The Dos and Don'ts of Recasting

If you've been producing projects for a long time, you likely have encountered a situation where you needed to replace one of your cast members (or thought you needed to). Recasting is an unpleasant situation on both sides, but unfortunately, times arise when there is no other option. Perhaps the actor disappears for months without contact, or maybe they DO contact you and let you know that circumstances came up where they will be unable to continue their role. Maybe creative differences or personality clashes arise where you and the actor are unable to maintain a working relationship. Or, if you're working as a casting director, sometimes the end client will simply say "we want a different voice", and there's not a whole lot you can do.

Recasting will almost never be pleasant, but here are some tips to help you address the situation as amicably as possible, and perhaps maintain a working relationship and/or friendship with the actor involved, if you so desire.

DO:

• Attempt to contact the actor and ask what's going on. People are human; sometimes things come up and a deadline may slip their mind, especially if they have a lot of projects going on. Try to offer a reasonable extension if you are able to do so without jeopardizing the project. If you still don't receive a response, send an e-mail with an ultimatum, such as "Hello (actor name), I've been attempting to contact you for the past week as the deadline has passed for this project. Please let me know your status by (date) at the latest. If I don't hear from you by then, I regret to inform you that I will need to recast your part."
  
• (For paid projects) Pay your actors if they've already recorded for you, even if you end up recasting. If they put in the time, they deserve to be paid for the work completed regardless.
• Try to work with the actor to fix whatever issues are leading to a possible recast, if they are open to doing so. If the issue is performance-related, it may be salvageable with a bit more direction. For instance, before recasting because "you want a deeper voice", why not at least ask your original actor if they can do a deeper voice or a certain accent, etc?
  
• Address the situation with tact and compassion. Being recast can be an emotional experience for many actors, especially if it's their first time losing a role or it's one they were really looking forward to. If you ever plan to cross paths with this actor again in the future, it's best not to burn bridges.
• Offer a different role, smaller role or cameo if you happen to have one available that the actor might fit. Some actors may decline and that decision should be respected, but for actors who were really looking to be part of the project regardless, they may see it as a nice gesture. If you choose to take this path, it should also be handled with dignity so the actor doesn't feel like they're just being handed a "consolation prize".
• Avoid recasting in the middle of a series whenever possible. If episodes with the previous actor have already been released and the character's voice suddenly changes midway through, it can be quite jarring to the audience. If you must do it, try to create a smooth transition by casting someone who can match the original actor relatively closely. They can later grow into the role more and make it their own, but it will help ease the audience into the change.
• Always inform the original actor that you are recasting. It's not a fun conversation to have, and it may be tempting to just recast them behind their back and hope they won't notice. But even if you're recasting them for not communicating or repeatedly missing deadlines, sending an e-mail will at least let them know not to bother recording them after all. And if they've already completed recordings for you, they may announce their involvement when the project comes out without realizing they've been replaced, leading to quite an awkward situation. No matter what, your actor at least deserves to know what's going on.
  
• Use recasting as a last resort, not your default method of operation.
  

DON'T:

• Recast because you decide you found someone better. One of the reasons we mandate audition deadlines on this forum is because of the tendency new producers have to award the part to the first person who submits an audition, then change their mind when someone more fitting submits an audition soon after. This is unfair to both actors involved and creates a messy situation. If things just aren't fitting how you imagined to, try to redirect the actor to something closer to what you're looking for. As a very last resort, if you truly cannot get what you want with the performance, you might consider asking them if they'd be okay with switching to a different role.
• Use Skype, Facebook, Twitter DMs or other messenger services as your sole attempt at reaching out to the actor, unless this was the way you primarily communicated. Many people do not check their social media messages in a timely/urgent manner, but chances are they do check the e-mail they use for business. If you have communicated with them via social media before, you can always try reaching out to them on there but CC them in e-mail as well.
• Get angry or use personal attacks. You may (and perhaps rightly so) feel that the actor has been unreliable or undirectable, wasted your time, or lacked quality/skill. However, insults are not only difficult to take back, but they make you look bad as a director. Whenever possible, take the high road and be professional in your communication. You can convey the gravity of the situation and still remain businesslike; for instance, "I understand that you no longer have the time available to commit to this project. However, please understand that this is extremely difficult on our team as we have already produced the first half of the series with your voice as this character, and now we need to hold auditions to replace you and get the audience used to the new voice. We would greatly appreciate it if you would reconsider and if we can assist you in a compromise."
  
• Recast an actor for "taking too long" if you haven't given a solid deadline. If you don't specify when you need the work by, it's not entirely fair to punish them for missing a nonexistent deadline. Sometimes you just can't hold up production any longer and that's okay, but clear dates should always be communicated even if you need to give an ultimatum.
• Make details of the recast public unless necessary to do so.

To minimize future situations of having to recast...

If you've not yet had to recast, consider yourself lucky! But here are some tips to (hopefully) minimize your chances of it happening.

• Allow enough time in the audition process to hear a variety of different submissions. Sometimes you think you hear something that seems like a great fit, and then closer to the deadline you'll hear a submission where you go "THAT'S it! That's what I was hearing in my head for this character!" Avoid putting off the audition process until the last minute so that you can not only get more submissions, but have time to extend and refine if needed.
• Consider doing callbacks if you're not sure. Sometimes you might be heavily debating between two or three actors for a part who all turned in great auditions, but each of them did something a little different and all options could work well for the character. By having them come back and read some additional material, you can get a better sense of their acting choices and what they might be like to work with (for instance, if they're prompt about turning in a callback, they'll probably be prompt about turning in their lines, too.)
• If you're casting for a third-party client, have them be as specific as possible with what they're looking for and allow them to approve your final picks before you post anything or contact the actors to inform them they were chosen. It can be an embarrassing situation all-around if the client changes their mind about what they want, although sometimes it's unavoidable.
• Be upfront in the audition process about rougly how much time commitment actors should expect for each of the roles. For instance, a very busy actor might see that main roles have approximately 200 lines while side roles have approximately 80 lines, and realize that they should probably just audition for the side roles given their schedule. It's also a bit rough on the actor side if you expect something's going to be a quick job and they suddenly spring on you that it's going to be, say, a 100-page script! You might also wish to include the approximate timeframes that each actor will be expected to adhere to (for instance, "The lead role of this project will have about 8 hours worth of recording in total, and this part will need to be completed by the end of January.")
  
• Always give specific deadlines (with a little wiggle room if possible). Even if it's tempting to say "take as much time as you need", this can come back to bite you if they end up taking all the time in the world. Try to allow for a little extra time if possible in case they end up needing an extension, unless you have a hard deadline for production (in which case, inform them of such.) Many actors greatly appreciate it if you send a reminder a few days before the deadline (in the case of long deadlines) and it can help reduce the cases of "I'm so sorry, I forgot!"
  
• Consider having a "backup/understudy" in mind (such as another one of the auditions you really liked) just in case something happens where the original actor can no longer do the role. You don't need to contact this person or post anything about it on the cast list as chances are you won't actually ever need an understudy, but never hurts to have a private file somewhere where you make notes of your alternate choice(s) just in case. If you have to recast when production is already underway, you may not have the time for another full audition process and it helps to just have a go-to you can ask immediately if they're willing to take over.
• For larger, paid projects, consider having contracts signed to protect both parties. A contract may state, for instance, that the actor in good faith agrees to complete the work as scheduled for the duration of the project, except in case of emergency or other extenuating circumstances. (For free projects, your options are going to be more limited as you're working with people on a volunteer basis.)