Thoughts on Casting, Recasting and Stunt Casting

One of the most important parts of a soap opera is the cast of characters on the program. If the writing is there and the acting isn’t, a program suffers conversely if the acting is there and the writing is bad, the material has the opportunity to be elevated. I just wanted to share some thoughts on this topic in this entry.

A strong cast helps the audience relate to the fictional characters that appear in a soap opera universe. You can have amazingly talented performers, and yet if they do not gel as a unit, the show suffers. People need to be believable in their roles along with complimenting those around them.

One of way a show casts is using recasts. The concept of recasts is somewhat unique to daytime television. In films, they don’t have actors swap roles halfway through unless a character is aged. As years have gone on, they have changed actors in film series, but usually the majority of the cast is changed not just one person. In prime time, this seldom happens, with one of the most notable examples being the character of Becky on the Roseanne. Sometimes they will change a major role from the pilot to the first episode, but usually a new character is created. With franchises (television or movies), occasionally reboots occur, though that is typically in the science fiction or action adventure genres like how many different retellings there have been of the saga of Superman. In theatre, having understudies is the norm. While there are definitive performers of particular roles and certain productions, the play or musical is the thing. The text and/or music are seen as more important, as in theater, successful/popular shows are produced throughout the world with touring groups or by amateur or local theaters. Unlike in theatre, books do not exist with the best scenes from any soap operas for each year that students could use to hone their acting skills, though I wish they did.

Usually recasts happen for these reasons:

1. An actor decides to leave and a program decides the character is too important to lose. How I react to the performer change typically depends on factors like why a particular performer left, how much I like a character and how long they were in the part etc.


2. An actor is fired from a program for whatever reason and someone new is hired in their place. This is usually the dreaded, having a character go in a new direction. Depending on the popularity and the longevity of the performer the reactions vary.

The main types of recasts are:

1. Direct Recasts – This is the term I use when a program swaps actors with little or no time between performers. On Friday, one person plays the part; on Monday a different person is taking on the role. It doesn’t need to be that immediate, but there is a window of just a few days or weeks at most between performers.



2. Temporary Recasts — This is when there is a planned, but short term change in actor. An actress is pregnant and for the duration of her maternity leave, a program decides to have another person play her part.



3. Emergency Recasts – Usually these recasts are temporary, but are unplanned as an actor becomes ill suddenly and for some reason they can’t hold off on taping their scenes.

Recasts have a built in advantages and disadvantages when they are hired.

1. People are emotionally invested in their character. If the character acts like they always had that’s great, but if not there is a better chance for a backlash.



2. They will never be the last actor, who played the part, and depending on who is being replaced and why they may be in trouble as they are held to a higher standard by comparison.



3. Even if the actor does a good job, it doesn’t mean the audience forgets the prior performer.



4. If the person hired is already known for another role (whether it was in daytime or elsewhere), those memories can influence things positively and/or negatively for viewers.

Stunt Casting is when a show hires a famous or at least known performer for either an original part or a recast. Sometimes it is just a cameo visit. Other times it is for a longer duration. Stunt casting also has advantages and disadvantages for the following reasons:

1. Why spend money on a minor part with someone well-known when they could try someone new or use an established actor in daytime instead of finding a star from another genre?



2. If someone is too well-known, they won’t be seen as the character they have been hired to play.



3. If a show knows what an actor is capable of, they can mold a character that matches the performer without worrying about it unlike with an unknown.



4. People who like a performer may start watching a program just to see that person and get interested in that program. Of course, this can go the opposite way if someone dislikes a performer that has been hired from what they have seen of them in the past.

As a multi-show viewer, casting is a big deal for me. Who is coming, who is going, and whether or not the new performers are people I’ve enjoyed in the past. All of the issues influence whether or not I will like a new character or not that go beyond the story. If I like an actor in one role and dislike them in another, it is disappointing, conversely at times I’ve come to appreciate a performer more when I saw them in another part.