'Do I know you?': Soaps’ strangest recasts!

[cassadine1991]

The recasts for Michelle Bauer after Rachel Miner

[cuzIsaySo]

My mistake. But i had heard that CW had taken over briefly as a favor to the EP at the time because after her GL run she seemed bent on trying her luck on primetime and movies so taking another soap role was a shock within the industry. Maybe i got things mixed up.

[robbwolff]

Roszell's Eleni did have an accent. It was dropped around the time Paul Rauch become executive producer.

[BKuzak]

most of my WTF moments occur when they really SORAS'd a character. Like Nick Newman. I know now Josh Morrow's been on for a couple of decades so we are used to him but remember the character was born in 1988 and was recasted with teenaged Josh in 1994.

then there was EJ on Days. born in 1997 and came back as all grown up James Scott in 2006.

aside from that (because i know that's a whole other thread), How about when Joan Collins played Alexandra Spaulding. That was all stunt casting that didn't work.

[Chris B]

Joan Collins was a better Alexandra than Marj Dusay and she should've stuck around. She was GOLD in those episodes.

[titan1978]

Thanks to YouTube, I've seen Beverlee's work as Alex. Marj is just awful as Alexandra IMO. I enjoy her in other roles but not that one. Joan Collins was excellent. I wish they could have honored the terms of her agreement so she could have stayed for awhile.

[dm.]

Eden Riegel as Heather Stevens. Enough said.

[smirks]

I miss little cutie Nicholas Newman and his vast selection of argyle sweater vests.

The best part of EJ's SORAS situation was that Will was a toddler when EJ was born. And then that baby grew up (very fast) and raped, and eventually had some kind of demented romance with Will's mama as some sort of peer.

[Ryan Chamberlain]

Someone already brought up the one that I thought was the most WTF? That was Eddie Winslow (LMAO...I mean, Darius McCreary) as Malcolm. That was a mindf**k.

[sivad40]

Why didn't they give Ellen Wheeler the role back? Was JFP the EP when this happen?

[MissLlanviewPA]

There's a line in that article that says that Linda Gottlieb, back when MK was playing Blair, actually said "people can't tell she's Asian." WTF?

[Chris B]

Good god. That was just bizarre lol. She would've been perfectly fine as Mac, although I really don't think her style is suited for a Bell soap. Eddie Winslow as sexy Malcolm was crazy, but they didn't seem to understand Malcolm at all. The lack of him with Olivia, his supercouple pairing, made no sense.

Amelia Heinle as Victoria will also go down as one of the strangest and worst miscasts as well. She couldn't have been further from who Victoria is supposed to be.

[NothinButAttitude]

Yes. I agree with Chris B. that she should've been recast as Mac. She would've fit the role so role. Going from the beloved daughter of Erica Kane to Katherine Chancellor's granddaughter could've been easily well-recieved. Plus, Eden tends to play so well opposite veterans (e.g. Susan Lucci and Eileen Herlie), that I would've loved for her to be opposite Jeanne and Jess. Especially Jeanne. Mac (IMO) was always Kay's soft spot, and seeing those two together would've warmed by heart over. Also, Eden tends to play damaged heroine better anyways. When Eden took over the role from Vail, I feel like Heather was supposed to be transitioning into a bitter, oversexed vixen (which the show needed desperately at the time). So seeing Eden come on and play Heather so saccharine was jarring for me IMO.

I'll add Jennifer Landon to this list as well. Though I liked her as Gwen on ATWT, JL being made Heather was a weird casting choice. Just her being on Y&R period was a strange casting choice. While Jennifer is beautiful, she does not fit the old school Bill Bell casting choice, which was casting people that resembled 'old Hollywood.'

Clementine Ford was a strange recast too. She looked too hard and too old to Mac. Just frumpy and manly looking too. Didn't help either that Mac was isolated from two people she should've interacted with more often--Jill and Kay.

[robbwolff]

Michael Laibson was Executive Producer when Jensen Buchanan was cast in 1991. I remember reading that Ellen Wheeler, Judi Evans, and Jensen Buchanan had auditioned for the roles of Marley and Victoria when Anne Heche left.

[DeeeDee]

Eden was too soft to play Mackenzie & isn't a CBS (especially a Bell soap) actress.

Jennifer Landon would've made a great Mackenzie recast unfortunately they cast her in part she was totally wrong for (Heather).