Recasts on shows: good, bad, in between

[amybrickwallace]

 

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[Joseph]

By The way does anyone know who was the best:

NIna in AMC

Amanda in AW

Ava in Loving

[danfling]

It is generally agreed that Taylor Miller (Nina #1) was the best of the three.    I enjoyed Heather Sanford (Nina #2), but she was not nearly as good in the role as the first Nina.    Barbara Kearns (Nina #3) was said by Peter Bergman to be a good actress who probably would have been accepted on Al My Children had she been cast in some other role.    The idea of a red-headed Nina sounds hideous to me to this day.   I did not care for Ms. Kearns' voice, but her acting was not inferior.

That was on All My Children

 

[j swift]

I would suggest that Amandas are a question of taste and everyone has a preference.  Sandy Ferguson made the role popular and played a good romantic heroine.  Her Amanda was well-bred, independent, and (in my opinion) was kind of like what Iris would have been like if Mac paid more attention to her as a child.  I am in the minority that I enjoyed Laura Moss (another redheaded recast like the aforementioned ill-fated Nina).  Her portrayal was nothing special, and the plot of her trying to seduce/betray Carl seemed out of character, but her scenes with Rachel during Victoria Wyndham's anniversary episode made me sympathetic to her as an actress.  Christine Tucci was an odd choice of casting.  She looked like Rachel's daughter, given her dark wavy locks, but her Amanda lacked agency and was stuck playing second fiddle to Vicky.  Amanda was a wealthy, self confident woman, and writing her as a third wheel in a triangle did nothing for the character.  Finally, when Sandy returned, and had to play out the Lumina story, Amanda became a farce.  For years, the image of Amanda in her debutante dress was shown in the opening sequence and now to see Amanda looking older in a hoop skirt and bun was not a good look.

 

As for Ava's, you have to have a memory better than mine to remember Patty Lotz (Ava #1).  After that it is a toss up between the late Roya Megnot and Lisa Peluso.  Roya played young Ava with an urban verve and gave her a balance which kept her from being a true villain who stole her cousin's baby and tried to ruin Jack's marriage.  On the other hand Lisa's southern romantic portrayal of Ava gave routing value for her pairing with Alex.  The character changed so much with the recasting that it more a question of which plot you preferred versus which actress, and I prefer the Clay/Alex story.  I faded out after that so the other plots with Paul and Carly are not as relevant to me.

Edited September 6, 2021 by j swift

[Frank2803]

She’s gorgeous 

I looked at a recent video clip of her on YouTube, and even with the gray hair she still looks hot

[Soaplovers]

She looks like she was plucked from a 1940s film noir.  I bet her take on the character in the final weeks would have had more impact.

[amybrickwallace]

Patty Lotz even mentioned in the "Ladies of Loving" chat from last year that Ava was originally supposed to be like Jennifer Beals' character from Flashdance. That character was a blue collar girl who worked as a welder by day. I forget what Ava originally was, but no way could I see Lisa Peluso's version of the character doing that.

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[Joseph]

Wow you got me Curious I'm going to search around thanks

Me neither but I love Lisa's Ava

Edited September 7, 2021 by Joseph

[Joseph]

https://soaps.sheknows.com/soaps/news/572630/soaps-best-recasts-all-time-ranked/ 

Found this by accident but couldn't help wanting to share it with you

[Joseph]

That's a good way to describe her,

I wonder if she has stayed maybe Winter would be around longer but the story was too close to home for her as I read and she has to leave, pity when I got to see more of her I realized she was really good, and totally different from Braxton who was also good but was playing a different character

 

[Soaplovers]

I think if anything Slesar would have extended Winters story if the sudden recast was an issue.

It seemed like Winter was gone in a matter of weeks..so I'm sure the ending didn't get altered.  Seeing her in Dead movie in the mid 80s.. her being revealed as the killer and going after Nicole would have had greater impact

[Marissa Gallant]

Doesn't even list Jed Allan as CC Capwell and is therefore this list knows nothing, Jon Snow 

[Joseph]

Just realized but I Think Phyllis from Y&R might have been the only character on the show who was very well played by all three actresses

[sheilaforever]

Indeed. All three actress had a different take on the character - and it all worked wonderfully. That said, one could argue that Michelle Stafford also played a different Phyllis from 2000-2005 (and was still great at it), before she quit acting and turned to mannerism.

[Chris 2]

Off topic, but what is it with some of these veteran actresses who get hammier as they get older? Is it just me who has noticed that? Susan Seaforth Hayes, a big star in her day, is so over the top that I find her performances painful. Similar case with Robin Strasser - I found her to be kind of a ham in her old age. And don’t get me started on Jess Walton.

For a non-daytime example, see Florence Henderson.