TV And Movie Roles That Were Famously Recast
Although he’s well known for the role today, Bob Saget didn’t always play Danny Tanner on “Full House.” The pilot was originally filmed with actor John Posey in the role. He was recast with Saget in 1987 after the studio decided Saget was a better fit. Posey, meanwhile, has gone on to have a solid acting career, with recurring parts in popular shows like “ER” and “How to Get Away with Murder.”
Alex Borstein played the original Sookie St. James on the unaired pilot of “Gilmore Girls.” But she was replaced by Melissa McCarthy in the picked-up series because Borstein had a conflict with her “MADtv” schedule. Borstein did go on to have cameos on the beloved show, though.
Janet Hubert did not leave the role of Aunt Vivian “Viv” Banks on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” without a fuss. She allegedly did not get along with her fellow cast members, particularly Will Smith. Daphne Reid replaced her in the fourth season of the show.
Chris Farley had almost completed recording the title voice for the movie “Shrek” when he died in 1997. Mike Myers, a friend of the late actor from their “Saturday Night Live” days, ended up replacing Farley as the iconic character before the film was released in 2001.
The classic British TV show has had no fewer than 13 actors playing the Doctor since the show started in 1963. William Hartnell was the first Doctor Who. Jodie Whittaker is the current doctor, and the first woman to play the role. The recasting of the main role is built into “Dr. Who” with the Time Lord able to transform physical form.
Similar to “Dr. Who,” the James Bond movies has a long tradition of recasting its main character. Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and, most recently, Daniel Craig have all played Bond. With Craig about to embark on his final adventure as Agent 007 in 2020, it remains to be seen how they’ll handle casting for the next set of movies.
Claire Foy did an admirable and award-winning job as Queen Elizabeth II in the first two seasons of Netflix’s “The Crown.” But as the character ages into middle age in season three, Oscar winner Olivia Colman will step into the role for a couple seasons before she’s replaced by an older actor for the monarch’s later years.
Alec Baldwin played author Tom Clancy’s famous character Jack Ryan in 1990’s “The Hunt for Red October,” but was replaced by Harrison Ford in 1992’s “Patriot Games” and its sequel, “Clear and Present Danger,” after negotiations broke down between Baldwin and studio executives. The role has also been played by Ben Affleck, Chris Pine and John Krasinski in other projects.
Perhaps the best known television recasting from the early days was on “Bewitched,” where Dick Sargent replaced Dick York as the character Darrin Stephens, the husband of Samantha, in season six. York had back problems that led to his departure.
Next >
