt and Martha Madison when BH got sick. It can find appropriate actors. 

 

 

On 13/02/2018 at 3:09 AM, Oracle42 said:

I don't think it's a matter of liking her. FV chose her and he cannot/will not admit when he's made a mistake. I think he also chose her because she was a known face from CBS, and he knew (knows) jack shit about Lulu 

 

On 13/02/2018 at 3:15 AM, ulkis said:

I don't think FV being stubborn applies in this case, I think if anything FV just doesn't care enough to bother to recast.

MT said that she was actually their first choice for Lulu but they didn't think she was available when they were auditioning, but who knows if he's lying or not.

 

Almost five years after she named as Julie Berman’s successor as Lulu, Emme’s suitability as a recast for this role is still being questioned.  So what happened in the recast process for Lulu Spencer between July, 2012, and early March, 2013, when Emme was announced as the new Lulu.?  That’s just over seven months, so what was happening in this timeframe on the issue of replacing Julie as Lulu???  

By the end of July, 2012, Julie had given her initial notice that she intended to leave when her contract ended that November.  She agreed to stay until March, 2013, to allow time for the creation of a story to exit her Lulu and to facilitate the recasting process

Yet the casting call didn’t go out until mid-January, 2013, and then (according to Dom at a PA), screen tests were done in late February at about the same time Julie was taping her last scenes.  

What was happening with Emme’s availability in this July, 2012, to February, 2013 time frame?  In mid-September, 2012, she was fired from her contract role on The Young and the Restless.  So she was available.  

Then in mid-December, 2012, her return to RECURRING status on Y&R was announced, with taping to begin in January, 2013, and a first air date in mid-February, 2013.  But her RECURRING status was well publicizied and "recurring" means “available,” doesn’t it?  

What we do know about the specifics of Emme’s hiring process comes from Dom’s words at PAs on March 9, 10, 2013, and Emme’s comments in a SOD article soon after her hiring as Lulu was announced on March 6,

At the PAs, Dom:

… confirmed that actresses had very recently read for the part but Frank (not Mark T) nixed the candidates, deeming that Dom would “eat them alive.” 

… confirmed that he had not met Emme- let alone screen test with her.

… also said that two of the reasons she was hired were:  being used to the soap grind and being able to bring an established fan base with her. 

In the SOD article, Emme confirmed that she had been hired by a phone call and things had to happen quickly to exit her from Y&R.

While I acknowledge that there are negotiating factors of which we are unaware, I can’t help but look at this long time frame and the lateness of action as a careless disregard for the character Lulu.  I also think that the hiring of an actress with such a different onscreen personality and acting style may show a lack of understanding of the character of Lulu.  As well, I thought it was especially cavalier to hire anyone – even a known from other soaps – without screen testing her with such a well-established love interest for the character she would be playing. 

Edited February 18, 2018 by Aurora2

[WendyCR72]

Honestly, and I mean no disrespect, I think much of the reason Emme Rylan was hired as Lulu is because she is a soap lifer and looked enough like the part that her actual essence didn't matter to anyone. It's also why I think, after so many recasts, that I think Laura Wright got the role of Carly in 2005. (Granted, she has Carly's snide factor down, but seemed to never get the vulnerable angle.)

Soaps being what they are now, many no longer stay. Why would they, when the writing and everything else is now generic, at best?

So the execs stay within the lifer pool and hope for the best, since most other actors now go elsewhere.

[Neptune]

would anyone want aj to come back? even if it was a new actor

[statsgirl]

I want AJ back but only if he was written as a viable character and not Sonny's and Carly's punching bag.  The show needs a strong anchor opposite the Corinthos mob. With Monica now the grande dame. Dillon off, Michael a Corinthos and Ned newly sketchy, there's nothing to contrast with the Corinthos clan.

[Oracle42]

1 hour ago, Neptune said:

would anyone want aj to come back? even if it was a new actor

Yes. I'd prefer SK. But I'd accept a good recast, which would mean no underwear models or terribly tattooed soccer dads,* and that the recast had actual scene chemistry with the right characters.

*Ideally the casting director would do the casting, but I can't imagine that FV would allow that

Edited February 22, 2018 by Oracle42

[LexieLily]

3 hours ago, statsgirl said:

I want AJ back but only if he was written as a viable character and not Sonny's and Carly's punching bag.  The show needs a strong anchor opposite the Corinthos mob. With Monica now the grande dame. Dillon off, Michael a Corinthos and Ned newly sketchy, there's nothing to contrast with the Corinthos clan.

The saddest part about Genie's abrupt and random firing is that Laura could have been that, especially if she had won the mayoral election. (Dismiss this if you were just referring to Quartermaines)

[sue450]

     trying to find out...Marcello was Lesle webbers date to Laura and kevins wedding  end of last year...I have tweeted...posted on various boards  emailed soap opera digest....does anybody know????"?????.

[BlancheDevoreaux]

I desperately want them to recast Lulu.  I just can't buy Emme Rylan as that character.

[yowsah1]

On 2/21/2018 at 9:20 PM, Oracle42 said:

Yes. I'd prefer SK. But I'd accept a good recast, which would mean no underwear models or terribly tattooed soccer dads,* and that the recast had actual scene chemistry with the right characters.

*Ideally the casting director would do the casting, but I can't imagine that FV would allow that

Let's face it, the only way to insure that A.J. didn't become the all-purpose goat blamed for every ill that befalls Port Charles and hated by all*, is is the actor playing him was one of Fv's beloved "gets".  This means either an actor from an old WB/CW/early Fox show who's career has hit the skids but is still enough of a "name" to be perceived as a catch (Barry Watson, James van der Beek, Tom Welling, you get the drift), a bona fide soap star (Michael E. Knight), or someone from Y&R/B&B who's acquisition could be perceived as a blow to that show (FV would be over the moon were he able to lure Don Diamont away).  

 

Anybody else and the character would take up permanent residence under the bus.

 

* - The current position occupied by Julian Jerome.

[LillyB]

Even if JJ will not come back as Lucky. that character is needed. Both Carlton and Anthony really need a dad.

[bannana]

On ‎2018‎-‎03‎-‎23 at 10:37 AM, sue450 said:

     trying to find out...Marcello was Lesle webbers date to Laura and kevins wedding  end of last year...I have tweeted...posted on various boards  emailed soap opera digest....does anybody know????"?????.

I remember that, is that what you are asking?

[Hater]

While I think Julie is a better actress than ER, she is incredibly overrated.  She was in my eyes a mini Laura Wright.  The loud mouth she would get when she was "angry."  UGH.   I think the main issue with Lulu is the writers just don't care about her at all.   It started with JMB in the role towards the end and has continued.  Do the Spencers even matter overall?