Though now it seems that it would be wrong for anyone else but Robert Downey, Jr. to play Tony Stark, when Iron Man was going through casting Downey was only a few years removed from a very public battle with drug addiction and hadn’t been a high profile name in even longer.
The original 1997-2001 Broadway production of the musical Jekyll & Hyde was certainly not shy about stunt celebrity casting. Musicians Jack Wagner and Sebastian Bach were two of the lead replacements, though none other than actor/musician/lifeguard legend David Hasselhoff was in the lead role at the end of the production’s run.
Reviews haven’t made it out yet on Broadway’s Orphans, the Lyle Kessler play that has unfortunately become most notable for the behind-the-scenes squabbles that led to the ouster of Shia LaBeouf from one of the lead roles, but star Alec Baldwin is still doing all he can to promote it.
After starring as Hollywood agent Ari Gold on eight seasons of Entourage, Jeremy Piven didn’t expect that his next major role would be in another television series. Yet Piven stars as real-life turn-of-the-twentieth-century department store tycoon Harry Selfridge in Mr. Selfridge on PBS’ Masterpiece Classic.
Some actors shrug off a label like “character actor” as something that somewhat minimizes their contribution to a production. However, veteran actor John C. McGinley is not one of those actors.
In Disconnect, the usually very funny Jason Bateman plays a career obsessed lawyer who is unaware that his son is being cyber bullied.
Ed Weeks has had the opportunity to grow along with his character, ladies’ man Dr. Jeremy Reed, on FOX’s The Mindy Project. But before his audition, Weeks wasn’t sure he would be able to land the part on Mindy Kaling’s sitcom.
John Slattery faced one of his biggest challenges so far while playing Mad Men’s Roger Sterling. Roger had to break down over the death of his shoe-shine guy.
When moviegoers go see 42 this weekend, many will be seeing star Chadwick Boseman for the first time. Though Boseman has been acting for a decade, starring as the iconic baseball hero Jackie Robinson is by far his most high-profile role.
Bette Midler spent most of her career creating the persona of “The Divine Miss M.” But looking back, the actress regrets not taking more chances.
The creator of Mad Men, Matt Weiner, begins every season by having a long dinner with his leading man, Jon Hamm. They discuss the trajectory of the scripts and the characters, but they’re also known to slip in a few low-brow jokes as well.
Megan Mullally has carved out an incredible career in theater and comedy—especially for someone who doesn’t consider herself a trained actress.
There’s no way fans of Mad Men would have allowed Elisabeth Moss’ character Peggy Olson to have been kicked off the show. The creator of the AMC drama, Matt Weiner, would never have let that happen either.
Along with its high ratings, the History Channel’s mini-series The Bible was in the news because the actor playing Satan kind of… sort of… well, maybe looked like Barack Obama, the President of the United States.
Patina Miller faces a significant challenge as she takes on the role of the Leading Player in the Broadway revival of Pippin. For one thing, Miller’s only previous Broadway experience was starring in Sister Act.
For most actors, getting cast in a Woody Allen movie is something to be crossed off one’s bucket list. However, when the cast list for Allen’s next film — which would eventually be titled Blue Jasmine — was revealed, two unlikely names were on the list: comedians Andrew Dice Clay and Louis C.K.
Though Ben Foster is officially starring as Treat in Broadway’s Orphans, as far as the cast and crew of Orphans is concerned Foster should probably be billed as “lifesaver.”
Though it is still in previews, Orphans is one of the most talked about Broadway plays in recent memory. This is because it not only stars Alec Baldwin making his Broadway return for the first time in nine years and it is directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan, but because of the extensive behind the scenes drama that led to the exit of Shia LaBeouf from the cast and its very public aftermath.
There are few actors who can show emotion on stage as well as Bobby Cannavale. Despite a deep passion for the Broadway stage, Cannavale’s intensity makes him in demand for a variety of film and television roles, including a season-long stint on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.
There’s a general plan for the series Game of Thrones because of George R. R. Martin’s books. But because HBO tends to stray from the novels, most of the characters on the show have no idea what’s next for their characters. Aidan Gillen, who plays Petyr ‘Littlefinger’ Baelish, is just one example.
