Who would you recast to improve the show

[Blaze]

In the case of most characters, I think we grew to love whoever played them. But if you had to recast some roles in order to improve the show, who would you recast? And which actor/actress would you have playing the role? The only rule is that you cannot change the roles (ei. same lines, same screen time, all you can change is the actor. For example, no matter who plays Dawn, she'll always be that winy teenager 😛).

Some of my choices would be:

-Riley: I don't think it matters who the actor is, I don't really like Riley's personality. But having an actor that isn't as stiff and that can show a bit more variety would have been much better I think. Can't really think of who I'd switch him for, but plenty of guys would have probably done a better job with the role.

-Connor: Nothing against VK, but I just don't really see him as Angel and Darla's son. I would have liked someone that looks a bit more like Angel. Again, who knows who that'd be, I would have to think about it.

 

[Ragnar]

I could never get invested in Tara, just because she often seemed like a woman acting more than a real character to me. I didn't find her very convincing. For the mid-series additions, I think Spike and Anya added a lot to the show and the actors brought something unique to their parts, whereas Riley, Tara and Dawn could have been played equally as well or better by a lot of actors.

 

[Blaze]

I could never get invested in Tara, just because she often seemed like a woman acting more than a real character to me. I didn't find her very convincing. For the mid-series additions, I think Spike and Anya added a lot to the show and the actors brought something unique to their parts, whereas Riley, Tara and Dawn could have been played equally as well or better by a lot of actors.

Aw, I gotta disagree on Amber, I love her for the role of Tara, but I can see where you're coming from. But MT as Dawn! I always thought MT was the most underrated actress on BtVS, she's really great. To each their own though 😛 I can at least agree with Riley!

 

[Samuel Reyes]

There are some actors like Tony Head or James Marsters who fit the character so well you can't imagine them being played by anyone else, then there are generic characters like Riley who could easily be replaced with another actor. So, Riley. Marc Blucas was good, but expendable.

Hmmm... many people don't like Dawn (for obvious reasons), but IMO you can't deny that Michelle Trachtenberg did the best she could with the role, so I wouldn't recast her (if anything they needed to rewrite the material).

Love Tara, and Amber seems like she'd be really cool to hang with. Again I'd say it's how the character was written that makes her a bit bland, but you can't fault Amber in the role.

Overall I'll say Marc Blucas. Everyone else was great.

 

[Fuffy Baith]

That's the thing I love about Buffy is that the main cast pretty much, and most of the recurring characters are played by actors that give a great performance. I think we all can agree on Riley, without changing the material, pretty much any guy could have played him. It's hard to think of actors at the time that I'd like to see play him. As for Dawn I think MT does a great job with what she's given, she's just not given much range or development til s7 sadly. I also think Amber Benson grew into the role of Tara once they started using her better in s5. I still just find the character a bit boring and underdeveloped but that's not the actresses fault.

Now there's probably some one ep characters that cold have been replaced. I personally didn't care for Dracula. I also think the actress in Inca Mummy Girl was terrible n maybe I'd like it better if they had a better actress that could bring more subtle nuances to the role. Forrest is also replaceable to me. Not Graham though, I liked him. lol. I'm sure there are others I can't think of right now.

 

[Blaze]

Just remembered that I would totally change Kendra. I know a lot of people love that actress, but I personally think she's really wooden, and not just in BtVS but in everything I've seen her in. Actually, I would have loved to see Dichen Lachman (Sierra in Dollhouse) play Kendra, I think she would have done a much better job.

 

[thetopher]

Just remembered that I would totally change Kendra.

Or at least her accent, right? That was just distracting. 😕

I agree with recasting Riley- find somebody who can play psychologist, soldier and Buffy's boyfriend convincingly, because he never really did with me.

Actually a lot of the Initiative- they just tended to looked like well-armed frat boys, no military grit. Change Forest as well 'cause he annoyed me.

Robin Wood is another. After watching him in 'Suits' I think I know what my problem is with D.B Woodside, when he's trying to be likable/charming (especially with women like Jessica, his boss) he usually comes across as kinda smug.
This isn't really the case when he's 'principal with a secret' but afterwards? Yeah, he was a bit of a douche without really meaning to be and it gets worse as the season progresses.

Oh, and recast some of those Potentials, they just seemed too generic.

 

[bespangeled]

Aw, I gotta disagree on Amber, I love her for the role of Tara, but I can see where you're coming from. But MT as Dawn! I always thought MT was the most underrated actress on BtVS, she's really great. To each their own though 😛 I can at least agree with Riley!

I think a lot of us agree on Riley. I kinda love Amber Benson so that clouds my judgement. But I can see someone else as Dawn - someone younger because of how they wrote the role. 

Just remembered that I would totally change Kendra. I know a lot of people love that actress, but I personally think she's really wooden, and not just in BtVS but in everything I've seen her in. Actually, I would have loved to see Dichen Lachman (Sierra in Dollhouse) play Kendra, I think she would have done a much better job.

Or River Glau - she would have been an amazing slayer!

 

[sk]

Or River Glau - she would have been an amazing slayer!

River Glau? Nice combination there... 😛
But I agree. Both Glau and Lachman could've been good slayers. But I can't say that I've big issues with Lawson either. Think it's mostly the accent as thetopher pointed out.

The first one that comes to my mind, like everyone else's it seems, is Riley.
I'm not very good at deciding if an actor is good or not. To me it seems mostly be in the script rather than the actor if something feels wooden and off.
But Blucas didn't even manage to convince me and that's not very good...

Second choice would be Connor. But there I think it's more the character than the actor that is the main problem.

/SK

 

[Silverspike]

I'm going against the grain here and say I loved Blucas as Riley. I thought he had the right touch of decency and old world charm about him. I always saw him as the Captain America of the Buffyverse and I thought he did well in that role.

He's also a very nice man apparently. Years back I remember a friend of mine who works for the London hospital in the east end telling me when he was in town shooting a movie that he visited the kids cancer ward to help entertain them and didn't want any publicity about it, and this wasn't all that long after Buffy finished.

So, yeah I liked both the character and the actor. 😀

 

[white avenger]

If I were able to change the character as well as the actor, I would cast Alex McLaughlin ("Moonlight" and "Hawaii Five O") as Riley, not as dark and troubled as Angel, but a man struggling with the role of charming college boy. Basically, the kind of man that you would look at and think "dangerous" immediately, and have no doubt that he was the one to side with in a SHTF situation, pretty much the same character that he's playing now in "Hawaii Five )," only a few years younger.

Marc Blucas played Riley as just too young, and fresh to be a hardened warrior and member of an elite military team. Not to mention that he was just too dang pretty to really impress me as being a man's man.

 

[Fuffy]

Riley could have used a more expressive actor, would have made his lack of character not as bad 😛
)His character reminds me of a underdeveloped version of Captain America)

Everyone else stays the same 😀

To me it seems mostly be in the script rather than the actor if something feels wooden and off.

My complaints about Riley are more script related than character or actor related.

Or at least her accent, right? That was just distracting. 😕

Her accent didn't do a good job in distracting us from her atrocious character 🙁

 

[Firstina]

I'm going against the grain here and say I loved Blucas as Riley. I thought he had the right touch of decency and old world charm about him. I always saw him as the Captain America of the Buffyverse and I thought he did well in that role.
He's also a very nice man apparently. Years back I remember a friend of mine who works for the London hospital in the east end telling me when he was in town shooting a movie that he visited the kids cancer ward to help entertain them and didn't want any publicity about it, and this wasn't all that long after Buffy finished.
So, yeah I liked both the character and the actor. 😀

Agreed. Hands off from Riley.😉

 

[Silverspike]

"Marc Blucas played Riley as just too young"

Well If he'd looked much older he would have looked far too old to still be in college. 😀

 

[Mr Trick]

Just remembered that I would totally change Kendra. I know a lot of people love that actress, but I personally think she's really wooden, and not just in BtVS but in everything I've seen her in. Actually, I would have loved to see Dichen Lachman (Sierra in Dollhouse) play Kendra, I think she would have done a much better job.

She's meant to be wooden it just goes with the character! And besides I can just listen to her delivering the line "I am Kendra the Vampire Slayer" in that weird accent on a constant loop😀

I have the perfect replacement for MB as Riley, if he beefed up I think Colin Hanks would have been perfect for role, he can do charming, sensitive, is quite straight faced, and would have felt a more down to earth choice too. Even him or Mark Walberg but I think Marky Mark was a bit of a name at that point.

 

[white avenger]

This is Blucas during his role in the very short lived "Lady Killers." Like Wesley, looking older and a bit grubbier helps, but he's still just too dang pretty to play a member of an elite military unit, hand picked to fight supernatural beings.

 

[Silverspike]

Somehow I don't think the Initiative would let looks stand in the way of talent.

 

[Fuffy Baith]

This is Blucas during his role in the very short lived "Lady Killers." Like Wesley, looking older and a bit grubbier helps, but he's still just too dang pretty to play a member of an elite military unit, hand picked to fight supernatural beings.

Well its not his fault he's too pretty for the role. I actually thought he liked good as a soldier, i have seen a lot of pretty face military guys so that didn't bother, it's just the ridiculousness of the Initiative and having Riley be in charge of everyone that males his character not believable in s4. S5 Riley is a different story. Lol.

 

[sosa lola]

Personally I love all the actors and actresses and think they played their parts perfectly. However, I'd have liked if the young Scoobies were played by actors closer to their real age.

I LOVE Nicholas Brendon, and love that he gave Xander a lot of edge, especially those scenes when he's standing up to Buffy. However, he was 26 playing a 16 year old boy. He was too old for the part, and perhaps the audience would have been more sympathetic toward Xander if the actor looked the part: immature teenager with a lot of courage and heart. I mean, Xander was 21 when he left Anya at the altar, while Nick was 31. Xander at 21 is really young and it's understandable if he couldn't commit, unlike 31 year old Nick who looked mature enough to get married.

Same could be said about Charisma Carpenter who was ten years older than her character. Cordelia was too developed for a 16 year old girl and was supposed to be younger than Fred.

Also Dawn would have benefited a lot from being played by a 12 year old actress like it was intended. The character was supposed to be 11 or 12 but her age was altered because SMG insisted on MT to be cast for the part.

 

[Mr Trick]

Well its not his fault he's too pretty for the role. I actually thought he liked good as a soldier, i have seen a lot of pretty face military guys so that didn't bother, it's just the ridiculousness of the Initiative and having Riley be in charge of everyone that males his character not believable in s4. S5 Riley is a different story. Lol.

I think he looks old enough to be in the military and him having pretty boy looks doesn't matter in itself, but I just think he looks too much like jork to be likable.