Maybe a slight exaggeration, but my SO and I were noticing that in almost all of the new shows this season, we recognize almost all of the actors from some other show/film! Maybe we watch too much TV and see too many films, but it seems that this year most of the new shows are chock-filled with “B” actors who have appeared in several films/TV shows - some even had lead roles in failed TV shows from previous seasons. Very few “fresh faces” on these shows.
It has turned into a game for us - “Oh, wait - he was in that TV show that was canceled last year about the detective…” or “I remember, she was in that horrible film with Jennifer Aniston…”
Not that there is anything inherently wrong with actors getting work after a television show was canceled (they need to pay mortgages too), but it is somewhat distracting to spend several minutes trying to figure out how we know that actor and what role they used to play.
Plus, seems kind of unfair to new actors trying to break into the business - knowing that even supporting roles are now only being given to actors who have already been in the cast of other TV shows/films.
Anyone else noticing a lot of familiar faces this season?
I started listening to a lot of comedy podcasts this past spring. It seems there are a handful of people making the rounds through all the popular podcasts.
There’s a little bit of nepotism going on, as certain Writers, Directors, and Producers will recommend actors they’re familiar with from past productions. But there’s also a limited pool of actors at the level of talent and experience they need to be, who can drop into a role instantly, do a kickass job of it. A known reliable quantity can get the job done efficiently.
And for every two actors per episode you recognise, there are four or five that have two lines, the new up-and-comers who will soon enough be as recognisable as the others.
There’s an old joke that says the career of a successful actor goes like this:
Casting director: “Who’s Joe Blow?” (nobody knows who he is)
“Get me Joe Blow.” (he’s made it and he’s hot!)
“Get me a Joe Blow-type.” (get me someone who would remind people of him, but who’ll be less expensive)
“Get me a young Joe Blow.” (get me someone like he used to be)
“Who’s Joe Blow?” (and he’s forgotten again)
The upshot is that once an actor becomes a known commodity, people want him or someone like him. Movies and TV shows are big money propositions and when it’s financially possible, the people who make them will use big names to help draw fans and (debatably) assure its quality.
I saw David Simon of The Wire interviewed recently, and he said this point of view is total crap. Other than Dominic West, The Wire cast was full of unknowns and non-big names, including a lot of regional actors and some non-actors. Simon was saying that he knows people who are always complaining they just can’t find any black actors other than the few really famous ones (Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Will Smith, etc.) and he thinks it’s bullshit - they just aren’t looking. The cast of The Wire was mostly black and he said some of them have had trouble getting good work since the show ended for this reason.