If I Were A Casting Agent

One of the more difficult jobs in the entertainment industry is that of the casting agent. It might not seem that hard of a position, but imagine you are the decision maker who has to cast a new pilot or a pivotal guest starring role in a TV series or determine who plays the myriad roles in a major motion picture.

Can you imagine someone else playing Captain Jack Sparrow other than Johnny Depp in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies? Or, could you envision a different actor playing James “Sawyer” Ford in Lost other than Josh Holloway? The TV shows and movies you love could have turned out very different without an experienced and knowledgeable casting agent at the helm.

But my question is: What if you were a casting agent? Who would you cast in a major motion picture or your favorite television show? That question, as you can imagine, has crossed my mind quite frequently because of my love for all things entertainment related.

One casting decision I would make is the lead role in the long gestating Wonder Woman theatrical release. A number of actresses have been suggested for this highly coveted role, such as Charisma Carpenter (from Buffy and Angel fame) and even Megan Fox (the Transformers movies); but my choice for Diana Prince would be Dollhouse co-star Miracle Laurie. She may be a newcomer, but so was Lynda Carter (for the most part) who brought this world-renowned hero to life in the popular 1970’s television series.

Lynda Carter

There are a number of other similarities between the two actresses. Lynda is 5’ 9½” tall and Miracle is 5’ 9” tall. They are both voluptuous woman with long brown hair and baby blue eyes. They both can hold their own against their male counterparts and can handle action scenes with aplomb.

Miracle Laurie

Check out the pictures of both Lynda (during her days as Wonder Woman) and Miracle (from her days on Dollhouse) and judge for yourself.

Next, venturing into the world of television: if I were a casting agent, I would go to the powers that be behind the new FOX series Human Target and convince them that one important component of their show is missing: the heart. As fellow NiceGirl Tiffany states to me on a regular basis: a show has to have a heart – that one key character that holds the plotlines together, gives the viewers a reason to tune in each week and to be the catalyst for a successful series.

Human Target is holding its own in the ratings, has had some great action sequences and has featured some pretty spectacular guest stars in nearly every episode, but each episode has been lacking in heart. This situation could be remedied by simply adding one strong character to the show. My suggestion would be to bring the character of Layla (as portrayed by Autumn Reeser, who starred in The O.C.) back on as a series regular. She would easily be the heart of the show, holding the keys players together and providing her wealth of computer knowledge to the team for all of their missions. Situation solved – at least in my opinion.

Now, if you were a casting agent, what movie would you like to cast? What TV series would you like to populate or which current show would you revive with a healthy dose of actors who could bring the show back to its former glory. Please share your ideas.

We Are the Fallen

Musician Spotlight: In this new series of spotlights, a musician or band will be highlighted each month from various musical backgrounds. The spotlight this month is on the new band We Are the Fallen (pictured). The band is comprised of the original members of the trailblazing band Evanescence – guitarists Ben Moody and John LeCompt and drummer Rocky Gray – along with American Idol finalist Carly Smithson and bassist Marty O’Brien. The band officially debuted in June of 2009 with the launch of their website: http://www.wearethefallen.com/. Their album “Tear the World Down” will be available on May 11 and their first single is called “Bury Me Alive”.