You are the casting director

Cafe Society
1

So there is a new show on TV. You are the casting director. It can be a comedy or a drama or anything in between. But you can only cast people that you loved in old shows or a movie that you never saw act again or who got work sparsely after the role you loved.

Maybe I’m the only one. I’m delighted when I see an actor pop up in a role after I haven’t seen them in years. I always think that if given the chance I would find these underemployed actors and give them another break.

I guess a good example in real life would be Jackie Earle Haley. Big roles as a child and young adult in things like *The Bad New Bears *and Breaking Away and then nothing for years. Then he comes back with an Oscar nom and is killing it as a character actor.

Your picks can be officially retired but they must still be alive.

I’ll start with Marc Alaimo and Andrew Robinson from Deep Space Nine. Both have worked since but those roles showed how good they were on the screen and it should have gotten them more work.

I would also put Richard Sanders in everything I did. Probably make him play evil.

2

I often watch TV shows that I love and can not believe that some actors did not have HUGE careers after the show went off the air. I’m almost sad to know it, but it is also possible some actors don’t want to continue working in Holywood.

I would cast:

Anthony Simcoe - played Dargo in Farscape, never seen him again.

Gigi Edgley - Played Chiana in Farscape, never seen again.

J. August Richards - Played Charles Gunn in Angel, almost never seen again. A leading man type actor who apparently missed out.

**Jamie Bamber **- Lee Adama on Battlestar. I saw him guest just once on Dollhouse, but that was a decade ago and I have not seen him on screen since.

Claudia Christian - Ivanova from Babylon 5. Would love her to be a lead again. A few more from Babylon 5, but they got hit with a big death curse and many have passed. Stephen Briggs, Jerry Doyle, etc.

**Jewel Staite **- Kaylee from Firefly. I did actually just see her guest on the Magicians, but she is a great actress and I want her working!

3

Although most of those didn’t completely disappear all good choices. I would watch that show. I believe Jamie Bamber has mostly worked in the UK including Law and Order:UK. Doing no research at all I think J. August Richards has been on a number of shows that failed to catch on. Also several episodes of Agents of Shield as Deathlok.

4

I am big fan of their work as well and a huge Trekkie as well. So I could probably add half a dozen actors from Star Trek alone.(I am going exclude main members of the cast.)

From The Next Generation:
John de Lancie who played Q
Robert O’Reilly who played Gowron

From Deep Space Nine:
Casey Biggs who played Damar. (His performance stands out to as been exceptional.)
Max Grodénchik who played Rom and Aron Eisenberg who played Nog.
J. G. Hertzler who played Martok
Jeffrey Combs who played Brunt and Weyoun.

5

I’d hire actors from The Wire. All of them were incredible, but none went on to great success (except possibly Dominic West).

I’d also cast some of my obscure crushes: Clea Duvall, Robin Weigert, and Madchen Amick

6

Still thinking of my favorites, but wanted to point out that a lot of new shows are thinking the way the OP is. I’ve seen SO many veterans that haven’t worked in decades suddenly showing up on TV! The wife and I have taken to saying “SO good to see them oldsters getting work again!”

The list would take up a whole new thread, but newer cop, hospital and spy shows and are full of “That guy!” surprises.

7

Isn’t Idris Elba from that show? And Michael Jordan from Black Panther?

But yes, most of that cast would be a great choice. You could convince me they were all police officers, lawyers, and criminals and the whole thing was a documentary.

8

Idris Elba, Michael B Jordan, Michael K Williams, Dominic West, Reg Cathy, Aiden Gillan… a lot of people on that show have had very good careers.

It’s one of those shows that I will always think of the actors as being from the show. The other one like that for me is Band of Brothers. I would mention that show for this thread but so many of them have gone on to great careers.

9

Don’t forget Wendell “Bunk” Pierce. His IMDb listing shows someone who has done so much work since The Wire one wonders if he ever gets a day off.

So definitely not a candidate for this thread.

Anyway: recently saw some of Magnet of Doom (L’Aîné des Ferchaux) with Jean-Paul Belmondo. Malvina Silberberg plays his girlfriend. She does a very nice job. Would cast her in any new wave French film as The Girl.

This was her only role.