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Worst castings in soap history
Sorry. But i have still not got over them choosing the wrong actress to play Michelle Fowler when the character came back to the show. If it is not possible to improve on the original then it is pointless doing the recast in the first place
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Other characters have been recast after less than a decade so what made Michelle so special?
Michelle was way before my time and the new actress was very good so no complaints from me.
Another two for EastEnders
Ben Mitchell (Josh Pascoe and Max Bowden)
Johnny Carter
The recast Liam Butcher was horrendous.
The most recent version of Peter Beale.
Johnny Carter Mark 2.
Charlie Clapham Hollyoaks
William ROache Corrie
Jimmy Harkishian Corrie
I never understand this point of view. It’s called acting and actors are required to play all sorts of roles that don’t reflect their real life personalities. Should serial killers only be played by real life serial killers? Gay people can play straight roles and straight people can play gay people imo. Takaya Honda is straight, April Rose Pengilly is straight so not sure why you didn’t mention them either.
This 👍👍👍
Masie in Emmerdale. The acting was horrific. At least she was unintentionally funny I suppose.
Freddie Roscoe in Hollyoaks was so bad. Neighbours decided to have the daughter of the legendary Scott and Charlene be played by some model who couldn't act. They also had some Christian Grey knockoff character played by someone who made infant school drama class students look polished.
When a character's major storyline focuses on experiences because of their sexuality, for example, it's generally accepted that the role should go to somebody who has actually lived that experience if at all possible. Of course straight people can play gay characters, gay actors can play straight roles, but increasingly people in the industry are calling for minority roles to go to actors from that demographic.
I didn't watch Neighbours so can't comment on this character but at the very least it strikes me as being a bit odd to cast a non dancer as a dancer if there were to be any scenes of them dancing!
There are lots of people I feel shouldn't have been cast because I can't stand their "acting" but there are plenty of threads where we can discuss that. So I'll be a bit more general and say my pet hates are:
- Casting on looks rather than acting. I think Eastenders has really bad form for this, we've had loads of pretty boys come through the Square who can't act at all. Freddie Slater is the latest.
- Recasts very often don't work. I'm thinking specifically here of the increasingly terrible Peter Beale on Eastenders and the many versions of Ben Mitchell. With Ben I think we've seen a real lack of forward planning as the character has been involved in more and more dramatic storylines which inevitably means a recast as the current iteration can't handle the new direction. On the other hand, I think Martin Fowler was a pretty much seamless transition, so it's not every time.
Are you really comparing serial killers to gay people? And being gay isn't a 'personality' either.
Besides, it's not just about being able to 'play a gay role as a straight actor', but also about equality of opportunity. Aaron was one of the few gay characters on Australian television, so why should they give the role to a straight actor (who could portray one of the hundreds of straight roles available), when there were tons of openly gay actors who could have played the role better?
You raise a good point about Takaya and April though; maybe they should have been played by openly gay/bisexual actors too. Takaya went through an extensive audition process - and almost got the role of Leo - so, there was obviously some thought put into that. But neither he nor April were hired to play an exotic dancer without making sure that they could actually dance first, and neither of them made homophobic/biphobic comments on national television!
I was taking the argument to its it’s extreme. Plus, I’m gay, so don’t try telling me what being gay is about. You are reducing people to their sexual identity if you think only gay men can play gay characters. As I said, it’s also perfectly possible to have gay people playing straight roles. Just because some people have an issue with straights playing gays, doesn’t mean we all do. It would only be objectionable if gay people were deliberately excluded from auditioning for a role or weren’t hired simply because of their sexuality. If the best actor for a gay role turns out to be straight, why shouldn’t they get the part?
This I agree with. The writing for the character was atrocious, Jenna is not to be blamed for that. I just really wish she had stuck around to give another team the chance to revive her.
The way they revived Ben Mitchell following Joshua Pascoe’s dreadful Heather-slaying version shows it can be done.
Agreed. It’s absolute nonsense. Actors should be able to play any role, it’s literally what the profession is about. As a gay man, I’d personally be offended if I was only considered for gay roles.
Stuff this new age idea of “representation”, I’m absolutely for equal opportunities and giving everyone the chance to audition - but if a gay actor is not the best suited for the part, they should not get it.
Okay, you've both made fair points. I generally agree that an actor's sexuality doesn't matter as long as they are the best person to audition, but there are definitely situations where it does and should.
But let's not derail this thread: it's not about sexuality, it's about bad castings, and I just think that Matt was miscast as Aaron; that was my point.
However EE has got it right with second castings, Kim Metcalf as Sam Mitchell and Todd Carty as Mark Fowler were better than the original actors.
Okay, fair enough. I actually wasn’t keen on Aaron when he first arrived but he grew on me over the years. Unfortunately with Neighbours a lot of the time actors were cast purely for their looks and nothing else. I’d say Kip Gamblin in Neighbours (Brad). Absolutely nothing like Scott Michaelsons portrayal in the 90s. Brad was an utter himbo- blonde, thick as mince and loved surfing. Came back as a teacher!!! 😂
Those Pritchards were an embarrassment. To say they can't act is would be doing a disservice to bad actors, they're on another level entirely. Their storyline was a waste of time, as well.
Was Maisie really that bad an actor?
Weird I thought James a fab actor as Martin and he seem popular on here