Rowsdower!
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Replacing actors happens a lot on TV shows for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it's scheduling conflicts. Sometimes studios cast a no-name actor in a minor role but then decide to bring in a bigger name once the character becomes more prominent. Sometimes it's due to health reasons for an actor. And sometimes it's just because the actor is an a**hole or the studio decides to screw an actor over because they like someone else better.
Whatever the reason, what are some of the best and worst examples of recasting? I think that, more often than not, it's distracting... and if the actor being replaced was doing a good job, it's hard to warm up to the new actor. But there are always exceptions.
Game of Thrones
This series seems to replace someone every season. Probably the most notable example was replacing Daario Naharis. This recasting really sucked (IMO) because Ed Skrein had a lot more personality and swagger than Whatshisname D. Bronlookalike. When Replacement Daario was written out of the show, I was ecstatic.
So far, THREE actors have played The Mountain, though perhaps this one wasn't terribly distracting because we only saw him in small spurts throughout the series until the last few seasons. And the current actor playing him is a f***ing BEAST, so I think this one works.
The Night King also got replaced. I'm not sure why, but I didn't even notice it until someone pointed it out to me. For what it's worth, I think the new actor is a little more physically imposing than the original (that guy who played Joe Chill in Batman Begins).
Black Sails
They replaced Jannes Eiselen (Dufresne) with Roland Reed in season 2. The circumstances around this appear to have been tragic; Eiselen said at the time that this was due to scheduling conflicts but it was more likely due to the fact that he had brain cancer. He tragically passed away last year. I believe that the producers of the show knew that replacing the actor would make audiences refrain from warming up to him, so they made Dufresne - in the first season a mostly moral and likeable character - into a smug, annoying little *****e from season 2 forward. Although his actions in the latter seasons of the show could certainly be justified (there are no heroes per se in Black Sails), he became so unlikable that [BLACKOUT]many of us jumped out of our seats cheering when John Silver caved his face in.[/BLACKOUT] So oddly, I feel like this recasting was both bad and good. Bad because of the tragic circumstances that precipitated it and because the replacement actor was so unlikable - but good because he was SUPPOSED to be unlikable.
Sense8
While it's still unclear as to why Ami Ameen (Capheus) was replaced with Toby Onwumere in the second season, I have to say that Toby holds his own in the role. The two of them don't look alike and there are differences in their performances but the show doesn't suffer from the change at all (IMO). My only criticism is that Toby seems a bit too bulked up for Capheus, who gets his ass handed to him in the first season except when Sun is able to help him out. But I guess you have to just chalk that up to most actors having physiques that us mere mortals are typically unable to achieve, haha. Anyway, both of these actors were great in the role and luckily for this show, the replacement turned out to be really good.
Whatever the reason, what are some of the best and worst examples of recasting? I think that, more often than not, it's distracting... and if the actor being replaced was doing a good job, it's hard to warm up to the new actor. But there are always exceptions.
Game of Thrones
This series seems to replace someone every season. Probably the most notable example was replacing Daario Naharis. This recasting really sucked (IMO) because Ed Skrein had a lot more personality and swagger than Whatshisname D. Bronlookalike. When Replacement Daario was written out of the show, I was ecstatic.
So far, THREE actors have played The Mountain, though perhaps this one wasn't terribly distracting because we only saw him in small spurts throughout the series until the last few seasons. And the current actor playing him is a f***ing BEAST, so I think this one works.
The Night King also got replaced. I'm not sure why, but I didn't even notice it until someone pointed it out to me. For what it's worth, I think the new actor is a little more physically imposing than the original (that guy who played Joe Chill in Batman Begins).
Black Sails
They replaced Jannes Eiselen (Dufresne) with Roland Reed in season 2. The circumstances around this appear to have been tragic; Eiselen said at the time that this was due to scheduling conflicts but it was more likely due to the fact that he had brain cancer. He tragically passed away last year. I believe that the producers of the show knew that replacing the actor would make audiences refrain from warming up to him, so they made Dufresne - in the first season a mostly moral and likeable character - into a smug, annoying little *****e from season 2 forward. Although his actions in the latter seasons of the show could certainly be justified (there are no heroes per se in Black Sails), he became so unlikable that [BLACKOUT]many of us jumped out of our seats cheering when John Silver caved his face in.[/BLACKOUT] So oddly, I feel like this recasting was both bad and good. Bad because of the tragic circumstances that precipitated it and because the replacement actor was so unlikable - but good because he was SUPPOSED to be unlikable.
Sense8
While it's still unclear as to why Ami Ameen (Capheus) was replaced with Toby Onwumere in the second season, I have to say that Toby holds his own in the role. The two of them don't look alike and there are differences in their performances but the show doesn't suffer from the change at all (IMO). My only criticism is that Toby seems a bit too bulked up for Capheus, who gets his ass handed to him in the first season except when Sun is able to help him out. But I guess you have to just chalk that up to most actors having physiques that us mere mortals are typically unable to achieve, haha. Anyway, both of these actors were great in the role and luckily for this show, the replacement turned out to be really good.
